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Welcome to the Jewish Genealogical and Archival Society of Greater Philadelphia (JGASGP). We invite you to enjoy our site. There is content for paid-up members only. If you are a member, please register for access. (Click Register at the right under “Logon Status”.) If not a member, please join. |
| 2025 will mean that the memberships for 2024 access to the members-only sections of this site will not give access. When your membership is renewed, your access is automatically increased to December 31. IF BY SOME CHANCE, you renewed your membership and cannot login, please email the webmaster (webmaster@jgasgp.org) to get resolution. NOTE that this in not immediate, I do not spend all day at the computer. If you forgot to renew your membership, and go to the Join/Renew page and pay by PayPal, it is the fastest way. |
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Did you miss Renée Carl and Rich Venezia present The Future of USCIS Records? If you are logged in, you can see the presentation video at clicking here. Available until January 31, 2025. |
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Sunday, February 2, 2025 at 1:30 pm
(1 pm for Schmoozing and Mentoring)
Zoom Only Meeting
Speaker: Susan Weinberg, Author, Researcher, and Speaker
Susan Weinberg is an artist, author, researcher, and frequent speaker on genealogy topics. Her creative work often involves storytelling and frequently explores family history themes. Susan is the president of the Minnesota Jewish Genealogical Society (MNJGS) and serves on the board of IAJGS and the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest. She developed the Jewish Identity and Legacy Project, an oral history project with Jewish elders, then authored the book We Spoke Jewish: A Legacy in Stories that includes oral history, artwork, and history on three groups of Jewish immigrants who spanned the 1900s. Susan has created Kehilalinks for several ancestral towns, worked as a volunteer with JRI-Poland and coordinated the Radom BOF at prior conferences. She writes frequently for publications on genealogy topics and does genealogy research for clients around the world.
Topic: Mining the Manifest
An immigration manifest connects old to new and thus can be a powerful source of information if you know how to mine it. After 1906, immigration manifests offer a wealth of information, but what do you do if your family came over prior to that time? This presentation explores the immigration period from the early 1890s through 1906, a period which begins to offer useful information for a genealogical search. Using a case approach, we will look at derivative naturalization documents, trace contacts they were going to through the NY vital records and follow immigrants who found their route through Canada. Once in New York, we will explore how you can follow their journey outside of New York. We will explore cases with name changes and variable spellings, work back from other documents, and resolve conflicting data.
WE WANT YOU TO CONNECT WITH THE JGASGP BOARD!!!
Our society has grown so much since the start of my term, one month before the onset of the pandemic. We have mushroomed to over 400 paid members and over 1500 members of our Facebook page. This is tremendously exciting! Although some of you have been members for decades, many are newcomers. It is wonderful to see our society in a new phase of growth.
In response to this surge in membership, the board wants to get a pulse on our members’ thoughts about the future activities of our society AND find out how each of you might be able to lend a hand.
If you have questions or comments for the JGASGP Board, just email President Felicia Mode Alexander at president@jgasgp.org.
Don’t forget to update your address and e-mail if it’s changed!
Email the changes to Marilyn Golden, membership@jgasgp.org
Our recent awards
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Our Book ClubJGASGP has a book club for members. We are meeting on Zoom every month except for July and August. Meetings are on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 7:30. Click here to learn about upcoming meetings. Members take turns leading our discussions. We are reading books by Jewish authors or books with Jewish themes. The link will be sent out the day of the meetings. Please mark your calendars and join us. Thanks to Beth Steiner for leading our discussion of The Book of Lost Names. We all said we liked historical fiction. * These books are available free to read at most free libraries in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. Please consider joining us on our reading adventures. Any other suggestions??? Send your suggestions to Marilyn at membership@jgasgp.org (No meetings in July and August.) |
South 4th Street looking from Monroe to Fitzwater Sts. circa 1930
FYI
The Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center (PJAC) was formed through the efforts of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia many years ago. Its’ mission was to collect, preserve, facilitate research and share the story of the Jewish communities of the Greater Philadelphia area. In 2009 the holdings of PJAC were transferred to the Special Records Collection at Temple University Libraries. With the support of many philanthropic individuals, an archivist position was endowed by PJAC. With our new name (Jewish Genealogical and Archival Society of Greater Philadelphia) and mission we will continue the great work of PJAC.
