Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto

JGST Virtual Event - Comparing the Genealogy Giants
2022-06-01 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Toronto)
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.

JGS Board Meeting
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, 2021-10-11 19:30 - 21:00

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

JGS Event - Prague, Budapest, and Vienna
2021-07-14 19:30 - 21:00
Prague, Budapest, and Vienna: History and Jewish Research. This is a Zoom Virtual Event. Our speaker will be Henry Wellisch who was born in Vienna and survived the War. Hernry, is President Emeritus of JGS Toronto and is a well known speaker on Central European Jewish History.

VIRTUAL MEETING: Join from Home

Wednesday, 14 July 2021, at 7:30 p.m.

These three cities were, before World War I, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the 19th century, thousands of Jews moved to these cities from the provinces to look for a better life. Once there, they became an important part of their new homes; some became leaders of society and distinguished themselves in the fields of science, literature, medicine, theatre, politics, etc.

The presentation will cover a period of several hundred years until World War I. For those who had relatives who may have resided there, Henry has prepared a register of research materials. These will be found on the website of the JGS Toronto and will consist of searchable birth, marriage, death records; and cemetery records, city directories and others. Also provided is an extensive list of books on the history of these communities.

Henry Wellisch was born in Vienna and escaped from there in 1940. He spent the war years in a British Internment camp on the island of Mauritius and in 1944 volunteered for the Jewish Brigade. In 1948 he joined the Israeli army and participated in the War of Independence.

Over 25 years ago, he began to investigate his family background, concentrating his research on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and was able to trace his family back into the middle of the 18th century. He has published numerous articles on Jewish family research, has lectured on various genealogical subjects, and was president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto from 1993 to 1998.

To register, please go to ………

You will then receive an immediate acknowledgement plus the link to access the event on 14 July.

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

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

JGS Toronto Event - Break Throughs and Brick Walls
2021-06-16 19:30 - 21:00
Kenneth Golish raises the question: “Why Did My Grandfather Return to Poland After Settling in America”? Before his father’s death, Kenneth heard the story of his grandfather’s return to the Kielce area of Poland. Never knowing the real reason behind the return, he spent several years researching this question until the truth was finally revealed.
Kenneth is the son of Holocaust survivors, Chaim and Miriam, who emigrated to the Bathurst Manor neighbourhood in Toronto. He has been working on his family tree for over twenty years. Kenneth is a lawyer who lives in Windsor with his family.
Howard Goldstein presents “From Silver to Slapak”, a very recent discovery that was forty years in the making. One document finally pulled all of the pieces together, providing evidence of the original surname, the town of origin and connections to family in Montreal and Massachusetts.
Howard is a third generation Montrealer who began his research in 2013 in the areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Romania. He serves both as Secretary of the JGS Hamilton and Co-ordinator of the JGS Toronto Cemetery Project.
Marla Waltman shares “A Twenty Year Question Mark Resolved”, a major breakthrough on her maternal line, the Organik-Organkiewicz-Organ family from small towns in the Kielce-Radom region of Poland. Marla recently discovered a DNA link that could not be connected with the necessary paper trail. After working on her family tree for decades she has now found proof that led her to discover a large maternal branch in the USA.
Marla is an active researcher and writer who has served on the Executive Committee and the Board of JGS Toronto. She has also served as President of our Society.
Henry Blumberg tells the story, “The “Elusive” Crazy Uncle”, a deep dive into a rabbit hole, taking five years to emerge and discover the true relationship.
Henry is a barrister in Toronto and has been an avid genealogist searching and connecting with family all over Europe, America, the UK and South Africa. He has presented at a dozen conference and JGS meetings. Henry is a Board member of JGS Toronto and has served as convener of the international Latvia SIG for three terms.
To register, please go to jgstoronto.ca/register
Please keep the acknowledgement email when you receive it as it contains your personalized link to join the Zoom meeting.

Annual General Meeting
2021-06-02 19:30 - 21:30
Virtual Event

JGS Toronto Event - Sharing Data on Genealogical Websites: Uses and Abuses; Risks and Rewards
2021-05-26 19:30 - 21:00
This is a virtual Zoom event presented by JGS Toronto. Henry Blumberg who sits on the Board of Directors is the featured speaker.
Sharing Data on Genealogical Websites
Uses and Abuses
Speaker: Henry Blumberg
VIRTUAL MEETING: Join from Home
Wednesday, 26 May 2021, at 7:30 p.m.

