Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto

LITHUANIAN SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIG) with Classi Lectures. (session 1)
2023-01-11 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Toronto)
JEWISH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF TORONTO
and Classi Lectures
PRESENT
LITHUANIAN SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIG)
Featuring Trudy Gold
Wednesday, 11 Jan 2023, 4-5 p.m. EST
Wednesday, 18 Jan 2023, 4-5 p.m. EST
Wednesday, 25 Jan 2023, 4-5 p.m. EST
VIRTUAL MEETING: Join from Home
Virtual doors open at 3:50 pm. EST.
The Jews of Lithuania
Jews had lived in Lithuania since the 14th century. From the 17th century onwards Vilna
the capital was known as the Jerusalem of the North, with personalities such as Elijah of
Vilna (The Vilna Gaon).
By the 19th-century, now under Czarist rule, Lithuania was an important centre of
Jewish life – religious, cultural, and political. The pogroms between 1881 and 1914 led
to thousands fleeing, mainly to North America and over 40,000 to South Africa.
After the bloodshed of World War I, Lithuania became independent, with a Jewish
population of over 150,000 people. They were integral to the economic life of the
country. However, by the end of WWII over 95% of Lithuanian Jewry had
been murdered both by Germans and their Lithuanian collaborators.
This three-week Series will examine Lithuania’s rich and tragic history and explore
many of the personalities whose lives were lived against momentous events.
Session 1
We will examine the history of Jewish settlement in Lithuania and introduce some of the
great religious thinkers, through to the leaders of the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment),
Jewish socialism and Zionism
Session 2
Under Czarist rule thousands of Jews sought refuge abroad – but what happened to
those who remained in newly independent Lithuania?
Session 3
The Jewish community was caught between communists, Nazis, and Lithuanian
fascists. This is the terrible story of the destruction of a great and unique civilization.
Nevertheless, it is peppered with great incidents of heartbreaking heroism and the
extraordinary story of the Japanese consul who saved thousands of Jews including
students of the Mir Yeshiva.
Trudy Gold was the former C.E.O. of the London Jewish Cultural Centre, and one of
the founder members of the British delegation to the International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance. She has taught Modern Jewish History in schools and
universities and for adult groups throughout the World.
She has coordinated teacher training in Jewish History and Holocaust Studies in
Eastern Europe and latterly in China.
She is the author of The Timechart History of Jewish Civilisation and the student
resources “Understanding the Holocaust” and the digital resource “Lessons of the
Holocaust.”
JGS Toronto, in conjunction with Classi Lectures is pleased to announce that this 3-part
series is a partnered program we are offering to its members. It will be open to non-
members through Classi Lectures, and you may contact them for further information at
classilectures@gmail.com.
Fees:
These 3 lectures are free for JGS Toronto Members. Registration link in members area
For only $40, become a member
of JGS Toronto and attend this and future joint Classi Lectures for free. For non-
members, the fee is $12 per lecture or $30 for all 3 lectures. All fees are in Canadian
funds. Consider a donation to JGS Toronto by Clicking Here to assist us in continuing
our mission of providing a forum for the exchange of genealogical information.
(Tax receipts are issued to Canadian donors.)
Registration:
Non-members will register by clicking the following links.
3 Sessions 1-3. The Wandering Jews with Trudy Gold – Classi Learning $30
Session 1. The Wandering Jews with Trudy Gold – Classi Learning $12
Session 2. The Wandering Jews with Trudy Gold – Classi Learning $12
Session 3. The Wandering Jews with Trudy Gold – Classi Learning $12
Note: the video recordings for these sessions will be available to JGS Toronto members only.
JGS Toronto members registration is available in the members area

KULANU & LODZER CENTRE VIRTUALLY PRESENT… AUSTRALIA: THE UNPROMISED LAND - HOW AUSTRALIA ALMOST SAVED 125,000 JEWS
2022-11-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Lodzer Centre Congregation, 12 Heaton Street, Toronto, Canada
Thursday, 3 November 3 at 7 p.m. ET
Attend online or in person at Lodzer Centre Congregation 12 Heaton Street, Toronto
Please join special guest, Jacob Steinberg, as he recounts the story of the remarkable attempt by an extraordinary individual who attempted to save 125,000 European Jews during the Holocaust by settling them in two of the most remote and uninhabitable parts of Australia. Q&A follows.
Free event. However, donations in memory of Harriet Bograd, long-time President of Kulanu, who passed away on September 18th, would be appreciated. All donations to go to the Abayudaya Jewish Community of Apac in Uganda. This community is building a school, community center and synagogue and is part of the Kulanu family of communities. More information is here: https://kulanu.org/new-buildings-in-apac-uganda
Suggested donation of $18, but any amount is acceptable.
Donors in Canada, click here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/31351
Donors in the USA, click here: https://kulanu.org/donate
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/australia-the-unpromised-land-how-australia-almost-saved-125000-jews-tickets-433234906267

