Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois
@jgsofillinois.bsky.social
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois (JGSI) is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization established in 1981 and now with over 300 members. JGSI is a member of IAJGS, the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.
"Jewish Genealogy: Discover Your Family History" is the name of an online course taught by experts from the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston. The course, for which the tuition fee is $250, takes place Jan. 7 to March 18, 2026, on eight Wednesday evenings. Go to www.jgsgb.org/course/
Jewish Genealogy: Discover Your Family History - JGSGB
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston teaches an award-winning course on how to research your Jewish family history. It is designed for beginners and for those who have already … Continue ...
www.jgsgb.org
December 6, 2025 at 11:54 PM
"Jewish Genealogy: Discover Your Family History" is the name of an online course taught by experts from the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston. The course, for which the tuition fee is $250, takes place Jan. 7 to March 18, 2026, on eight Wednesday evenings. Go to www.jgsgb.org/course/
If you have relatives who may have died in New York, search for information about them in the free New York State Death Index hosted online by Reclaim the Records at www.newyorkdeathindex.com
Then click on their name to learn the date and location of their death.
Then click on their name to learn the date and location of their death.
December 3, 2025 at 11:53 PM
If you have relatives who may have died in New York, search for information about them in the free New York State Death Index hosted online by Reclaim the Records at www.newyorkdeathindex.com
Then click on their name to learn the date and location of their death.
Then click on their name to learn the date and location of their death.
Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois members have access to a series of interesting, informative Jewish genealogy online discussions. For details, see jgsi.org/Events-calen...
JGSI Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois - Events
jgsi.org
December 3, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois members have access to a series of interesting, informative Jewish genealogy online discussions. For details, see jgsi.org/Events-calen...
The Arizona Jewish Historical Society will host "Parsing the Ocean Voyage: Tracking Emigrants From Europe to the USA," a presentation by Jewish genealogist Emily H. Garber via Zoom on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at 2 p.m. CST. Go to azjhs.org/event/voyage/ to register for this free webinar.
Parsing The Ocean Voyage | AZJHS
Renowned genealogist Emily Garber will guide a discussion and explore aspects of immigration, from ports of embarkation to ocean voyages and arrival in a new land.
azjhs.org
December 3, 2025 at 4:02 AM
The Arizona Jewish Historical Society will host "Parsing the Ocean Voyage: Tracking Emigrants From Europe to the USA," a presentation by Jewish genealogist Emily H. Garber via Zoom on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at 2 p.m. CST. Go to azjhs.org/event/voyage/ to register for this free webinar.
"The History of the South African Jews: From The Pale to Pretoria … Carrying a Small Suitcase Filled with Courage, Faith and Hope – Part 2" by Ralph Cilevitz will be hosted online by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto on Dec. 21, 2025. Go to jgstoronto.ca/event/the-hi... for free link.
The History of the South African Jews – Part 2
From The Pale to Pretoria … Carrying a Small Suitcase Filled with Courage, Faith and Hope – Part 2 In partnership with Classi Lectures In this continuation of Ralph Cilevitz‘s presentation of 01 June ...
jgstoronto.ca
November 29, 2025 at 11:39 PM
"The History of the South African Jews: From The Pale to Pretoria … Carrying a Small Suitcase Filled with Courage, Faith and Hope – Part 2" by Ralph Cilevitz will be hosted online by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto on Dec. 21, 2025. Go to jgstoronto.ca/event/the-hi... for free link.
Scott Meyer spoke in person about "AI and Jewish Genealogy: New Tools, New Concerns" for the Nov. 16, 2025, Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois hybrid meeting at Temple Beth-El in Northbrook, Illinois. Go to jgsi.org/Events-calen... to register/RSVP for future JGSI events.
November 20, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Scott Meyer spoke in person about "AI and Jewish Genealogy: New Tools, New Concerns" for the Nov. 16, 2025, Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois hybrid meeting at Temple Beth-El in Northbrook, Illinois. Go to jgsi.org/Events-calen... to register/RSVP for future JGSI events.
