Technical Difficulties

UPDATE 6/24/2014
It appears that most of the issues have been resolved, and the JewishGen website is now functional. We apologize again for any inconvenience this may have caused. If you have any questions, or concerns, please email info@JewishGen.org.

UPDATE 6/19/2014
Dear Friends,

The homepage (www.JewishGen.org) is now accessible once again, but most of JewishGen continues to remain offline, including most databases, our donation module, and discussion groups.

We hope that this issue will be resolved quickly, and we will do our best to keep you informed of any progress by posting updates here on our Facebook page.

I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing, and I thank you for your continued support of JewishGen's important work.

Warren Blatt
Managing Director


UPDATE 6/18/2014
We are continuing to experience technical difficulties with the JewishGen website. We are working to resolve this issue quickly and appreciate your patience and understanding.We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your continued support of JewishGen's important work. If you have any further questions, please email info@JewishGen.org

Kidnapping in Israel

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the kidnapped boys in Israel. May they be returned safely and quickly.

Adding Additional Fee Items To Your Registration to the 34th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy

Posted by: Jan Meisels Allen



 If you have registered for the conference and while most have had no problems adding additional fee items, but you would like some assistance with adding additional fee items to your registration, the following will be of assistance:

Additional fee items include Breakfasts with the Experts, SIG Luncheons, The Shabbat and Banquet dinners, Computer Labs and a Trip to Ancestry on the last day of the conference. All have limited seating. You can also purchase a printed version of the syllabus (all full registrants will receive a USB drive containing an electronic copy of the syllabus). If you are having difficulty updating your registration, please read on:

Step 1: Go to www.iajgs2014.org .

Step 2: Point your mouse / cursor at the word "REGISTRATION" at the top of the page.

Step 3: You will see a list appear below and to the right of "REGISTRATION". The final item in the list is "Update your registration info and WWI Story". Click on it.

Step 4: You will be presented with a login page. Enter your login email  and password  (which you received when you initially registered)  (If you are a speaker, your registration login email and password may be different from your speaker login email and password).

Step 5: You will see the first page of the Registration Update Form. At the bottom will be "Edit Registration for xxxxx", with "xxxxx" showing your name. Click on it.

Step 6: You will now be presented with a series of pages that you can update. If you simply want to add additional fee items, this is the sixth page and so you will find it necessary to click on "Continue" at the bottom of the page 5 times.

Step 7: Once you have chosen the additional fee items you want, click continue and this will take you to the Review page that will permit you to check if what you ordered is what you want. Click on "Continue" at the bottom of the page.

Step 8: You will now see the Payment page that will permit you to enter your credit card or state that you will pay by check. If you choose the second, please send your check now. If not received in a timely manner, the items will be removed from your registration.

Step 9: Be sure to click on the required field at the top of the page showing that you agree to the cancellation terms and then, click on "Complete Registration" at the end of the page. A confirmation page will show and you will be sent a confirmation email.

See you at the conference!

Hal Bookbinder, conference co-chair

IAJGS 34th International Conference on Jewish Genealogy--Only 7 More Days For Early Registration Which Ends May 31st

Posted by: Jan Meisels Allen

Take Your Family History Research to the Next Level Early Registration Ends May 31st Sitting on the Fence? Take your Family History research to the next level at the premier conference on Jewish genealogy, the 34th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy in Salt Lake City, July 27-August 1. Learn: A rich program with 250 sessions - many never before available. Research: The incomparable Family History Library is only a few blocks from the conference hotel and has an enormous amount of material that is not on line, along with easy access to a variety of databases online (additional databases accessible from the conference hotel). Extra library staff will be on hand to assist first timers. Share: Participate in our online Family Finder for registrants that will identify other researchers by surname and by ancestral town – permitting registrants to reach out to one another, connect before the conference and discuss common interests while protecting your privacy. The Hilton Salt Lake City Center is available for just $149 (plus tax) per night. There are still some rooms available, but,they are dwindling fast. Act soon. There is a link to the discount reservations web page from the conference website. Early registration ends May 31st just over one week away.  At that time, the cost of full registration will rise from $295 to $325. Other prices (spouse/companion, daily, etc.) will similarly rise. Make your reservation now! Can’t Take the Time or Travel the Distance? If you cannot join us in person, subscribe to IAJGS LIVE! and access the best of the IAJGS conference live streamed and on-demand to your computer, tablet or smartphone. Only $149 to view about 50 of the programs via the Internet as they are being given and with continuing access to them for the next three months at your convenience. Register for both the conference and LIVE! and save $50! Already Registered for the Premier Conference on Jewish Genealogy? If you are registered for the IAJGS Conference, we look forward to seeing you there. Be sure to  sign up for the additional fee items that you would like before they fill up. All of the breakfasts, luncheons, computer workshops and the trip to Ancestry have limited seating. See you in SLC in July! Hal Bookbinder, Banai Feldstein, Ken Bravo, conference co-chairs

© 2014 International Assn. of Jewish Gen. Societies - All Rights Reserved.

