Jewish Genealogical Society of Southwest Florida

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Presentation History and Schedule

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Southwest Florida currently meets the third Sunday of the month during November-April.

2024
January - Phil Goldfarb, "Traveling to America in Steerage And Whether to Admit or Deport our Ancestors"
February - Daniel Horowitz, "Finding Jewish Records in MyHeritage Search Engine"
March - Barbara Field and Rosanne Ullman, "How To Write My Memoirs"
April - William and Malya Levin, "Alliance Community Reboot"
November -
December -

2023
January - Adam Brown (Administrator, AvotaynuDNA Project), "The Genetic Origins and Migrations of the Jewish People"
February - Phil Goldfarb (Discussion Group Moderator, JewishGen), "How to Effectively Utilize the JewishGen Discussion Group"
March - Gil Bardige, "Using y-DNA and mtDNA in Genealogy Research"
April - Robinn Magid (Asst. Director and Executive Committee member, JRI-Poland), "Finding Your Eastern European Jewish Family on JRI-Poland.org"
November - David Ellis, "An Introduction to Jewish Genealogy"
December - Jim Haberman, Kim Sheintal, Scott Mandel - "Panel Discussion: My Methods for Organizing My Genealogical Data"

2022
January - Barry Halpern, "Research Methods and Specific Geographic Areas of Jewish Genealogical Interest"
February - Emily Garber, "It’s What They Answered To: Understanding Ashkenazi Jewish Names"
March - Gil Bardige, "Help! I got my DNA Results and I’m Confused (part 1)"
April - Gil Bardige, "Help! I got my DNA Results and I’m Confused (part 2)"
November - Leah Cook, "Discovering One’s Hidden Jewish Roots"
December - Barry Halpern, "Publishing Your Family’s History"

2021
January - Peggy Jude, "DNA Tools - A Tour"
February - Diane Jacobs, "Success Stories Using JewishGen"
March - Deborah Long, "Out of the Whirlwind: Resources for Holocaust Research"
April - Donna Moughty, "Getting the Most Out of Ancestry.com"
November - Diane Jacobs, "Navigating JewishGen"
December - Peggy Jude, "1950 Census: Are You Ready?"

2020
January - Lara Diamond, "DNA Successes in, and in Spite of, Endogamy"
February - Corky Stern, "Stumbling Stones of Europe"
March - no program due to pandemic
April - no program due to pandemic
November - Edward Sandbach, "Writing Your Memoirs and Dating Old Photos" (virtual meeting)
December - David Levinson, "Jewish Germany: An Enduring Presence from the Fourth to the Twenty-first Century” (virtual meeting)

2019
January - "Genealogy Surprises", featuring:
   • Mike Schwartz, "The Table, The Diary, and the Road to Discovery"
   • Doug Cohen, "What I Found in Poland About my Family"
February - What I’ve Learned by Testing My DNA and How I Got There, panel discussion:
   • Carole Lieberman
   • Kathleen Dubin
   • Felice Hedge
   • Jim Haberman
   • Kim Sheintal
March - Mike Karsen, "Preserve Your Ancestor’s Legacy: Write Their Life Story"
April - Rosalie Leon, "Women of Valor, from the Bible, the Torah, and Beyond"

2018
January - Social Networking for Genealogists by Donna Moughty
February - Hidden Gems of Jewish Genealogy by Marlis Humphrey
March – Russification: an Attempt to Integrate the Jews into Imperial Russia by Doug Cohen
April - Israel Heritage Celebration: First Hand Accounts by those in Israel at the time of her Founding by Sharon Lesley
November - Show and Tell (Ann Friedman, Harold Halpern, Howard Finkel)
December - A Toolkit for Genealogical Research by Leah Cook

2017
January - Kathleen Callanan “Interpreting Your DNA Results"
February - Mike Schwartz “Mapping Family Stories - Using Historical Maps to Illustrate and Better Understand Family Legends”
March - Mike Karsen “Finding Your European Ancestor’s Hometown”
April - Leah Cook “How to Genealogy”
May – Baila Miller “The History of Klezmer Music”
November - Elinor Greenberg, Howie Goldberg, Judi Sterne, Cynthia Folit, and JoAnn Goldwater “Show and Tell”
December - Arthur Sissman “Why Should I Test My DNA”