The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAGS) is re-imagining its future conferences. They want to hear from everyone interested in Jewish genealogy. Please take the survey at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/IAJGS_conf...
Jewish Genealogy Conference Planning Survey
The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) is reimagining its future conferences — and we need your help to make them more relevant and meaningful to today’s Jewish family ...
www.surveymonkey.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:33 PM
The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAGS) is re-imagining its future conferences. They want to hear from everyone interested in Jewish genealogy. Please take the survey at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/IAJGS_conf...
"Unlock Your Family’s Story: An Introduction to Genealogical and DNA Research" by Barry Love will be presented as a free webinar hosted by the Chicago Genealogical Society at 7 p.m. CST, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. Go to chicagogenealogy.org/Events to register to receive the free Zoom link.
Chicago Genealogical Society - Events
chicagogenealogy.org
November 19, 2025 at 10:27 PM
"Unlock Your Family’s Story: An Introduction to Genealogical and DNA Research" by Barry Love will be presented as a free webinar hosted by the Chicago Genealogical Society at 7 p.m. CST, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. Go to chicagogenealogy.org/Events to register to receive the free Zoom link.
"How to Find Any Shtetl on Topographic Maps" by Andrew Kapochunas will be hosted online by the Jewish SIG of the St. Louis Genealogical Society at 1 p.m. CST, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. Go to stlgs.org/about-us-2/s... to register to receive the Zoom link for this Jewish genealogy webinar.
Jewish Special Interest Group - St. Louis Genealogical Society
The Jewish Special Interest Group (J-SIG) of St. Louis Genealogical Society began in June 2005 as a revival of the Jewish Genealogical Society of St. Louis, formerly associated with United Hebrew Cong...
stlgs.org
November 11, 2025 at 2:47 AM
"How to Find Any Shtetl on Topographic Maps" by Andrew Kapochunas will be hosted online by the Jewish SIG of the St. Louis Genealogical Society at 1 p.m. CST, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. Go to stlgs.org/about-us-2/s... to register to receive the Zoom link for this Jewish genealogy webinar.
RootsTech, the annual genealogical conference hosted by FamilySearch, will take place March 5-7, 2026. Go to www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech... for more details and to register. Note: this will be a hybrid event, taking place in person in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as online.
FamilySearch.org
Discover your family history. Explore the world’s largest collection of free family trees, genealogy records and resources.
www.familysearch.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:21 AM
RootsTech, the annual genealogical conference hosted by FamilySearch, will take place March 5-7, 2026. Go to www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech... for more details and to register. Note: this will be a hybrid event, taking place in person in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as online.
JGSI member Martin Fischer will present his updated lecture "Write It! Tips for Saving and Sharing Family History in Written Form" at 2 p.m. CST, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, hosted online by the Library of the Chathams. Go to chathamlibrary.librarycalendar.com/event/write-... to register.
November 5, 2025 at 6:05 PM
JGSI member Martin Fischer will present his updated lecture "Write It! Tips for Saving and Sharing Family History in Written Form" at 2 p.m. CST, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, hosted online by the Library of the Chathams. Go to chathamlibrary.librarycalendar.com/event/write-... to register.
"Introduction to Autosomal Genetic Genealogy" by retired doctor Tim Janzen will be co-presented online by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon and the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society at 1 p.m. CST, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. Register at us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Introduction to Autosomal Genetic Genealogy. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
This presentation will cover basic background about autosomal DNA and analysis of matching segment data that every genetic genealogist needs to understand. The most important features of the major au...
us06web.zoom.us
October 26, 2025 at 10:28 PM
"Introduction to Autosomal Genetic Genealogy" by retired doctor Tim Janzen will be co-presented online by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon and the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society at 1 p.m. CST, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. Register at us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
An informative article about the 1880 U.S. Census has been posted by the St. Louis Genealogical Society on its blog at: stlgs.blogspot.com/2025/10/secr...
