old homepage 10-4-22

  • South 4th Street looking from Monroe to Fitzwater Sts. circa 1930
If you would like to share (un-copyrighted) images from your research, please forward them to webmaster@jgasgp.org. We will “rotate” through our collected images.
This is the new website of the Jewish Genealogical and Archival Society of Greater Philadelphia (JGASGP). We used to be the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia (JGSGP) before we combined with the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center (PJAC). We invite you to enjoy our new site. There is content for paid-up members only. If you are a member, please register for access. If not a member, please join.

Harry Boonin wins the 2022 IAJGS Lifetime Achievement Award

During the 2022 IAJGS (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies) conference, our founding president, Harry Boonin, was awarded their lifetime achievement award. The video from the presentation can be found here.
 

Our recent awards

</tr
Click on an image to enlarge it.  

Our Book Club

JGASGP 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. We are not meeting in August because of the IAJGS Conference. * 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. Linda suggested The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict, an incredible true story about Hedy Lamarr. Any other suggestions??? Send your suggestions to Marilyn at membership@jgasgp.org No meetings in July and August. See you in September!
WELCOME! PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT MEETING
The Zoom meetings for September and October will be open to the public, not just for members.
Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 1:00 PM check in, chat, and schmooze (Optional) Official program starts promptly at 1:30 Location: Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19123 Topic: Documentary Film: Carl Lutz Dangerous Diplomacy (53 minutes)
Bryan Boorujy Eric Saul
Speaker: Eric Saul, Historian and Founder of Visas for Life: The Righteous and Honorable Diplomats Project Location: Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19123 Agenda for the meeting: Felicia Alexander, President, JGASGP: Welcome and introduction Val Kogan, President, Mid-Atlantic – Eurasia Business Council and founder of Philadelphia’s Carl Lutz commemoration: Carl Lutz’s connection to Philadelphia and Introductions of speakers Eric Saul: Founder and Executive Director of Visas for Life and Institute for the Study of Rescue and Altruism in the Holocaust: Who is Carl Lutz and what did he do. Bryan Boorujy and Michael Moehring, Directors of Dangerous Diplomacy: Introduction of Film Carl Lutz: Dangerous Diplomacy Film: Carl Lutz: Dangerous Diplomacy (53 minutes) Q&A from both in-person and virtual audiences: Bryan Boorujy, Michael Moehring, Eric Saul    
To watch online, please register in advance for this free webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUsf-6vpjIsH9Q4Sgk_ufdjbgfGorcKZu4F
   
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!

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
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.