In an age of burgeoning technology, genealogists have concerns that relate to genealogy websites, their uses and possible abuses. These include issues of privacy, user agreements, facial recognition, data mining, ownership of data, sharing DNA information with testing companies, surveillance capitalism, and genealogical manipulation and fraud.

Henry Blumberg is a barrister in Toronto. He is on the Board of JGS Toronto, has served three terms as convener of the Latvia SIG, and two terms on the Board of Governors of JewishGen. He has presented at twelve IAJGS conferences and was a speaker in Riga at the “Names and Fates Project” in June 2008, as well as at International Conferences on “Jews in a Changing World” in 2011 and in 2014.
To attend this event go to the Register for Programs button on our home page.

JGS Event - Poland Special Interest Group
2021-05-20 19:30 - 21:00
POLAND SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIG) MEETING
WITH DAVID PRICE
THURSDAY, 20 MAY AT 7:30 p.m.
David Price writes:
Suppose from age 15 you survived five years in a half dozen concentration camps and you came out thinking all your family was murdered. You have trouble even remembering what your parents looked like. If only you had a photo…
Chaim Prajs died a few years ago at age 90, never having found a living relative or even a photo. Two years after he died, his son, Chaim, e-mailed Judy Golan, who he found on JewishGen to be another PRAJS of Kielce, Poland. Judy said there were two unrelated PRAJS families from Kielce. She did not recognize Chaim’s family. By chance, Judy was a JRI-Poland volunteer working on a Kielce project with the other PRAJS of Kielce, namely me, David Price. She passed along Chaim’s e-mail to me. I recognized every name and I had photos!
Note: the JGS SIGs are restricted to members only. This meeting will be conducted through Zoom. An email with a link will be available in the coming days.

JGS Event - DNA Special Interest Group
2021-05-13 19:30 - 21:00
This is a JGS event for members only. Jerry Scherer will be presenting “DNA a Refresher” by way of Zoom.

Begins at 7:30 pm

JGS Event - Exploring City Directories
2021-04-28 19:30 - 21:00
This is a JGS virtual Zoom event.
EXPLORING CITY DIRECTORIES
A Family Tree Magazine Webinar
Followed by Questions and Answers
with Sunny Jane Morton

VIRTUAL MEETING: View from home

Wednesday, 28 April 2021, 7:30 p.m.
EXPLORING CITY DIRECTORIES
A Family Tree Magazine Webinar

Followed by Questions and Answers
with Sunny Jane Morton
VIRTUAL MEETING: View from home
Wednesday, 28 April 2021, 7:30 p.m.

Sunny Jane Morton is a contributing editor at Family Tree Magazine, contributing editor at YourDNAGuide.com, editor of Ohio Genealogy News and a blogger for FamilySearch.org.

City directories are indispensable locating tools for genealogists, but they go far beyond connecting an ancestor to a certain place in time. They lead to a multitude of sources, contain information of genealogical value beyond the individual listings, and present a fuller picture of our ancestors’ lives.

Although the webinar is focused on U.S. city directories, many of the same principles apply in Canada. A PDF with links to major online Canadian city directories will be made available to all attendees.

To register, please go to the link on the Home Page

Please keep the acknowledgement email when you receive it as it contains your personalized link to join the Zoom meeting.

JGS Event - Hungarian Jewry: History, Holocaust and Genealogy
2021-03-21 10:30 - 12:00
“Genealogical Resources for Researching Hungarian Jews”

Hungarian Jewry: History, Holocaust, and Genealogy

Speaker: Karesz Vandor

VIRTUAL MEETING: View from home

Sunday, 21 March 2021
at 10:30 a.m.
Karesz Vandor’s presentation will include:
• A short history of Hungary Including maps, border changes, and the Holocaust timeline.
• How to do genealogy research in Hungarian-related areas such ascurrent day Slovakia, the Transylvanian part of Romania, Northern Serbia, Subcarpathian Ukraine, Burgenland Austria, and Hungary proper.
Karesz Vandor is a professional Jewish Hungarian historian and genealogist. Karesz lives in Budapest where he has been researching and running Jewish Heritage tours for nearly 20 years. His work often includes threading clients’ genealogical research into their tours; guiding them through historical landmarks related to their families; and, for some,taking them to the site of their family’s roots including relevant towns and cemeteries. As a genealogist he has been commissioned to research family origins for the descendants of Hungarians whose ancestorsmigrated around the world.
To register, please go to

Please keep the acknowledgement email when you receive it as it contains your personalized link to join the Zoom meeting.