Secrets of the Census, Part 5: 1880
A blog about genealogy in St. Louis.
stlgs.blogspot.com
October 20, 2025 at 10:19 PM
An informative article about the 1880 U.S. Census has been posted by the St. Louis Genealogical Society on its blog at: stlgs.blogspot.com/2025/10/secr...
"Sunrise, Sunset: Beginning Your Journey into Ashkenazi Jewish Genealogy" by Caitlin Hollander Waas, JewishGen’s chief genealogist, will be presented online by JewishGen at 1 p.m. Central Time, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. Go to 898a.blackbaudhosting.com/898a/tickets... to register.
Museum of Jewish Heritage -A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
898a.blackbaudhosting.com
October 12, 2025 at 10:44 PM
"Sunrise, Sunset: Beginning Your Journey into Ashkenazi Jewish Genealogy" by Caitlin Hollander Waas, JewishGen’s chief genealogist, will be presented online by JewishGen at 1 p.m. Central Time, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. Go to 898a.blackbaudhosting.com/898a/tickets... to register.
“Clued-In: The Stories Are in the Details” by Ava Cohn, AKA "Sherlock Cohn, Photo Genealogist," will be hosted online by the Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society at 1 p.m. Central Time, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Go to us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi... to register for this free webinar.
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Sherlock Cohn, photo genealogist. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Photo genealogist, Ava "Sherlock" Cohn, will present "Clued-In: The Stories are in the Details," demonstrating by example how to find clues in our photos to further our genealogical research. Registe...
us02web.zoom.us
October 12, 2025 at 10:29 PM
“Clued-In: The Stories Are in the Details” by Ava Cohn, AKA "Sherlock Cohn, Photo Genealogist," will be hosted online by the Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society at 1 p.m. Central Time, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Go to us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi... to register for this free webinar.
“Goldmines & Landmines: What to Look for in Genealogy Research” will be presented by genealogist Sharon Roth at the Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois hybrid meeting. Register/RSVP at: jgsi.org/event-6289355
October 10, 2025 at 11:39 PM
“Goldmines & Landmines: What to Look for in Genealogy Research” will be presented by genealogist Sharon Roth at the Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois hybrid meeting. Register/RSVP at: jgsi.org/event-6289355
Explore the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois website at jgsi.org for information about great future events as well as a fascinating collection of family history research resources and tools.
October 10, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Explore the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois website at jgsi.org for information about great future events as well as a fascinating collection of family history research resources and tools.
Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois members: To access dozens of recordings and handouts from past JGSI events, log into jgsi.org, click the EVENTS tab, and select PAST EVENTS RECORDINGS AND HANDOUTS. Then select the video of interest to you and click on the video to view it.
JGSI Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois - Home
jgsi.org
September 10, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois members: To access dozens of recordings and handouts from past JGSI events, log into jgsi.org, click the EVENTS tab, and select PAST EVENTS RECORDINGS AND HANDOUTS. Then select the video of interest to you and click on the video to view it.
In honor of Labor Day in the U.S., MyHeritage is opening up access to a massive collection of historical records — over 892 million U.S. and Canadian census records — completely free from Aug. 27–Sept. 2, 2025.
Starting Monday, go to www.myheritage.com/research/cat... to search U.S records.
Starting Monday, go to www.myheritage.com/research/cat... to search U.S records.
Census & Voter Lists - MyHeritage
Easily search billions of historical records from around the world including birth, marriage, death, census, and immigration records, and much more
www.myheritage.com
August 26, 2025 at 11:28 PM
In honor of Labor Day in the U.S., MyHeritage is opening up access to a massive collection of historical records — over 892 million U.S. and Canadian census records — completely free from Aug. 27–Sept. 2, 2025.
