Researching Shoah Victims & Survivors
2026-05-31 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Toronto) | Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, 470 Glencairn Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5N 1V8, Canada
Peter Jassem will describe his research on more than sixty victims and survivors of the Shoah, all of whom were close relatives on his father’s side. He will explain how he documented the circumstances of their deaths or survival, verified vital records, collected photographs, and traced the postwar experiences of those who survived. While his focus is on Poland, where all of the individuals he researched lived prior to the Holocaust, many of the resources and methodologies he used are applicable to research on former Jewish citizens of other European countries.
The presentation will be richly illustrated and will be recorded for the benefit of members.
Peter Jassem is a Polish-born architect who, upon discovering his Jewish roots in adulthood, embraced his new identity and dedicated decades of his life to Jewish genealogical research and volunteer work.
He served as a board member of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Canada (Toronto) [now JGS Toronto] for some time, chaired the programming of the 22nd IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy held in Toronto in 2002, for which he was praised by the Jerusalem Post, and has contributed articles to Shem Tov.
For more than 15 years he chaired the Polish-Jewish Heritage Foundation of Canada, and for 18 years served on the Board of Jewish Records Indexing–Poland, helping to build one of the world’s most significant Jewish genealogical resources. He currently chairs the Canadian Friends of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. Over the years, Peter has organized landmark cultural programs, Holocaust education initiatives, exhibitions, and community events.
Recently, his research has focused on the wartime fate and experiences of the extended family of his Jewish father. This work led to the submission of dozens of Pages of Testimony to Yad Vashem and he has begun work on a book documenting their history.
Peter’s contributions have been recognized with numerous honours, including the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for building bridges of understanding and respect between Jewish and Polish communities, and the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, awarded in Canada for his dedication to preserving the lessons of humanity and tolerance learned from Holocaust survivors.
In person at Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, 470 Glencairn Avenue, North York and on Zoom.
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FAQ for this program:

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

Board Meeting
2026-06-08 19:30 - 21:30

Ontario Ancestors (OGS) -- Virtual Conference 2026: From Steamships to Microchips
2026-06-12 - 2026-06-14 | Virtual
The Ontario Ancestors (Ontario Genealogical Society) 2026 Virtual Conference: From Steamships to Microchips will be held 12-14 June 2026.
Be prepared to enjoy three days filled with presentations to assist you with your genealogical and family history research. The conference kicks off Friday evening with an exciting keynote presentation and on Saturday and Sunday you will be able to choose from 20 exciting presentations given by Canadian and international speakers. Both days will offer you two streams of sessions, from which you can choose your preferences: one for ‘microchips’: artificial intelligence and other technology and the other for ‘steamships’: immigration and transportation. Session recordings will be available for viewing until 20 July 2026.
The price for a conference pass is $89 for OGS members or $99 for non-members. A $10 early bird registration discount is available through 30 April 2026.
For more information, visit the OGS conference website.

Brick Walls and Breakthroughs
2026-06-17 19:30 - 21:00 | Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, 470 Glencairn Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5N 1V8, Canada
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:
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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:
Register for Zoom participation

FAQ for this program:

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

Artificial Intelligence Special Interest Group
2026-06-25 19:00 - 20:30
Jewish Genealogy + AI: An Interactive Show-and-Tell Workshop
Have you ever wondered what AI could actually do with your great-grandmother’s passenger manifest — or that headstone you can’t quite read?
Browse the free AI guidebooks and prompts available through JGS Toronto and, if you have 15–30 minutes to spare, try something before we meet.
Free JGS Toronto AI Resources: Visit the Artificial Intelligence Resources topic on our website (Resources > JGS Toronto Resources > Artificial Intelligence Resources) to find the link to our AI resource library which provides language prompts, genealogy prompts, and guidebooks … all available now, with more coming soon. If you have trouble finding them, reach out to aisig@jgstoronto.ca and we’ll point you in the right direction.
Before the Meeting — No experience required — even a first attempt counts. Try one genealogy task using AI and see what happens. For example:

Translate a document
Analyze a passenger list
Transcribe a headstone
Research an ancestral town
Create a research plan
Analyze a DNA match

Bring One Thing — Come prepared to share:

A prompt you used
The result you received
A success, challenge, surprise, or question

The goal is to learn from one another, discover practical uses for AI in Jewish genealogy, and leave with new ideas you can use right away. Your host, Arthur, will guide the conversation — but the best insights will come from you.
The AI resource materials are publicly accessible, but this interactive workshop is open only to members of JGS Toronto.
On Zoom only
Register for this Program (members only)

FAQ for this program:

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

Canada Day
2026-07-01

Labour Day
2026-09-07

Erev Rosh HaShanah
2026-09-11

Rosh HaShanah
2026-09-12 - 2026-09-13

Erev Yom Kippur
2026-09-20

Yom Kippur
2026-09-21

Artificial Intelligence Special Interest Group
2026-09-24 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual
An interactive space where JGS Toronto members bring ongoing projects to share breakthroughs, successes and brick walls.
We demonstrate live how AI can be used as a tool to resolve your specific problems.

Erev Sukkot
2026-09-25

Sukkot
2026-09-26 - 2026-10-02

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
2026-09-30

Shemini Atzeret
2026-10-03

Simchat Torah
2026-10-04

Thanksgiving
2026-10-12

Remembrance Day
2026-11-11

Erev Chanukah
2026-12-04

Chanukah
2026-12-05 - 2026-12-12

Christmas
2026-12-25

Boxing Day
2026-12-26

New Year's Day
2027-01-01

Family Day
2027-02-15

Erev Purim
2027-03-22

Purim
2027-03-23

Good Friday
2027-03-26

Easter
2027-03-28

46th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy
2027-04-04 - 2027-04-06 | Virtual
Save the date!
The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) is proud to announce that the 46th IAJGS Conference on Jewish Genealogy will be held virtually 4 – 6 April 2027.
Plan to join us for another excellent opportunity for learning and networking!
For more information, visit the IAJGS conference website.