JGS of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County (JGSCV) June 1 Program Round Tables

Posted by: Jan Meisels Allen

The Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County (JGSCV) will hold a general meeting, co–sponsored with Temple Adat Elohim, on Sunday, June 1, 2014 at Temple Adat Elohim 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks,1:30-3:30 p.m.

The Topic:  Roundtable Discussions"

Experienced members of the Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County (JGSCV) other experts will lead small groups of like-minded attendees who will discuss and help on areas of interest: Canadian, Galician, German, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, US research and more. We are privileged to have the following experts facilitate the tables:

Canada- Marion Werle

Galicia- Pamela Weisberger

Germany-Werner Frank-

Hungary—Sandra Malek

Latvia- Marion Werle

Lithuania—Sonia Hoffman

Poland- Debra Kay Blatt and Warren Blatt US-Karen Lewy

There will be two 45-minute sessions enabling everyone to participate in at least two areas of interest at the roundtables. This is a perfect way to meet others interested in the same areas and subjects as you!

The Schmoozing Corner which is held starting 1:10 PM will be facilitated by JGSCV founding member and Secretary, Debra Kay Blatt. The Schmoozing Corner is available If you would like individual insights for your genealogical pursuits from an experienced JGSCV member 20 minutes before each meeting.

Our traveling library will be available starting at 1:00 PM. To see which books are in our traveling library see our website under library-traveling: www.jgscv.org

                                                                                      

The Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County is dedicated to sharing genealogical information, techniques and research tools with anyone interested in Jewish genealogy and family history.

There is no charge to attend the meeting.  Anyone may join JGSCV. Annual dues are $25 for an individual and $30 for a family.

For more information, including directions to Temple Adat Elohim please see the JGSCV website:  www.jgscv.org

Jan Meisels Allen

President, JGSCV

Ancestry.com Offers Free Access to Military Records Through Memorial Day

Posted by:  Jan Meisels Allen

Ancestry.com is offering free access to 145 million select military records in their database through May 26 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

 Go to: http://www.ancestry.com/cs/us/memorialday2014   to access the records.  You will need to register and select a password. No credit card information is required.

You can also download a free research guide on military records on Ancestry by going to: http://c.mfcreative.com/offer/us/family/vetsdayresearch.pdf

 Enjoy Memorial Day with all the different opportunities for researching.

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

(Scotland) BBC Scotland Database on Scottish Men and Women Who Lost Their Lives During WWII

Posted by: Jan Meisels Allen

To mark the 69th anniversary of VE Day in Europe, BBC Scotland has gathered data on the thousands of Scottish men and women who lost their lives during the Second World War. The database provides details on 21,740 Scots killed between 1939 and 1947. In actuality the number of Scots war dead is much larger than that. The BBC Scotland searched the database of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead.aspx), but due to discrepancies in the manner of data collection, not all deceased’s next of kin were contacted for information.  You can search the database by putting terms in the search field such as surname or regiment. You can also order the question data by clicking on a specific column header. The database is displayed by county, surname, forename, date of death, age, rank, regiment, unit, country and cemetery. I did search with “Jewish sounding names” and did receive “hits” in return. The  Scottish deceased World War II dead can be found worldwide--from Albania to Zimbabwe. To search the database go to:  http://marcellison.com/bbc/war_dead/war_dead_db/  Access is free and open to all.

Thank you to Scotland’sPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) for alerting us to this new online database.

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

European History Primary Sources

Posted by: Jan Meisels Allen

European History Primary Sources (EHPS) is a website, with easily searchable index of digital repositories that contain primary sources for the history of Europe.  EHPS is a joint initiative of the Library and the Department of History and Civilization of the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.  While not claiming to be 100% complete EHPS contains the major national digital libraries and many smaller series of e-sources and smaller digitization projects in Europe.  To view the sources go to:

 http://primary-sources.eui.eu/browse-repositories  where you can browse by country and by language as well as by periods from the 16th- 21st century. You can also search by subject and types of sources.   You can do a free text search.

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee