Labor Day Genealogy

This weekend (until 9/3) Ancestry.com has made all their census records free for searching. You can see the indexed records and the original images which have tons of useful information. For most Jewish genealogists, the records for the early 20th century will be helpful when it comes to finding out ancestors' addresses, dates of immigration, professions, and origins. For that information, you have to look at the original document, though. Happy searching!

Myths in Jewish Genealogy

Here's an interesting article about myths revealed through examining genes and DNA. It's sort of the new frontier in genealogy, and something we talk about in class. You can order a test if you like, though they're pretty pricey.

Searching Arrivals

You should try out this site that has all sorts of searches available. If you know where your family entered the US, it can be an extremely helpful tool. You need to pay for some of the searches through Ancestry, so let me know if you need them done for you!

Jewish Genetics

Today we are talking about Jewish genetic diseases. For more information on specific diseases and treatments you can visit the JGDC or the CCJGD. You can also find information on the ethical issues involved in these sorts of diseases.

Beginning the Project

We're getting down to business! If you need/want a family tree program to help you out try myheritage.com. You can download the program and it syncs with the website. You can also use ancestry.com or some other site, though those will sometimes charge money. Let me know how you're doing!

Jewish History in 4 Minutes

We learned all of Jewish history in a four minute song written by the group Shlock Rock. Here's a youtube video  to watch for review. How much of the song do you know?

Next week is Rosh Hashanah, but the week after, we will be talking about our project and how we will be proceeding. We will also be starting to talk about where to get information, and what to look for. You can start off by looking at the links on the left of this page and exploring a little.

What is a Jew?

We've talked about what being a Jew means, and what we think about the image of a Jew. The image of a Jew has changed countless times over the years, radically in the last century following the Holocaust and the founding of the State of Israel. We're starting to focus our students on what it means to be Jewish, and begin shaping what Jewish identity they are looking for.