2016
January - Kathleen J. Callanan, “DNA and Genetic Genealogy”
February - Kayla Niles, “Roots and Branches: A Search for Family in Hungary”
March - Walter Schlomann, “Video Biographies: Creating a Priceless Family Heirloom”
April - Dennis Gries, “A Hunt for Roots in Old Galicia”
May - Lyrics by Sharon Lesley / Music by David Ohrenstein, “Golden Roads: A musical about the extraordinary journey of Golda Meir”
November - JGS of SW FL members, “Special People on Your Family Tree”
December - Keren Weiner, “A Jewish Family’s Letters from the Civil War”

2015
January - Nolan Altman, “Navigating the JewishGen Website” Webcast
February - Rosalie Leon, “Israeli, Yiddish, Popular, Oldies, Folk, and Country Songs” played on guitar and sung
March - Mike Karsen, “Sex, Murder, and Genealogy”
April - Bill Israel, “An Introduction to Jewish Genealogy”
May- Howard Finkel, “Origin of Jewish Surnames” Howard Finkel
November - “Researching Family History” Show and Tell Panel:
   • Marina Berkovich (Jewish Historical Society of Southwest Florida)
   • Bernice Jones, Ph.D. (author who wrote a children's book about how her family came to America, The Book of Esther: A Little Girl’s Journey to Freedom)
   • Amy Crabill Lay (NGS Family History Conference)
   • Richard Ohlsson (Ravensbrück Archive)
December - Liz Coursen, “The Rosenwald Schools of Florida”

2014
January - Jewish Chorale
February - Mike Schwartz, Finding Relatives in Surprising Ways
March - Sabrina Silverberg, From Madrid to Marrakesh
April - Show and Tell
May - Donna Moughty, Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are! Hide and Seek on the Internet
November - Donna Moughty, A Technology Update for the Family Historian
December - Jo Ann Goldwater, How I Planned My Genealogical Trip and Found the Homes Where My Family Lived in Riga, Latvia, and Zagare, Lithuania

2013
January – Doug Cohen, Jewish Experience of “Russification” in Tsarist Russia, 1825-1894
February - Mike Karsen, My Cousin the Gangster
March - Robin Seidenberg, Mining for Gold: Online Historical Newspapers
April - Helga Harris, Nothing is Forever
May - Show and Tell
November - Beverly Newman, Every Survivor has a Different Story
December - Kim Sheintal, Finding Vintage Family Photographs by Kim Sheintal

2012
January 15 - Ruth Adler Schnee, Life is Full of Stories with the film “The Radiant Sun”
February 19 - Robin B. Seidenberg, To Tell or Not to Tell: Should the Family Skeleton Stay in the Closet
March 18 - Mike Karsen, Write Your Family History NOW!
April 15 - Alice Cotman, Karen Gary, Elyse Diamond, Rosalie Leon, Martha Kesler, Bintel Briefs
May 20 - Rabbi Allan Schwartzman, Delta Jews of Mississippi
November 18 - Rabbi Barbara Aiello, The Lost Jews of Sicily and Southern Italy: The Anousim Nobody Knows
December 16 - Jo Ann Goldwater, How I Brought My Lost Relatives to Life

2011
January - The Family Tree and Between the Branches by The Six Pearls
January (special evening program) - Early Jewry in America by Phil Steel
February - My Uncle the Hollywood Producer: A Spicy Tale by Robin Seidenberg
March - Most Effective Way to Organize, Write, and Publish an Autobiography by Liz Coursen
April - The Table, The Diary, and the Road to Discovery by Mike Schwartz
May - Jewish Family Folklore by Dr. Eleanor Wachs
November 20 - Sue Davis, Making Connections
December 18 - Jo Ann Goldwater, Tracing My Grandfather's Journey from Lithuania to Riga to Dublin 1891-2009

2010
January - Listening to Their Lives by Ava Hodous
February - Where our Ancestors Lived: Using Historical Maps to See Into the Past by Mike Schwartz
March - Growing Up Jewish in Sarasota by Lou Ann Palmer
April - Shealtiel: A Family Saga by Isaac Azerad
May - Write Your Life Story by Ronni Miller
November - Strategies for Starting Your Family History Online by Donna Moughty
December - Preserving Your Life Story on Video and in Writing by Bob West and Dr. Neil Rudin

