Schedule of Upcoming Events
Please note: Meeting times, dates, locations and speakers are subject to change.
Information is regularly updated.
Our meetings will be in-person AND online whenever possible and safe, and for members who do not live near the Philadelphia area.
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.
Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 1:30 pm
(1 pm for Schmoozing and Mentoring)
Zoom Only Meeting
Speaker: Phil Goldfarb, President JGS of Tulsa
Topic: The History, Unusual Facts, and Under-Utilized Records Of The United States Census
Sunday, March 23, 2025 at 1:30 pm,
(1 pm for Schmoozing and Mentoring)
Hybrid Meeting – In Person Venue TBD
Speaker: Rabbi Lance Sussman, Emeritus Rabbi Keneseth Israel and Historian
Lance J. Sussman has taken on many roles as a thought-leader in the Jewish community. In his 40+ years as a rabbi, Sussman’s insights and expertise have brought a fresh perspective on the issues of the American Jewish experience. Throughout his career, Sussman has been an active scholar, writer, educator, and public speaker.
As Senior Rabbi at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, PA, for more than 20 years, Sussman left his mark on the synagogue and its community that will be woven through its history for decades to come. Now that he has retired as a pulpit rabbi, Sussman has set his sights on a new and expanding role in the Jewish community.
Topic: The Remarkable Jewish Story of the National Farm School
In 1896, Rabbi Joseph Krauskopf of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, purchased a 100-acre farm in Doylestown with the intention of starting a school that would attract Russian Jews – helping them to start a new life in a new country. Learn more about what led this esteemed Philadelphia rabbi to undertake this remarkable project — and how it ultimately resulted in the creation of Delaware Valley University.