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JGSO News 1 October 2025
Welcome to the Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon blog and our weekly newsletter!  We hope you find something here that helps you with your research.

We are happy to provide information to the genealogy community all over the world.  Our newsletter is a curated list of free presentations and articles focused on or in some way relevant to Jewish genealogical research.

Members of JGSO receive the newsletter in their Inboxes every Wednesday night.  If you find the information here useful, please consider joining JGSO or supporting us with a donation. Go to our site, https://jgsoregon.wixsite.com/home, and click on Get Involved.

Our Next Program

The Impact of Weather on Family History, Sydney Lybrand
Sunday, 4 October 2025, 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free

Weather-related events altered the lives, and livelihoods, of individuals, families, and even communities.  Weather also served as a backdrop to the daily lives of our ancestors, having an impact on them in ways we might not have thought of.  Learn about the many resources and ways we can gain new insights into weather of the past.

Sydney Lybrand is a scientist specializing in analysis of precipitation data.  She holds a bachelor's degree in Earth System Science and a master's degree in Atmospheric Science.  She is also passionate about history and the role of weather in both historic events and everyday lives.

Registering for this program will place you on the JGSO mailing list, and you will receive our newsletters. Each newsletter has instructions on how to unsubscribe.

All our programs feature closed captioning.

Program details and registration links for 2025 are on our Events page.
https://jgsoregon.wixsite.com/home/events-1/

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Register early for presentations. Space may be limited.
If it says "Join at" the time of the meeting, no registration is required.

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JEWISH GENEALOGY EVENTS and NEWS

Finding Ancestors in the 19th Century Russian Revizskie skazki, Hal Bookbinder
Monday, 13 October 2025, 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
JGS of Washington State

YIVO and the Oyneg Shabes Archive:  A Centennial Celebration, 4 sessions
Sundays, 19, 26 October, 2, 9 November 2025, 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

How to Research Your Jewish Ancestors in the UK, Jeanette R. Rosenberg OBE
Sunday, 19 October 2025, 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
San Francisco Bay Area JGS

Imagining Early American Jews, Michael Hoberman
Sunday, 19 October 2025, 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Touro Synagogue Foundation

Hebrew Reading Crash Course Level I (five sessions), Florence Wiener
Mondays, 20, 27 October, 3, 10, 17 November 2025, Zoom, free
National Jewish Outreach Program
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/qCI3_LlxQn6FJxMhJiOzQg

The Jewish Ghosts of Cedarwood Waldorf School, Karen Treiger
Sunday, 2 November 2025, 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time, in person, free
Cedarwood Waldorf School, 3030 SW Second Avenue, Portland, Oregon

A Nation of Refugees:  Russia's Jews in World War I, Polly Zavadivker
Wednesday, 12 November 2025, 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
JDC Archives
https://archives.jdc.org/a-nation-of-refugees/

AI & Jewish Genealogy:  New Tools, New Concerns, Scott Meyer
Sunday, 16 November 2025, 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time, hybrid (Zoom), free
JGS of Illinois

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Ashkenazi Jews, There’s 1,000 Years of History You’ve Been Missing, Ilana Strauss
25 September 2025
Forward

Anyone [in UK] with Jewish Ancestry Urged to Sign Up for BRCA Test as Deadline Looms, Gaby Wine
16 September 2025
31 October 2025 sign-up deadline
Jewish Chronicle

House Passes Bill to Identify Jewish U.S. Troops Buried under Incorrect Religious Markers, Mike Wagenheim
15 September 2025
Jewish News Service

How One Jewish Geneticist Turned a Family Tragedy into a Lifesaving Mission, Susan Weiss Leibman
6 February 2025
Forward

How Did Ashkenazi Jews End Up with Famous Non-Jewish Last Names?, Alexander Beider
12 December 2018
Forward

Did Jews Buy Their Last Names?, Alexander Beider
3 January 2018
Forward

Ashkenazi Jews Are Not Khazars.  Here’s the Proof, Alexander Beider
25 September 2017
Forward

JewishGen Discussion Group
JewishGen has an e-mail list where people share information about resources, request help with translations and identifying photos, post about upcoming presentations, and generally indulge in family history on a regular basis.  While not a must for doing Jewish genealogical research, it is a very helpful resource.  You must first register for a free account on JewishGen and then separately register for the discussion group..
https://tinyurl.com/yp7ce6zj

JDays Worldwide Jewish Event Calendar
Calendar of upcoming programs with focuses on Jewish family history, history, and heritage.
L'Dor V'Dor Foundation
https://ldvdf.org/jdays/

IAJGS Jewish Roots Calendar
https://www.iajgs.org/calendar/

The Hub
Listings of mostly online Jewish events and classes, several of which are useful for family history.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/the-hub/

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SEPHARDIC et al.  EVENTS and NEWS