2009
January – From Italy to America in 1940 by Vera DeBenedetti Bonnet
February – Conducting a Family Survey by Patricia Schultz and Pamela Treme
March - Family Stories are Worth Sharing by Howard Goldberg and Hannah Rigler
April – From Minsk to My Blue Heaven: Searching for My Past Dr. Neil Rudin
May – Genealogy Collection at Selby Library by Ed Gaulin
November – Skeletons in Our Closets: Researching a Family Scandal by Robin Seidenberg
December – Oral History… In Their Own Voices by Phyllis Dreyfuss

2008
January – Family History - From a Pile of Pieces to a Puzzle Picture by Donna Moughty
February – Desperation and Salvation: The Legacy of the Jewish Consumptives Relief Society by Jim Haberman
March – The Jewish Children’s Army of the Czar by author Larry Domnitch
April – Ketubahs by Jennifer Singer
May – Public Record Perspective from a Tax Collector’s Office by Liz Klaber
November – Finding Your Jewish Roots by William Israel
December - From Denmark to America in 1940 by Helen Glaser

2007
January – Jews in the Civil War by Lunelle Siegel
February – Dear Helga, Dear Ruth by author Helga Harris who spoke about letters that bound a friendship shattered by history
March – Genealogy in the Round: Share Successes and Helpful Hints by Kim Sheintal
April – Polish Jewish Cemeteries Project and Shoah Remembered by Norman L. Weinberg, Executive Director Poland Jewish Cemeteries Restoration Project
May – Pot Luck Luncheon with program Journey back to the Ukraine, Moldova and Romania by Jane Plitt
November – A Chance to Live: A Family's Journey to Freedom by author Pieter Kohnstam
December – Zechut Avot: The Merit of our Ancestors by Rabbi Brenner Glickman

2006
January – Immigration and Naturalization by Donna Moughty, professional genealogist
February – Jewish Federation Work - Ensuring Jewish Community Worldwide by Richard Bergman, Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation, Community Building Director
March – Show and Tell by members.
April – Israel: Its Elections and Future by Rabbi Howard Simon of Temple Emanu-El plus Rabbi Simon performed a Hebrew naming of a member
May – Pot Luck Luncheon with the program Jewish Girl Survives on Arian Papers by Hilde Mandel
November – Jewish Genealogy Conference Review by Tony & Jan Joseph and Hal & Judi Sterne
December – Connection From Afar with Your Family in Israel by Michael Goldstein

2005
January – Europe in the 30s Compared with the World Today by Richard Bergman
February – Shtetl Medicine by Dr. Michael Nevins
March – European Synagogues and Family Research – Guideposts to Our Past by Tony Joseph
April – The Winter of Our Discontent: 3 Months to Better Organization by Pat Richley (aka Dear Myrtle)
May – Potluck with Jewish Soul Music by Rosalie Leon
October – Getting Started in Genealogy by Dennis Gries
November – Into the Mainstream – Jewish Composers in the 19th Century by Dr. John Goodman
December – Sharing the Immigrant Experience by Adeline Silverman

2004
January – Coexistence Exhibit by Richard Bergman
February – Genealogy Round Table
March – Importance of Oral Histories and How to Record Them by Sylvia Firschein
April – Connecting the Generations: 350th Birthday of the North American Jewish Community by Dr. Jerome C. Rosenthal
May – Pot Luck with the Source and Connection of the Name of a Person by Rabbi Mendy Bukiet
October – Jewish Recipes and Other Ethnic Foods by Jerry Gips and Israeli Food Presentation by shlichim Roee and Noa Lavee
November – Researching Our Ancestors by Sue Davis
December – Jewish Sarasota by Marty Haberer

