The Industrial Removal Office - How a little-known program scattered Jews throughout the United States. The Industrial Removal Office, a little-known organization in operation from 1900 to 1922, was created to help alleviate overcrowding in the Jewish areas of New York City. Its agents scoured the U.S. for businesses that needed skilled workers and matched them with immigrants in need of a job. After accepting the job offer, the immigrant would receive a one-way ticket to their new city. Learn how to search this organization’s records and they may help you solve the family mystery of why your family ended up in Cheyenne, Chattanooga or some other unexpected place across the United States.

Risa Daitzman Heywood is a professional genealogist, writer and speaker specializing in Ashkenazi Jewish research. She began researching her family over 25 years ago after inheriting a six-generation family tree, meticulously hand drawn by her grandfather on the back of a large piece of wrapping paper. The tree had only Americanized names and no dates or places, so she began learning about genealogy in order to figure out the family’s original surname and where they were from. Risa earned a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She is a Past-President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Colorado and served as co-chair of JewishGen’s original Belarus Special Interest Group (SIG). Risa lives in Lisbon, Portugal.

This meeting is for JGSLI Members only, please check your e-mail for the invitation that was sent out on May 7th.