The Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto will once again be hosting our extremely popular annual Brick Walls and Breakthroughs meeting on Wednesday evening, 17 June 2026. This program features stories by our members who share their challenges, techniques, and solutions that led to research breakthroughs.

In person at Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, 470 Glencairn Avenue, North York and on Zoom. Advance registration is not required for in-person attendance. For participation via Zoom, register here:

1. Discovering My Great Grandmother’s Maiden Name
Speaker: John Diener

When John Diener began researching his maternal ancestry in the 1990s, he quickly encountered a dilemma.  Believing that his great-grandmother Rivkah Wiseberg’s maiden name was Kahansky, he soon discovered a number of discrepancies in the documentation. His extensive research revealed that her name was not what he and the rest of his family had always thought.  Discovering the truth led Diener to dozens of relatives on a whole new, previously unknown branch of his family tree.

John Diener has been researching his family roots for more than 30 years.  He has served as vice-president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Ottawa, Co-Chair of Jewish Memorial Gardens in Ottawa and is currently the president of the Ottawa Jewish Historical Society. He has also served on the board of Gesher Galicia and has recently joined the board of the National Holocaust Monument Committee.

2. My Relative, Sandy Koufax
Speaker: David Price

As one of our most prolific members and researchers, David Price continues to discover more and more connections to relatives throughout the world.  For this year’s Brick Walls and Breakthroughs presentation, David relates how after many years of speculation, he has finally confirmed his family’s relationship to the great Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax.

David Price has been a member of JGS Toronto since 1998. He spent over 30 years as a translator for JRI-Poland and the Polish LDS microfilms. He currently volunteers in our Mentors and Mavens program and is always willing to lend a hand.

3. Tracking Down the Memories of Jewish Rouyn-Noranda
Speakers: Rosalie Mednick Nepom, Harvey Korman, Esther Korman-Verred and Sol Mednick

From the 1920s through to the 70s, the northern mining Quebec town of Rouyn-Noranda had a small but vibrant Jewish community. During the pandemic in 2020, a group of ex-residents got together to develop a definitive volume about their home town.

JGS-Toronto member Rosalie Mednick Nepom and her brother Sol Mednick along with cousins Harvey Korman, Esther Korman-Verred and retired dentist, Dr. Isaac Katz embarked on a quest to compile a group of over 40 stories to preserve the history and first person memories of the now vanished local Jewish population.

With the help of former JGS Toronto president Bill Gladstone, they were able to research and locate many former residents (or their descendants) and elicit their fond recollections. In 2023, they published “The Jewish Community of Rouyn-Noranda: The Life and History of a Small Jewish Community in Northern Quebec.”

In this special presentation, Rosalie, Harvey, Sol and Esther will detail the challenges and brick walls they encountered and how they captured the stories of this lost community.

After the meeting, copies of their book will be available for sale.

4. A Family’s Holocaust Story, Hidden in Plain Sight for Over 75 Years
Speaker: Jerry Scherer

For JGS Toronto Board member Jerry Scherer, one of the most extraordinary discoveries of his genealogical journey was not found in an archive, a database, or a distant cemetery. It was an artifact sitting in his own home. One remarkable story of survival, finally unlocked with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). Where did it come from? What does it reveal? And why does it still matter today? Come listen and find out.

Jerry is a long time member of JGS Toronto and was named the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) Volunteer of the Year for 2024. He specializes in using AI to help researchers locate records, clarify family lines, and preserve history for future generations.

In person at Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, 470 Glencairn Avenue, North York and on Zoom. Advance registration is not required for in-person attendance. For participation via Zoom, register here:

FAQ for this program:

• Who may register for this program?  Public
• Is it being recorded?  Yes
• Who may view the recording?  Members only