2003
January – Researching In Your Own Backyard by Sue Davis
February – Beyond Names and Dates by Emily Rose, author of Portraits of Our Past: Jews of the German Countryside
March – Judaica Heirloom Show and Tell by Roger Wilson
April – The Jews of Africa by Rabbi Barbara Aiello
May – Potluck with Mini-Lesson in How to Write Your Memoirs by Ruth Tachna
October – Restoration and Conservation of Documents by Nikki Meyer
November – Genetics and Cancer by Dr. James P. LaPolla
December – The Inseparables: Genealogy and History by Winn Taplin

2002
January – Life In Eastern Europe in Early Hitler Years as Witnessed by Different People in Different Places (Carolyn Kaplan and Herb Klaber spoke on their life in Germany. Magda and Mickey Quittner spoke on their life in Hungary.)
February – Translation Sites and Services by Pat Richley (aka Dear Myrtle) with translators in five different languages (Russian – Jim Powers; German – Herb Lenk; Hungarian – Laszlo Apathy; Polish – David Oberlander; Yiddish – Chaya Perera)
March – A Visit to Piltz with her review of Eat First – You Don’t Know What They’ll Give You by Sonia Pressman Fuentes
April – Slide Show of Trip to Plunge Lithuania by Libbie Kaplan
May – Potluck with Jewish Family Tree World Records by Kim Sheintal
October – IAJGS Conference Update by Sandra Krisch
November – Archaeological Trek to Khazaria by Dr. Hilliard Firschein
December – Gargzdai JewishGen Shtetl Project by John Jaffer

2001
January – Jewish Genealogy Updates by Howard Margol (IAJGS President) & Michael Brenner (past president of JGS of NY)
February – Florida Holocaust Museum Update and visit to the Resource Education Center by Stephen Goldman (Museum Director)
March – Ask a Member: A Time to Ask Members for Genealogical Help
April – Pedigree of 1500 Family Members by Bruce Shanker
May – Potluck with Sephardic Heritage by Rabbi Barbara Aiello
October – Jewish Heirlooms Appraised by Roger Wilson
November – JewishGen’s Yizkor Project by Sandra Krisch
December – Potluck Chanukah Celebration

2000
January – Tracing My German Roots by Harold Sterne
February – JRI-Poland & Conference Review by Sandra Krisch
March – Show and Tell
April – Potluck with Share Meeting
October – Jewish Genealogy Beginner’s Workshop
November – How to Get the Roots of Your Family Tree by Pat Richley (aka Dear Myrtle)
December – Sharing Bubbie’s Recipes

1999
January – Handwriting Analysis by Michael Zimmer
February – LDS Research by Pat Richley (aka Dear Myrtle)
March – Kinder Transport by Henry Goldman
April – How to Workshop
May – Potluck with Share Meeting
October – Jewish Resources at the Manatee Country Library by Diane Dittgen
November – Lithuanian Research by Albert Kaplan
December – Private Investigating by Donald Uffinger

1998
January – Book Sale with Chit Chat
February – Eighty Miles from a Doctor by Esther Mockler
March – Big Picture of Jewish History by Lawrence Tapper and Avotaynu by Gloria Goldblatt
April – Lithuanian Research by Howard Margol
May – Potluck with Share Meeting
October – Vital Records by Robert Marlin
November – Video on Sephardic Jews in the United States
December – Documents Don’t Lie or Do They by Gladys Paulin

1997
January – Eastern Europe Revisited by Edgar Braun (Germany), Jack Fuchs (Poland) and Mark Gorinshteyn (Russia)
February – Potluck with Arthur Kurzweil Video
March – Holocaust Research by Stephen M. Goldman
April – Immigration and Naturalization by Gladys Paulin
May – Potluck with Show & Tell
September – Keeping a Journal of Your Life by Reva Sipser
November – Photos by Laurie Thompson and Postcards by Bernice Kaufman
December – Galveston Movement by Sylvia Firschein

1996
January – Discussion of Goals and Getting Acquainted
March – How To Do Genealogy by Fran Carter-Walker
May – Visit to Selby Library Genealogy Department
June – Get Interested in Your Ancestry by Gene Starn
September – Genetic Diseases by Dr. Sumner Hoffman
October – Genealogy Updates by Robert Weiss
November – A Genealogical Journey by Nora Banner
December – My Sixteen: A Self-Help Guide to Finding Your 16 Great-Great Grandparents by Robert Marlin