Home

Welcome to the Jewish Genealogy Society
of Long Island (JGSLI)!

JGSLI was founded in 1985 to encourage and assist the pursuit of Jewish family history. Our goal is to bring together people interested in tracing their Jewish family roots.

We are a non-profit organization, operating through member efforts. We work to educate members and the public regarding the “how to” of finding one’s roots.  See the future meetings tab below for dates, speakers and topics.

JGSLI MEMBERS-ONLY BENEFITS
Current members can now access our 1988 - 2023 LIneage newsletter issues, featured lectures and speaker handouts. Visit our members-only section to find out more. To join JGSLI visit our Membership page.

JEWISHGEN MEMORIAL PLAQUES DATABASE
Join our efforts to grow the JewishGen Memorial Plaques Database. Find out how you can help here.

Next JGSLI Meetings

For full details of the meetings and the Zoom registration links please click on the Details links.

  • Wednesday April 3, 2024: 7PM: It's Hard to Say Goodbye by Emily Garber

    "It's Hard to Say, 'Good-by' - Challenges Faced by Eastern European Emigrants" There were times when it was more difficult for many Jews to leave eastern Europe than to enter the United States. What were the requirements for emigration? How did they know what to do? How did people get from their homes to ports of departure? How and where did they acquire tickets to sail? Did they have help along the way? This presentation takes emigrants, 1880-1914, from their homes to ports of departure.

    Details about 7PM: It's Hard to Say Goodbye by Emily Garber
  • Sunday April 14, 2024: 2PM: What's in a Name? Finding Your Ancestor's Original Name by Michael Moritz

    Introduction to Jewish naming practices and how names changed when coming to English-speaking lands. We will touch on Yiddish and Ashkenazi naming practices, Eastern European surnames, the "Ellis Island myth," and explore how to find an ancestor's "original" name through records research, including naturalization records, name change records, gravestones and ship records.

    Details about 2PM: What's in a Name? Finding Your Ancestor's Original Name by Michael Moritz
  • Wednesday May 1, 2024: 7PM: Ships of Our Ancestors by Hal Bookbinder

    Ships of Our Ancestors. During the active years of Ellis Island, 83,000 ship arrivals were recorded. Between 1880 and 1914 about two million Jewish immigrants arrived from Europe, with most passing through Ellis Island. Until the age of flight, immigrants arrived by sea, first on sailing ships and after the middle of the 19th Century, on steamships. This presentation focuses on the ships on which our ancestors traveled, discussing the shift from sail to steam and the governmental regulations which made ship travel safer and more humane. It will address the experience of our ancestors in getting to the port of embarkation, being processed for passage, and their shipboard experience, as well as the cost and duration of the voyage. Finally, it will address several stubborn myths related to our ancestors' immigration.

    Details about 7PM: Ships of Our Ancestors by Hal Bookbinder

 

Please watch our emails, Facebook page, and website for further details.

Events in April–September 2024

  • Wednesday April 3, 2024 - 7PM: It's Hard to Say Goodbye by Emily Garber
    7PM: It's Hard to Say Goodbye by Emily Garber

    Category: General 7PM: It's Hard to Say Goodbye by Emily Garber


    Wednesday April 3, 2024

    "It's Hard to Say, 'Good-by' - Challenges Faced by Eastern European Emigrants" There were times when it was more difficult for many Jews to leave eastern Europe than to enter the United States. What were the requirements for emigration? How did they know what to do? How did people get from their homes to ports of departure? How and where did they acquire tickets to sail? Did they have help along the way? This presentation takes emigrants, 1880-1914, from their homes to ports of departure.

  • Sunday April 14, 2024 - 2PM: What's in a Name? Finding Your Ancestor's Original Name by Michael Moritz
    2PM: What's in a Name? Finding Your Ancestor's Original Name by Michael Moritz

    2PM: What's in a Name? Finding Your Ancestor's Original Name by Michael Moritz


    Sunday April 14, 2024

    Introduction to Jewish naming practices and how names changed when coming to English-speaking lands. We will touch on Yiddish and Ashkenazi naming practices, Eastern European surnames, the "Ellis Island myth," and explore how to find an ancestor's "original" name through records research, including naturalization records, name change records, gravestones and ship records.

  • Wednesday May 1, 2024 - 7PM: Ships of Our Ancestors by Hal Bookbinder
    7PM: Ships of Our Ancestors by Hal Bookbinder

    Category: General 7PM: Ships of Our Ancestors by Hal Bookbinder


    Wednesday May 1, 2024

    Ships of Our Ancestors. During the active years of Ellis Island, 83,000 ship arrivals were recorded. Between 1880 and 1914 about two million Jewish immigrants arrived from Europe, with most passing through Ellis Island. Until the age of flight, immigrants arrived by sea, first on sailing ships and after the middle of the 19th Century, on steamships. This presentation focuses on the ships on which our ancestors traveled, discussing the shift from sail to steam and the governmental regulations which made ship travel safer and more humane. It will address the experience of our ancestors in getting to the port of embarkation, being processed for passage, and their shipboard experience, as well as the cost and duration of the voyage. Finally, it will address several stubborn myths related to our ancestors' immigration.

  • Sunday May 19, 2024 - 2PM: TBA
    2PM: TBA

    Category: General 2PM: TBA


    Sunday May 19, 2024

  • Wednesday June 5, 2024 - 7PM: Update on Family Tree Maker by Mark Olsen
    7PM: Update on Family Tree Maker by Mark Olsen

    Category: General 7PM: Update on Family Tree Maker by Mark Olsen


    Wednesday June 5, 2024

  • Sunday June 23, 2024 - 2PM: Genealogy in the Digital Age by Jerry Scherer
    2PM: Genealogy in the Digital Age by Jerry Scherer

    Category: General 2PM: Genealogy in the Digital Age by Jerry Scherer


    Sunday June 23, 2024

Join the Jewish Genealogy Society of Long Island!

Membership Benefits Include:

Free Admission to monthly meetings
Receive periodic Lineage Newsletter
Receive JGSLI Online. A Monthly digital publication with tips and links to online resources
Opportunity to Network with other people and experts in Jewish Genealogy
Advanced notice of our Family Workshop and other special events.
Click here for more information!

The 2023 event was held on Sunday, November 5, 2023, 12:30 - 5:00 PM via Zoom.

Jewish Genealogy 101: Four Hours+ to Your Family Roots: JGSLI’s 33rd Annual Family History Workshop

A review of the fundamentals of Jewish genealogy. Topics include interviewing relatives; identifying ancestral towns; Holocaust research; using censuses, city directories, ship's manifests, naturalizations, vital records, and other U.S. sources; European records; and internet resources. The annual beginner's workshop is generally held on the first Sunday in November. See full details at https://jgsli.org/jgsli-workshop/.

CONGRATULATIONS!
JGSLI was again named Member of the Year for 2021 by IAJGS. In addition, JGSLI'S past president and long-time board member, Nolan Altman, received the IAJGS Lifetime Achievement Award. View both acceptance speeches below.

CoverImage Jewish Community of Long Island, a publication in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Long Island, is available from major online booksellers and in many Long Island bookstores. For further information, click YouTube Overview to see how this book can help your genealogy research, a name-index supplement to the book, and a Press Release.  JGSLI Board Member Rhoda Miller was interviewed by Radio Sefarad. Listen here.

Leave a Reply