We encourage you to support the archives with donations and archival material. Donations may be made to the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Collection Endowment at: Temple University Libraries PO Box 71340 Philadelphia, PA 19176-9761
Donations can also be made through the library website: https://library.temple.edu/policies/10
Those interested in offering a donation of books or archival material to the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Collection should send a description of those materials to:
Margery Sly, Director of Special Collections Research Center
Email: msly@temple.edu
What’s New On Our Site!
December 2023 We have a group of 29 volunteers working to digitize the burial records of Har Jehuda Cemetery in Upper Darby. The records will be part of JewishGen.org (JOWBR). The first 29,000 records (A to Sc…) are available NOW on our website under cemetery data.
December, 2022 The Society celebrates our 40th anniversary and our first president Harry Boonin. Pictures are located here.
November 2021 Our president is interviewed in a Philadelphia Inquirer article about the ongoing cleanup of Har Nebo Cemetery and the problems of cemeteries that are not maintained or are vandalized. The article is at https://www.inquirer.com/life/jewish-cemeteries-philadelphia-conservation-pilot-project-nebo-oxford-circle-20211109.html
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JGASCP supported the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center (HAMEC) Gala on November 6, 2021. Click the photo to enlarge |
October 2021 Our president, Felica Mode Alexander, was interviewed at the IAJGS2019 convention is Cleveland by Jarrett Ross, the GeneaVlogger, about her work with Holocaust education. The video is at https://youtu.be/tS3d3eeiwDw
October 2020
Goldstein’s Landsmanshaftn Cemetery data has been added to the Resources > Cemetery Data page. Landsmanshaftn organizations provided, among other things, burial societies.
August 2020 Meeting
Judy Baston: “Finding your Litvak Family” A handout is available by accessing the menu item, Archives>Meeting Summaries and Handouts.
Cemetery Records for Har Nebo Cemetery, Philadelphia, PA. You can find these under the Menu item “Resources”, then click on “Cemetery Data”
Miriam Weiner, our December meeting lecturer, was the subject of a recent article that appeared in the Jewish Exponent; “Genealogy Rock Star Discusses Digging Up Jewish Roots”. The article can be found under menu item “Archives”, then click on “Newspaper Articles”.
January 2020 Meeting
For Frederic Blum’s Handout, “How to locate Holocaust Survivors Through Genealogy”, please go to the menu item, “Archives”, then click on “Meeting Summaries and Handouts”
November 2019 Meeting
A handout from Deborah Long’s Lecture can be found on our website under menu item, “Archives”, then click on “Meeting Summaries and Handouts”
October 2019 Meeting
A handout from Jordan Auslander’s Lecture can be found on our website under menu item “Archives”, then click “Meeting Summaries and Handouts”
September 2019 Meeting
Sarina Roffe’s Lecture Handout can be found on our website under menu item “Archives”, then click “Meeting Summaries and Handouts”
Rabbi Shalom Bronstein’s reflections of Congregation Beth Am Israel during the 1940’s to the 1960’s can be found under the menu item “Resources”.The synagogue was originally located in SW Philadelphia. In 1973, the congregation moved to Penn Valley.
W. Todd Knowles’ Power Point Presentation on “Making the Most of FamilySearch for Jewish Research” can be found by going to the menu item “Archives” and clicking the “Meeting Summaries and Handouts” button.
Check out “An Ongoing History of Beth Emeth-B,nai Yitzhok Congegation” by Al Feldman. The synagogue was located in NE Philadelphia. You can find this document under the menu item “Resources”
Other Information
“A Service to the Jewish Community Award” was given to JGSGP on May 2, 2019 by the B’nai Brith Educators Unit Charter 5290.
For information on the JGSGP (JGASGP) Library at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) look under the menu item, “Resources”. To go directly to the our library collection at the HSP, click here.