JGS Toronto Meeting Zoom only: He Thought His Family Was Wiped Out in the Holocaust
2022-10-19 19:30 - 21:00
Ralph Cilevitz will relate the story of how he discovered new connections and relatives. If you will be viewing from home go to jgstoronto.ca/register

Ancestry DNA Matching Workshop - co-sponsored JGS Toronto
2022-10-12 13:30 - 16:30
This is a JGS virtual event. This event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto DNA SIG and the Facebook Jewish Genealogy SIG.
Learn to use multiple devices: follow Arthur Sissman on Zoom while using your own data to learn how to use the Ancestry DNA Matching website on your computer.
Only 2 spots available. Maximum 18 participants. For questions, email Arthur Sissman at genresearch13@yahoo.com. Or call 954-328-3559.
Open to JGST members only

JGS Hybrid Event -- President Emeritus Henry Wellisch - 100th Birthday
2022-09-18 10:30 - 12:00
JGS Hybrid Event — President Emeritus Henry Wellisch – 100th BirthdayJoin us to honour Henry Wellisch, our President Emeritus, on his 100th Birthday
Hybrid MEETING:
Participate in person at Sha’arei Shomayim
OR
View from home
Sunday, 18 September 2022, 10:30 AM
Henry Wellisch will respond to questions from Neil Richler, and then from the audience
Born in Vienna in 1922 Henry Wellisch and his parents fled Austria in December 1939, after the outbreak of World War II. On route by way of the Danube to the Black Sea and then the Mediterranean, they sought entry to Palestine. Instead British authorities sent them to Mauritius where they remained for the duration of the War. In 1945 Henry joined the Jewish Brigade and fought briefly in Europe and then left for Palestine in 1946. He joined the fledgling Israeli Army and served during the War of Independence in 1948. In 1952, age 30, Henry emigrated to Canada where he has lived ever since. Henry will share his many experiences with us.
Also, Daniel Horwitz, on behalf of the Israel Genealogical Research Association, will outline genealogical resources in Israel covering the 1939-1952 period.
If you will be participating in person, please let us know by e-mailing program@jgstoronto.ca
If you will be viewing from home, to register, please go to JGStoronto.ca/register

You will then receive an immediate acknowledgement plus the link to access the event on 24 April.
The presentation will be recorded. It will be available to JGS Toronto members in the “Members Only” section of the Society website a few days after the event. It will also be available to non-member registrants for one week after the event in the “Registration” location.
www.jgstoronto.ca
Tel 647-247-6414 twitter: jgsoftoronto
facebook: Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto
Before the meeting attendees should download and read Henry’s personal story ESCAPE FROM VIENNA

JGS Toronto - Annual General Meeting - Virtual Only
2022-06-29 19:30 - 21:00
We encourage our Members to be sure to attend our Annual General Meeting as a new Board will be elected. This is a very important event as our executive and volunteers plan our programming, prepare our workshops and seminars, assist our newbies in getting started. As members of JGS Toronto you have a voice and your input is welcome. This will be a virtual event. Please login as a Member for more details.

JGST Virtual Event - Brick Walls and Breakthroughs
2022-06-22 19:30 - 21:00
Every year in June JGS Toronto invites 4 members to share their breakthroughs.
BRICK WALLS AND BREAKTHROUGHS
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at 7:30 pm
Kenneth Golish, a lawyer, Bathurst Manor raised, lives with his family in Windsor. He has been working on his family tree for over twenty years. Kenneth has recently resolved the history of “The Sisters Kirszenbaum”. A returned letter addressed to a Harvey Wolman, dated 1946, was not found until long after the death of Ken’s father. This bittersweet discovery of previous relatives unknown, led to family who were living in London, England.
Ruth Chernia, is the current VP, Membership Services at JGS Toronto and is Editor of Shem Tov. She is a publishing consultant specializing in production editing. Ruth’s area of expertise is in non-fiction. “DNA to the Rescue”: Ruth’s husband’s maternal history has been complicated by a murder, separations and immigration to Canada in 1913. There are also no surviving records from their town. Ruth’s discovery of a 1920 Form 30A record provided the only clue for her husband’s grandmother’s family surname. Recent DNA testing led to the discovery of new found cousins.
Gerri C., a journalist, author and retired university professor, has been working on her family tree since the 1970s. She presents “DNA, Archives and Not Giving Up”, three stories of recent successes, entitled: Ukraine: The Mysterious Mark; Ukraine: Bluma Who?, and Poland: Samuel and the family business. Gerri shares her strategies and tools used in the research of her ancestors’ journey to the USA.
Register at www.jgstoronto.ca/register
Please keep the acknowledgement email when you receive it as it contains your personalized link to join the Zoom meeting.
The presentation will be recorded. It will be available to JGS Toronto members in the “Members Only” section of the Society website, a few days after the event. It will also be available to non-member registrants for one week after the event at jgstoronto.ca/register

