About
Established in 1985 as a registered charitable organization, JGS Toronto provides a forum for the exchange of genealogical knowledge and information through this website and also via its newsletter, Shem Tov, its collection of books at the Toronto Reference Library, regular monthly presentations, workshops, and Special Interest Groups.
In 2025, we celebrated the Society's 40th anniversary with a gala celebration. You can view the legacy video which was shown at the gala on our YouTube channel.
What's New
The second event in our winter series of programs on Emigration, Migration, and Immigration: How did they get here from there?
In 1939, at the beginning of WWII, Germany and the Soviet Union divided Poland into Occupation Zones. Many Jews fled into the Soviet zone trying to stay a step ahead of the Germans. Life though was not easy. Many Jews were arrested and deported to labor camps in the East. Many hastily got married for various reasons and had children. Gesher Galicia has two projects, one of vital records and one of criminal files from the NKVD -- the Soviet secret police -- relating to this period. These are some of the most amazing genealogical records one will ever see with pictures, correspondence to overseas relatives, and much genealogical data. Dr. Steven Turner will demonstrate these records and show the researcher how to access and work with them to find precious information on their ancestors.
Date: Wednesday 21 January 2026
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Location: Online via ZoomAll are welcome to attend; advance registration is required. There is no charge for attendance at this program.
There's Still Time!
Did you miss the first few sessions of JGS Toronto’s Unlock the Power of AI in Jewish Genealogy course? It’s not too late to participate! Here’s what one participant had to say after attending the first session:
“Getting people to be comfortable experimenting with and providing venues to share those experiments (both what worked and what didn't) is so critical to learning to harness AI. This is very different from learning the process and basic principles of Jewish genealogy which is relatively static. We thought genetic genealogy was moving fast as we were trying to learn it. AI technology and platforms are changing orders of magnitudes faster and the way we can evolve to take advantage of the changing toolkit is with initiatives like you are leading - never more important to foster learning from each other.” – Marlis H.
Discover how artificial intelligence can transform the way you research and share your family history! Join us for an exciting five-session online series designed to help you use AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity AI, to take your genealogy research to the next level.
In this engaging, hands-on online course, you will:
- Learn how to organize, analyze, and document your family tree using AI
- Explore AI-assisted search techniques for JewishGen, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and other genealogy databases
- See how AI can help interpret DNA results and uncover hidden family connections
- Gain practical tips on writing and sharing your family story with AI support
Taught by Jerry Scherer and Arthur Sissman, with their AI assistants ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity AI.
Register now and you’ll be able to review the recording and other materials from the first few sessions, and then participate in the future sessions. Zoom links will be sent the day prior to each session.
Do You Have a Story for Us?
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto will once again be hosting our extremely popular annual Brick Walls and Breakthroughs meeting in June 2026.
This program features stories by our members who share their challenges, techniques, and solutions that led to research breakthroughs.
Do you have a story to tell? The Program Committee invites four members to give a brief report (just ten to fifteen minutes) on their recent successes to their fellow society members and guests.
Please email [email protected] and include your name and contact information, the presentation title with an outline, and a few sentences of biographical details.
Don’t be shy. Assistance is available and we would be happy to offer presenters the opportunity of an on-line rehearsal. All virtual meetings have a Zoom host who organizes the online technology. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Spotlight
For forty years – since March 1985 – the members of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto have been gathering to share stories and to assist one another in discovering their own family histories. Along the way, they have shared research techniques, discovered sources of information, and have documented their Jewish family histories that contribute to the worldwide collection of Jewish genealogical data.
In 2011, on the occasion of the Society’s 25th anniversary, we published Tracing our Roots, Telling our Stories. Forty-four of our members shared stories of family, migration, cousins, loss and discovery, and life in the old country and in their new home, Canada.
This year, as we celebrate our fortieth anniversary, we’re pleased to share more accounts from our members of the results of their family history research: Tracing Our Roots, Telling More Stories. Thirty-six authors have shared personal stories that will hopefully inspire each of us to trace our own roots and tell our own stories.
Copies of Tracing Our Roots, Telling More Stories are available for purchase for $40 each. The books can be picked up at a future JGS Toronto in-person event or can be shipped to you (additional charges apply).
Shem Tov
Shem Tov is our award-winning quarterly newsletter, published since our inception in 1985. Past issues are accessible to all our visitors. Current issues are available only to members of JGS Toronto and can be accessed from the Members page.
Articles in the December 2025 issue:
- Dating a Family Postcard with a Little Help from ChatGPT
- How My American-born Grandmother Lost Her US Citizenship
- When Your Family Doesn't Care About Family History
- New Digital Archive Brings Sweden's WWII Rescue Mission to Life
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Upcoming Events
Unlock the Power of AI in Jewish Genealogy – class 3 of 5
Discover how artificial intelligence can transform the way you research and share your family history. Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto for an exciting five-session online series designed to help you use AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity AI, to take your genealogy research to the […]
Researching the Jewish Story in Soviet-Occupied Poland, 1939-41 – Latest Available Resources
speaker: Steven Turner, genealogist and president of Gesher Galicia, a town leader for JRI-Poland, and a member of the board of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Long Island. In 1939, at the beginning of WWII, Germany and the Soviet Union divided Poland into Occupation Zones. Many Jews fled into the […]
Unlock the Power of AI in Jewish Genealogy – class 4 of 5
Discover how artificial intelligence can transform the way you research and share your family history. Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto for an exciting five-session online series designed to help you use AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity AI, to take your genealogy research to the […]
Kingston-Upon-Hull: A Forgotten Way-Station on the Road to Canada and the USA
speaker: Dr. Marne Platt Find out more about this important, often untold story of the passage of families from Eastern Europe as they headed to Kingston-Upon-Hull on their way to North America. Learn more about this transition point in the story of many Jewish emigrants! Marne Platt is an American […]
DNA Special Interest Group
Our DNA Special Interest Group (SIG) offers an interactive forum where participants can learn how to use DNA as a tool for Jewish genealogy. Each session is self-contained and focuses on real case studies, practical tips, and guidance from our experts. Whether you’re just getting started with DNA testing or […]