How to Research Your Jewish Ancestors in the UK, Jeanette R. Rosenberg OBE
Sunday, 19 October 2025, 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
San Francisco Bay Area JGS

Imagining Early American Jews, Michael Hoberman
Sunday, 19 October 2025, 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Touro Synagogue Foundation

Hebrew Reading Crash Course Level I (five sessions), Florence Wiener
Mondays, 20, 27 October, 3, 10, 17 November 2025, Zoom, free
National Jewish Outreach Program

III International Congress of Sephardic Studies:  "Jews in the Mediterranean and Their Diasporas"
Tuesday–Thursday, 21–23 October 2025, in person, Lisbon, Portugal
University of Lisbon Center for History and Center for Jewish Studies of the Amazon
https://www.ceja-cies.com.br/iiicies-eng/

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The Jews of Edirne, Turkey, Jacob Daniels
recorded 7 September 2025
Sephardic Genealogical Society

Sephardic Traditions:  What Is Different about Portuguese Jews?, Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota
recorded 13 March 2022
Sephardic Genealogical Society

Births Index of the Jewish Community of Livorno (1668–1810)
A Nação Hebraica
Downloadable CSV and PDF files:  https://tinyurl.com/4975b6jb

Anyone [in UK] with Jewish Ancestry Urged to Sign Up for BRCA Test as Deadline Looms, Gaby Wine
16 September 2025
31 October 2025 sign-up deadline
Jewish Chronicle

House Passes Bill to Identify Jewish U.S. Troops Buried under Incorrect Religious Markers, Mike Wagenheim
15 September 2025
Jewish News Service

It Was the Wildest Scheme in American Jewish History, Elliot Cosgrove
15 September 2025
Forward

Jews of Tétouan during the 15th and 17th Centuries:  A Historical Study of the Social, Political, and Religious Structures and Dynamics, Mhamed El Bouzidi
5 September 2025
Jewish Culture and History

JewishGen Discussion Group
JewishGen has an e-mail list where people share information about resources, request help with translations and identifying photos, post about upcoming presentations, and generally indulge in family history on a regular basis.   While not a must for doing Jewish genealogical research, it is a very helpful resource.  You must first register for a free account on JewishGen and then separately register for the discussion group.
https://tinyurl.com/yp7ce6zj

Jewish Mendoza Family of London
This project will create a migration map as a test for a larger project.  
If you are a descendant of the London Mendoza family, please join.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/jewishmendozafamily

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HOLOCAUST and WWII EVENTS and NEWS

Adventures of a Little Girl, Holocaust survivor Ellen Bottner
Friday, 3 October 2025, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, online, free
Arizona Jewish Historical Society

Next Generations Group Get-together, Bettie Denny
Saturday, 4 October 2025, 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time, in person, free
Next Generations Group

Online Holocaust Survivor Talk:  Lya Frank
Sunday, 12 October 2025, 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time, online, free
Holocaust Museum LA

What History Teaches:  Women's Loss of Rights during the Third Reich, Deborah Barton
Thursday, 16 October 2025, 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Montreal Holocaust Museum

Non Fiction Book Club:  I Seek a Kind Person by Julian Borger
Monday, 20 October 2025, 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
link to come

Where They Settled:  Holocaust Survivors in South Africa, Gwynne Robins
Thursday, 23 October 2025, 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time, online, free
Holocaust Museum LA

Online Holocaust Survivor Talk:  Erika Schwartz
Sunday, 26 October 2025, 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time, online, free
Holocaust Museum LA

What History Teaches 4:  Universities, Education, and the Role of Intellectuals
Wednesday, 29 October 2025, 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center

What History Teaches 5:  Between Terror and Resilience—Jewish Life in Nazi Germany, Jordanna Gessler
Thursday, 13 November 2025, 12:00 noon Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Holocaust Museum LA

What History Teaches 6:  America & the Holocaust—Isolationism & Immigration
Tuesday, 9 December 2025, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

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A Trip to Ostwall, the Nazi Underground City:  The Secret Labyrinth under the Polish Countryside (in Spanish)
14 September 2025
Periodista Digital
(You can use Google Translate, https://translate.google.com/, to translate the article, or read it in Chrome.)

After Swartendijk and Sugihara:  Romer's Lifeline for 2,300 Refugees, Arlette Liwer
10 September 2925
JewishGen Blog

Free AncestryDNA Kits for Holocaust Survivors or Their Children
The Center for Jewish History has partnered with Ancestry.com.  Only for first-time/new DNA tests at Ancestry.

