Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois will hold a MEMBERS ONLY Genetic Genealogy Open Discussion for DNA Questions and Answers at 7 p.m. CDT, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. Go to https://jgsi.org/event-6744347 for more information and to receive the Zoom link only available to JGSI members.

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Long Island's 36th Annual Family History Workshop will be presented online on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. Go to https://jgsli.org/jgsli-workshop/ for more information and to register. The fee is $35 or $40.

"How to Curate Your Family History Collection by Marian Burk Wood will be presented online by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut at 6 p.m. CDT, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. Go to https://www.jgsct.org/about-our-next-program.html for more details and to register to receive the free Zoom link.

Did your Jewish ancestors work in the garment industry? A brief article from My Jewish Learning at https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-garment-workers/ explains the history of such work by immigrants.

"Family History Today: When a Goodman is Hard to Find, Let the GPS Be Your Guide" by Emily Garber will be presented online at 4 p.m. CDT, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, by the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute at the Center for Jewish History. Go to https://programs.cjh.org/event/family-history-today-2026-09-10 and pay what you wish to receive the Zoom link.

The JOWBR (JewishGen’s Online Worldwide Burial Registry) database has been updated. This update brings JOWBR’s holdings close to more than 7.2 million records and 2.6 million photos from approximately 12,500 cemeteries or cemetery sections representing 150 countries, according to Nolan Altman, Director of Data Acquisition and Coordinator of Holocaust Database, JOWBR (Burial Registry), and Memorials & Plaques Project. Nolan recommends that you visit www.jewishgen.org/databases/Cemetery/Screencasts/ and view the first two explanatory screencasts if you are new to JOWBR, which is at https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Cemetery/.

"GenealogyIndexer.org: Searching Historical Directories, Yizkor Books, and More" by Logan Kleinwaks will be presented online by the San Diego Jewish Genealogical Society at 3 p.m. CDT, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. Register to receive the Zoom link at https://www.sdjgs.org/event-6565441 Non-members of SDJGS pay $5.

"Searching for Self in the Stories of my Jewish Ancestors" will be presented online by the California Genealogical Society at 6:30 p.m. CDT, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. Karen Treiger will share tales from her book and how San Francisco played a key role in Jewish immigration in the Pacific Northwest. Register/RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/searching-for-self-in-the-stories-of-my-jewish-ancestors-registration-1994477055563#location Non-members of CGS pay $5 to receive the Zoom link.

"How to Find Unique Records from Ukrainian Archives without Knowing Russian or Ukrainian" by Samuel Lerner will be presented online by the Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington at 12:30 p.m. CDT, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. Register at https://jgsgw.org/event/08-16-2026-how-to-find-unique-records-from-ukrainian-archives-without-knowing-russian-or-ukrainian/ Non-members of JGSGW pay $10 to receive the Zoom link.

To learn more about how to research your Jewish ancestors, explore the various pull-down menu items available on the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois website at https://jgsi.org/ Some research features are only available to JGSI members. You can join JGSI for as little as $25 a year. Go to https://jgsi.org/Membership to see the benefits of membership.

“JewishGen.org and FamilySearch.org: What Can I Find and Where Can I Find It?” was the title of a Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois in person workshop held on July 19, 2026, at Temple Beth-El in Northbrook, Illinois. Debbie Kroopkin led the JewishGen.org session, and Suzanne Hoffman led the FamilySearch.org session. Participants in this special event brought their own devices and actively explored their family histories using JewishGen and FamilySearch tools. Learn more about JGSI at https://jgsi.org/.

The North Suburban Genealogical Society Beginners in Genealogy Group meets monthly on the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Glenview Library Tech Lab (2nd floor). Go to https://glenviewpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/events?types=630e5dff96317542000eac50&_gl=117g137y_gaMjAyNDIyMjk4Ni4xNzY0ODIxMzUz_ga_M2W3MEKEPXczE3NzI4NDc5NzEkbzEyJGcxJHQxNzcyODQ3OTg5JGo0MiRsMCRoMA.._ga_G99DMMNG39*czE3NzI4NDc5NzEkbzEyJGcxJHQxNzcyODQ3OTgzJGo0OCRsMCRoMA.. to register for this in person event.

"Rituals and Superstitions of our Ancestors" by Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh will be presented online by the Jewish SIG of the St. Louis Genealogical Society at 1 p.m. CDT, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. Go to https://stlgs.org/about-us-2/sigs-and-special-programs/jewish-special-interest-group to register to receive the Zoom link.

JewishGen.org and FamilySearch.org will be the focus of an in-person family history Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois workshop led by experienced genealogists Debbie Kroopkin and Suzanne Hoffman on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Illinois. Bring your laptops, computers or phones (or share with your neighbor) to this in person only event. Come with your passwords set, your family names and towns, and a question in mind. Go to https://jgsi.org/event-6680849 for more details and to register/RSVP.

This resource is free and open to the public. No membership or prior AI skills needed.

“Brick Walls: Over, Under, Around, or Through—Any Way That Works” with Ken Bravo, a former IAJGS president, will be hosted as a hybrid event by the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland at 6 p.m. CDT, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. Go to https://jgscleveland.org/event-6507845/Registration to register to receive the free Zoom link.