JGS Board Meeting
2022-06-15 19:30 - 21:00, 2022-05-09 19:30 - 21:00, 2022-04-11 19:30 - 21:00, 2022-03-14 19:30 - 21:00, 2022-02-14 19:30 - 21:00, 2022-01-10 19:30 - 21:00, 2021-12-13 19:30 - 21:00, 2021-11-08 19:30 - 21:00 and 1 more date

JGST Virtual Event - Comparing the Genealogy Giants
2022-06-01 19:00 - 20:30
Comparing the Genealogy Giants
Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org,
Findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com
Speaker: Sunny Morton
Wednesday, 1 June 2022, 7:00 pm
Go to https://jgstoronto.ca to Register
Participate from Home on Zoom
Open this link to see the full description of this event

JGS Toronto - Special Interest Group - DNA
2022-05-24 19:30 - 20:30
Gil Bardige and Arthur Sissman (both recognized as experts in Jewish DNA) are two new members of JGS Toronto who will host this Q & A. Open this link for the details. This is a virtual event that will be open to members as well as non-members. Participants will be invited to send in their specific questions which shall be used as case studies/examples.

Collecting the Dream “Including Tales of Using Memorabilia to Enhance Your Research”
2022-04-24 10:30 - 13:00
Hybrid MEETING:
Participate in person at Sha’arei Shomayim
or OR
View from home
Sunday, 24 April 2022, 10:30 AM
David Matlow owns the world’s largest private collection of Theodor
Herzl memorabilia. Through his website and weekly Canadian Jewish
News online column, David uses his collection to inform people about the
history of the Zionist movement and the State of Israel.
Collecting the Dream tells Theodor Herzl’s story illustrated through
items in David Matlow’s collection of Herzl memorabilia. Herzl is not
only an important historical figure as the visionary of the State of Israel
and founder of political Zionism, but his life and work serve as a
continuing inspiration to foster his dream of a homeland for the Jewish
people in Israel.
David is a lawyer and partner at Goodmans LLP in Toronto. He is a past
Chair of the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto and was the Co-Chair
of Toronto’s 2015 Campaign for the United Jewish Appeal. He is a
member of the Board of Directors for the Center for Israel Education and
the Ontario Jewish Archives.
As part of his presentation, David will discuss his Herzl Project, one of
the elements of which is “reverse collecting” where items from his
collection are reunited with the original owner or a descendant.
If you will be participating in person, please let us know by e-mailing
program@jgstoronto.ca
If you will be viewing from home, to register, please go to
jgstoronto.ca/register
You will then receive an immediate acknowledgement plus the link
to access the event on 24 April.
The presentation will be recorded. It will be available to JGS
Toronto members in the “Members Only” section of the Society
website a few days after the event. It will also be available to non-
member registrants for one week after the event in the
“Registration” location.

JGST Virtual Event: Using Artifacts to Make Connections with Families
2022-04-24 10:30 - 12:00
Tentative Date: April 24, 2022
Speaker: David Matlow
https://www.thestar.com/life/2021/05/26/toronto-collector-of-theodor-herzl-artifacts-aims-to-reunite-families-with-their-documents-and-heirlooms.html
Register: front page, https://jgstoronto.ca

JGST Virtual Event: "Is it Genealogy or Bobeh Meises" (tales of your grandmother or "Old Wives Tales")
2022-03-27 10:30 - 12:00
Speaker: Michael Goldstein
Michael specializes in North American, Eastern European, Israeli, and Holocaust research. He is a past-president of the IAJGS and of the Israel Genealogical Society. Michael chaired the 2015 IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy held in Jerusalem. He has made presentations at numerous JGS societies and IAJGS Conferences.
Click on this link to see the details: Genealogy or Bobeh Meises
Date: March 27, 2022
Time: 10:30 am
Register: front page: https://jgstoronto.ca