Holocaust Reunion Project, reuniting survivors with family
Free DNA tests for survivors and descendants
https://holocaustreunions.org/

Living Links
Nationwide organization for grandchildren of Holocaust survivors
https://www.wearelivinglinks.org/

Austrian Gesture Payment for Living Survivors from Austria
Austria resolved to provide additional support to all living victims of National Socialism from Austria.
National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism
https://www.nationalfonds.org/gesture-payment

Share Your History:  Preserve Films and Help Save Holocaust Evidence
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is seeking home movies from before, during, and immediately after the Holocaust.  The museum will restore and digitize the films.
https://engage.ushmm.org/donate-collections

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DNA EVENTS

YDNA Free Get Started Course, Diahan Southard
Attend on your schedule, online, free
Your DNA Guide

Uncovering Truth through DNA:  The Power of Genetic Genealogy, Aimee Rose-Haynes
Thursday, 30 October 2025, 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

Genetic Genealogy Today, Richard Hill
Wednesday, 12 November 2025, 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Utah Genealogical Association DNA SIG

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GENERAL GENEALOGY EVENTS and NEWS

We list only events and news that have some relevance to Jewish genealogy research.  Unless a presentation is particularly important to let you know about, we will not list talks from Legacy Family Tree, Salt Lake City FamilySearch Library, BYU FamilySearch Library, Lehi FamilySearch Center, or Los Angeles FamilySearch Center because there are so many.  See our blog for links to those organizations and other resources:  https://jgsojewishgenealogyportland.blogspot.com/p/resources-and-links.html.

Using AI To Translate and Manipulate Foreign Language Documents, Natalie Webb
Thursday, 2 October 2025, 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Ontario Genealogical Society

Germans to America's Midwest, 1848–1900, Scott Norrick
Friday, 3 October 2025, 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Eastside Genealogical Society

Part I:  Stuck?  Have You Tried . . .?  Have You Overlooked . . .? and
Part II:  What’s Next?  Developing Step-by-Step Research Plans, Paula Stuart Warren, CB
Saturday, 4 October 2025, 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Zoom, free
San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

GFO Free First Monday
Monday, 6 October 2025, 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., in person, free
Genealogical Forum of Oregon, 2505 SE 11th Avenue Suite B018, Portland, Oregon
https://gfo.org/

From Fatherland to New World:  Your German Ancestors' Emigration Story (3 sessions), Andrea Bentschneider
10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Monday, 6 October 2025, Voyages of Hope:  German Emigration in the 19th Century
Tuesday, 7 October, Crossing Oceans:  The Emigrant Experience
Wednesday, 8 October Beyond the Passenger Lists:  Overlooked Emigrant and Ship Records

Unearthing Ancestors in European & U.S. Newspapers and Directories
Monday, 6 October 2025, 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Bensenville Community Public Library

Immigration Records, Katie Stilp
Tuesday, 7 October 2025, 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time, hybrid (Zoom), free
Appleton Public Library

Unlocking the Past with Transkribus:  AI Tools for Genealogy and Historical Research, Helene Prokop
(This program is trying to sell you something.)
Tuesday, 7 October 2025, 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/14502623

Photo Research with Artificial Intelligence, Mark D. Thompson
Thursday, 9 October 2025, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, hybrid (Zoom), free
Main Line Genealogy Club
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/photo-research-with-artificial-intelligence-by-mark-d-thompson-registration-1338703621569

Navigating the New Library and Archives Canada Website, Ken McKinlay
Saturday, 11 October 2025, 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time, hybrid (Zoom), free
British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa

King Philip’s War, 1675–1676:  Causes & Consequences and
Orphan Trains and the Children Who Rode Them, Karen Fortin
Saturday, 11 October 2025, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
San Diego Genealogical Society
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WbVuJyIHTDC57q9zMvu4lA

Wisconsin Historical Society:  An Overlooked Resource You Need to Explore!, Mary Risseeuw
Saturday, 11 October 2025, 12:00 noon Pacific Time, hybrid (Zoom), free
Appleton Public Library

The Curious Call of Place:  Telling the Stories of People and Places, Rhonda Lauritzen
Tuesday, 14 October 2025, 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

The Immigration and Naturalization Act 60 Years Later, panel of speakers
Tuesday, 14 October 2025, 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time, hybrid (YouTube Live), free
Tenement Museum

Documenting Your Sources:  The Key to Credible Genealogy, Megan Clark Young
Thursday, 16 October 2025, 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

Tracing Your Railway Ancestors
Friday, 17 October 2025, 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Vimeo, free
The National Archives (UK)

Online Genealogy Summit, 8 sessions
Friday, 17 October 2025, 6:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Pacific Time, virtual, free
Floyd County Library

24th Annual Genealogy Lock-in, 8 sessions
Friday, 17 October 2025, 6:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, virtual, free
Waco-McLellan County Library

Using AmericanAncestors.org, Christine Cohen
Saturday, 18 October 2025, 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Castle Rock Colorado Genealogical Society

