IAJGS Day 3 (Tuesday)

I played hookey this morning! We met Peri and her husband in the hotel lobby and uber-ed to a great little place for breakfast called Sabrina’s. After fortifying ourselves with a huge breakfast, Scott and I headed off to do the tourist thing.

We planned on doing a double-decker tour bus, but then saw these cute little “overgrown golf cart” vehicles. For $40 we got a personal tour around the major sites. I especially loved seeing what the guide called,, “the longest consecutively lived on residential street in the country.”

We visited Benjamin Franklin’s grave and marveled at how many stones were unreadable. Our stop at the Liberty Bell was somewhat like going to see the Mona Lisa. The bell was much smaller than I imagined and painted all brown, like it had been sprayed with Rustoleum! But, it was cool to see such an important symbol of our country.

After a quick lunch (I actually had a salad!), I headed off for the afternoon sessions.

Reunited and it feels so good: reconnecting families shattered by the holocaust

This session was presented by Jennifer Mendelsohn. She shared a great story about how she began on her journey as a genealogist: a chance meeting conversation with a 95-year-old woman who had family somewhere in US. Jennifer decided she would make it her mission to find the family for her. As a newbie genealogist of only two weeks, she was successful in finding the relative! She then shared two stories about how DNA was used to trace the family of people who had absolutely no paper trail.

“Genetic genealogy must go hand in hand with traditional genealogy. “
Jennifer mendelsohn, IAJGS, 2024

After connecting with Adina Newman, the two formed a partnership. and began the DNA Reuinion Project at the Center for Jewish History in 2022. That project has now become the non-profit called the Holocaust Reunion Project. Their free service aims to connect Holocaust survivors with their lost families.

I’m Losing it!

I headed to my next session, which I expected to be a discussion on the Jewish Genealogy Portal, a Facebook group. I arrived a few minutes late, because I had to run back to the previous room to retrieve my “emotional support water bottle.”

I settled in to a seat and began listening to the discussion. After about ten minutes, I turned to my friend, Phil and with a puzzled expression said, “I’m confused. What does this have to do with the Jewish Genealogy Portal?”

Phil replied, “You’re in the wrong meeting!”

Somehow, in my haste to get to the session, I skipped down an hour on my calendar and went to the room intended for the session I was to attend an hour later. It turned out to be a good thing, though. I had inadvertently joined a discussion about getting kids interested in genealogy. Naturally, I had a lot to say, having taught several mini-courses on “Finding Your Roots” at my alternative high school. Serendipity strikes again!

I stayed in the room for the next session, which I was supposed to attend.

The Jewish Genealogy Portal on Facebook

Poor Randy (the moderator of the session) was losing his voice and creatively contacted another member to share the relevant information by phone! The session focused on the usefulness of the group if you are doing Jewish research. I was an active member a few years back when members helped me translate and understand the meaning of some documents. I also received help in understanding what it was like to go to Sunday School in the 1940s.

The members are very welcoming and extremely helpful. No one made me feel “uneducated” in any way and happily answered my many questions. I highly recommend you check them out: The Jewish Genealogy Portal.

Dinner at the Cafe Victor

We went to a fun dinner with our friends at the Cafe Victor. Besides enjoying the delicious food, a member of the staff entertained us every 20-30 minutes, all of whom are trained opera singers. We weren’t allowed to record the performances, but Scott managed to take a photo.