JGST: Virtual Event - Jewish Emigration from Imperial Russia - The Forgotten Baltic Route
2022-02-27 10:30 - 12:00
Speaker: Nick Evans, University of Hull
Sunday: February 27, 2022
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Details of this presentation can be seen by clicking on this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fCBQH2Vd6o_QyU6JUetCAjLqg_dT92lv/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109274985302117454548&rtpof=true&sd=true

JGS Event - Preserving the Past, Protecting the Future: Who Will Inherit My Family History Research?
2022-01-30 10:30 - 12:00
This is a JGS Toronto virtual event. 5 panelists will outline their strategies for passing down while ensuring the preservation of their family research. Go to this link to see the detailed description of this timely event. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1scnFvIibkZzCllZO2GrLKv7e_HB8fc3x/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115643481973909166856&rtpof=true&sd=true. The event starts at 10:30 am on Sunday Jan. 30th, 2022. Virtual doors open at 10:20 am. Go to the front page of the JGS website to Register for Programs.

JGS Event - How Do You Want to be Remembered?
2021-12-15 19:30 - 21:00
How Do You Want to Be Remembered?

Lesley Simpson PhD

Wednesday, 15 December 2021, at 7.30 p.m.

VIRTUAL MEETING: Join from Home

“Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations.” This text from Deuteronomy is on the home page of JGSToronto. The quotation is from Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 7. What does it mean to “remember the days of old”? And what does it mean to “consider the years of many generations”? Within Jewish civilizations, we have a tool for such familial remembrance called an ethical will. Lesley Simpson’s research explores these ethical wills as modes of non-material familial legacy and Jewish memory. She will be providing an introduction to these extraordinary letters, what they are, and why people write them. In addition she can answer questions for any JGS members who may want to write their own ethical wills for their children or grandchildren.

Lesley Simpson is a former Canadian journalist who worked as a staff reporter for Canadian daily newspapers and CBC radio. She recently defended her PhD thesis on Jewish ethical wills. While doing her research, she created customized writing workshops for people who wanted to write their own ethical wills. She is working on a non-academic book tentatively titled My Grandfather’s Scissors. In her other writing life, Simpson writes Jewish children’s books (lesleysimpson.ca).

To register, please go to jgstoronto.ca/register

You will then receive an immediate acknowledgement plus the link to access the event on 15 December.

info@jgstoronto.ca www.jgstoronto.ca
Tel 647-247-6414 twitter: jgsoftoronto
facebook: Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto

LITHUANIA-LATVIA-BELARUS SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIG) EVENT
2021-11-28 10:30 - 12:30
GET THE MOST OUT OF RESEARCHING OUR FAMILIES IN LITHUANIA
WITH GARRI REGEV, DIRECT FROM ISRAEL
Discover new databases, sources and methods for Lithuanian research.
Garri Regev has lived in Israel since 1978 and has been doing genealogical research for over 25 years. She has taught seminars, webinars and courses in genealogy to a variety of adult and teen groups. In addition, she has spoken at twelve IAJGS Conferences and was involved in programming and running the 2015 IAJGS Conference in Jerusalem. Garri is a founding member and President of IGRA (Israel Genealogy Research Association). Garri currently volunteers at the Genealogy Center at the National Library of Israel and the Central Zionist Archives and serves as a Vice-President of LitvakSIG.
Register at www.jgstoronto.ca/register

JGS Virtual Event - "How Best to Use the Databases of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum"
2021-11-21 10:30 - 12:00
How Best to Use the Databases of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM)

Presented by Megan Lewis, Reference Librarian, USHMM

Sunday, 21 November, 2021 at 10:30 a.m.

VIRTUAL MEETING: Join from Home

Megan Lewis will speak about the multiple resources available online in Holocaust Survivors and Victims Database of the USHMM website. Genealogists can learn about a variety of collections made available by the divisions of the Museum’s Library and Archives to assist members with their family history research.

Since 1998, Megan Lewis has served in different roles at the USHMM. Her expertise and familiarity with the Museum’s resources has been much in demand. She has spoken at many genealogy conferences, meetings and programmes. Lewis has earned a BA in History and a Master’s of Library Science from the University of Maryland. In addition, she holds a post graduate certificate in Curation and Management of Digital Assets.
Megan Lewis
Reference Librarian
National Institute for Holocaust Documentation
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Please register at www.jgstoronto.ca/register.

info@jgstoronto.ca www.jgstoronto.ca
Tel 647-247-6414 twitter: jgsoftoronto
facebook: Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto

JGS Virtual Event: Jacob and the Mandolin Adventure - Jewish Orphans from Poland to Ontario
2021-10-27 19:30 - 21:00
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QZN2qTcfeqFVn8QEUXA8FadZUNThMQDl/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115643481973909166856&rtpof=true&sd=true
JGS member, Anne Dublin discusses Jewish orphans from Poland to Ontario. This is a JGS event that is open to all viewers. Please register by following the tab on the JGS website homepage.

UKRAINE SIG VIRTUAL EVENT Jewish Life in Ukraine: A selected history from 800 to 1914
2021-10-25 19:30 - 22:00
Speaker: Marla Waltman
Monday, 25 October at 7:30 p.m.
The JGS Toronto Ukraine Special Interest Group (SIG) provides an opportunity for members and registered guests to focus on subjects of interest for those with ancestors from Ukraine.
This presentation, “Jewish Life in Ukraine: A selected history from 800 to 1914”, will provide an introduction to the history of Ukraine as it pertains to Jewish settlement, from early recorded records, through the years of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Empire, to 1914 and the start of the First World War. Given the length of the period covered, the presentation will examine the major political events and economic realities that had an impact on Jews and their neighbours. Its emphasis will be on the lands now part of modern Ukraine that were annexed by Catherine II (known as Catherine the Great by Russians) for the Russian Empire in 1772, and known as the Pale of Settlement.
Marla Waltman, a former President of JGS Toronto and current Board member, was born in Toronto. Her paternal grandparents emigrated to Canada from Ukraine in the 1920s following other family members who arrived as early as 1905. Marla received a B.A. in History and Anthropology from York University and an M.A. in History from Queen’s University. Over a 32 year career, she worked in Ottawa as an archivist at Library and Archives Canada, policy advisor on heritage institutions and the Canadian music industry at Canadian Heritage, policy chief at the Canadian Literacy Secretariat, and Chief of the Culture Statistics Program at Statistics Canada. Her passion is genealogical research and sharing what she has learned with others.
To register, please go to jgstoronto.ca/register
The SIG meeting is open to members and, as a special gesture, to the public.
This presentation will be recorded. It will be available only to JGS Toronto members in the “Members” section of the Society website, a few days after the event.
As the Ukraine SIG is always looking for topics of interest to genealogists with Ukrainian roots, members are encouraged to propose topics, and/or give a presentation on a topic of interest to those with an interest in Ukraine. Please contact Marla Waltman with proposed topics for future meetings: mwaltman@jgstoronto.ca.

DNA Sig The Avotaynu DNA Project: The Genetic Origins and Migrations of the Jewish People
2021-10-19 19:30 - 22:00 | Online, Canada
The Avotaynu DNA Project: The Genetic Origins and Migrations of the Jewish People
Speaker: Adam Brown
Tuesday, 19 October at 7:30 pm ET
Under the auspices of the Technion (Israel’s MIT), the Avotaynu DNA Project is a landmark scientific study that has tested over a thousand men in far-flung Jewish communities from China to Surinam. Project Administrator Adam Brown will describe what the Project has learned thus far about Jewish origins, as well as the latest discoveries about our migrations during the last 3,000 years of Jewish history.
Adam Brown, Director of the AvotaynuDNA Project, is the Managing Editor of AvotaynuOnline.com. He was the co-chair of the 2017 IAJGS international summer conference on Jewish genealogy. He speaks frequently on topics pertaining to DNA, Jewish history, and the application of technology to genealogical pursuits.
The Avotaynu DNA Project is a collaboration of experienced Jewish DNA project administrators, historians and geneticists worldwide to develop an online knowledge base that will enable genealogists to discovery the history of their own families and at the same time allow historians and demographers to illuminate the history of the Jewish People.
If you have tested at FTDNA, join the project by logging in at www.JewishDNA.org and identify yourself as a member of JGS Toronto so Adam can be prepared to answer any particular questions you may have during Q & A.
The project currently has DNA from thousands of participants from around the globe in its database. Their aim has been to describe the origins and migrations of the world’s Jewish populations since the founding of the Jewish People approximately 3,000 years ago.
Join us on to hear Adam describe and present his findings on the history of our heritage using the tools of the Avotaynu project.
Register at jgstoronto.ca/register
The SIG meeting is open to members and, as a special gesture, to the public.
This presentation will be recorded. It will be available only to JGS Toronto members in the “Members” section of the Society website, a few days after the event.

JGS Event - David Price
2021-09-19 10:30 - 12:00
Click on this link for the details of David Price’s presentation