Beyond the Brick Wall:  Strategies for Pre-1850 U.S. Research, Julia A. Anderson
Saturday, 18 October 2025, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Delaware Genealogical Society

Hiding in Plain Sight:  Finding Elusive Ancestors with FamilySearch’s Full-Text Search, Julia A. Anderson, AG, AGL
Saturday, 18 October 2025, 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Genealogical Forum of Oregon

Goldmines & Landmines:  What to Look for in Genealogy Research, Sharon Roth
Sunday, 19 October 2025, 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time, hybrid (Zoom), free
JGS of Illinois
https://jgsi.org/event-6289355

Read All about It!!  Techniques to Find Your Ancestors in the Newspaper, Melanie McComb
Monday, 20 October 2025, 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time, hybrid (Zoom), free
Ashtabula County District Library and Ashtabula County Genealogical Society

Digging into Military Records:  Genealogy Research with Fold3, Logan Knight
Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

Alienation of Affection:  Divorce in the United States, Christine Cohen
Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, GoToWebinar, free
Wisconsin Genealogical Society

Indexes and Databases:  What Indexers, Proofreaders, and Genealogy Researchers Should Know, Ken Ryesky
Monday, 27 October 2025, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Israel Genealogy Research Association

Naturalization Records, Katie Stilp
Tuesday, 28 October 2025, 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time, hybrid (Zoom), free
Appleton Public Library

Tracing Family Roots through German Words, Gabi Jauregui
Tuesday, 28 October 2025, 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

Memento Mori:  Records of the Dead and Dying, Jennifer Roodzant
Wednesday, 29 October 2025, 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time, GoToWebinar, free
Tennessee Genealogical Society

Preserving Your New York Story:  Researching U.S. Veterans of the Great War, Geoff Gentilini
Tuesday, 4 November 2025, 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, hybrid (Zoom), free
New York Genealogical and Biographical Society
https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/events/preserving-your-new-york-story-researching-us-veterans-great-war

Voting Records:  Genealogy's Best Kept Secret, Pam Vestal
Saturday, 8 November 2025, 12:00 noon Pacific Time, hybrid (Zoom), free
Appleton Public Library

Using MyHeritage to Research Your Ancestors
Wednesday, 12 November 2025, 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Boston Public Library

Tracing Your Immigrant Ancestors, Margaret R. Fortier
Thursday, 13 November 2025, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, hybrid (Zoom), free
Main Line Genealogy Club

Society Briefs, Village News . . . or the Other “Gossip Columns", Mary Risseeuw
Tuesday, 18 November 2025, 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, GoToWebinar, free
Wisconsin Genealogical Society

Tracking Our Ancestors: From Virginia to North Carolina,Tennessee and Beyond, Barbara Vines Little
Wednesday, 19 November 2025, 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time, GoToWebinar, free
Tennessee Genealogical Society
https://tngs.org/event-6034206

Finding the Stories of Your Ancestors:  Using Social History to Bring Your Ancestor's History to Life, Pamela Guye Holland
Wednesday, 19 November 2025, 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Zoom, free
Boston Public Library

Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan:  The Key to Thorough Research, Cheri Hudson Passey
Saturday, 13 December 2025, 12:00 noon Pacific Time, hybrid (Zoom), free
Appleton Public Library

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Index of New York, Land Records, 1630–1975
Free index for FamilySearch's "New York, Land Records, 1630–1975"
Collection includes deeds, mortgages, patents, and land grants
New York Genealogical and Biographical Society

Celebrate Family History Month
Free resources from National Genealogical Society

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CONFERENCES and SEMINARS

VI International Conference on Jews in Galicia:  Histories, Topographies, and Texts
Monday–Tuesday, 20–21 October 2025, in person, Kraków
Send message to JewsInGalicia@gmail.com

RootsTech 2026
Thursday–Saturday, 5–7 March 2026, hybrid (Salt Lake City, Utah and online; online will be free)
FamilySearch
Discounted early bird registration is open.

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Visit JGSO online
https://jgsoregon.wixsite.com/home
To join JGSO, click on Get Involved.

JGSO Is a member of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.
https://www.iajgs.org/

For JGSO questions, send a message to JGSOregon@gmail.com

For help with your genealogy (a members-only benefit), contact our Help Desk
genportland972@gmail.com

Visit the Portland KehilaLinks Page
History of the Portland, Oregon Jewish community, 1849–present
https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Portland/
Do you have information to contribute?  Contact us at JGSOregon@gmail.com

JGSO YouTube Channel
recorded presentations we have permission to post online
https://www.youtube.com/@JGSOregon

JGSO Blog
updated weekly with current news and events
https://jgsojewishgenealogyportland.blogspot.com/

Shopping at Fred Meyer
Please enroll in the Community Rewards program and designate Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon as your chosen charity.
https://www.fredmeyer.com/i/community/community-rewards

Thank you,

JGSO Board