Starting Monday, go to www.myheritage.com/research/cat... to search U.S records.
Starting Monday, go to www.myheritage.com/research/cat... to search U.S records.
Mike Karsen welcomes Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois members and guests to the JGSI dinner on Aug. 11, 2025, held in conjunction with the IAJGS International Jewish Genealogy Conference. The dinner, organized by Diane Grauer, was held at Conner’s Kitchen & Bar in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
August 17, 2025 at 5:12 AM
Mike Karsen welcomes Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois members and guests to the JGSI dinner on Aug. 11, 2025, held in conjunction with the IAJGS International Jewish Genealogy Conference. The dinner, organized by Diane Grauer, was held at Conner’s Kitchen & Bar in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois members: If you haven't already done so, please renew your membership! Log into jgsi.org to see whether you have renewed. If you cannot log in, then you are not a member. Go to jgsi.org/Membership to see the benefits of membership and to renew.
August 6, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois members: If you haven't already done so, please renew your membership! Log into jgsi.org to see whether you have renewed. If you cannot log in, then you are not a member. Go to jgsi.org/Membership to see the benefits of membership and to renew.
Nolan Altman will teach a course, Intro to Jewish Genealogy: Everything You Need to Build Your Family Tree, Aug. 7-28, 2025. Enroll: my-jewish-learning.teachable.com/.../intro-to...
NOTE: Members of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois should check the JGSI Members Forum before registering.
NOTE: Members of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois should check the JGSI Members Forum before registering.
my-jewish-learning.teachable.com
July 28, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Nolan Altman will teach a course, Intro to Jewish Genealogy: Everything You Need to Build Your Family Tree, Aug. 7-28, 2025. Enroll: my-jewish-learning.teachable.com/.../intro-to...
NOTE: Members of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois should check the JGSI Members Forum before registering.
NOTE: Members of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois should check the JGSI Members Forum before registering.
"Handwritten Text Recognition" by Yvette Hoitink will be presented as a hybrid event by CAGGNI, the Computer Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois, at 10 a.m. CDT, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. Register at caggni.org/event-6055375
Non-members of CAGGNI pay $5.
Non-members of CAGGNI pay $5.
CAGGNI - Handwritten Text Recognition - Yvette Hoitink
caggni.org
July 28, 2025 at 8:27 PM
"Handwritten Text Recognition" by Yvette Hoitink will be presented as a hybrid event by CAGGNI, the Computer Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois, at 10 a.m. CDT, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. Register at caggni.org/event-6055375
Non-members of CAGGNI pay $5.
Non-members of CAGGNI pay $5.
Attention Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois members! Please be aware that RSVP/registration confirmation emails from JGSI, which usually include Zoom links, are mistakenly being sent to junk mail/spam email folders. Please be on the lookout for them and, if possible, mark them as NOT JUNK.
July 23, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Attention Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois members! Please be aware that RSVP/registration confirmation emails from JGSI, which usually include Zoom links, are mistakenly being sent to junk mail/spam email folders. Please be on the lookout for them and, if possible, mark them as NOT JUNK.
Nolan Altman, director of data at JewishGen, will teach a four-part online course called Intro to Jewish Genealogy: Everything You Need to Build Your Family Tree, Thursdays at 6 p.m. Central Time, Aug. 7-28, 2025. Enroll at my-jewish-learning.teachable.com/p/intro-to-g...
The fee is $80.
The fee is $80.
Intro to Jewish Genealogy: Everything You Need to Build Your Family Tree
my-jewish-learning.teachable.com
July 23, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Nolan Altman, director of data at JewishGen, will teach a four-part online course called Intro to Jewish Genealogy: Everything You Need to Build Your Family Tree, Thursdays at 6 p.m. Central Time, Aug. 7-28, 2025. Enroll at my-jewish-learning.teachable.com/p/intro-to-g...
The fee is $80.
The fee is $80.