Landsmanshaftn or immigrant mutual aid societies were organizations formed by immigrants from a common ancestral location. They provided to their members social benefits, raised funds for the needy back home and memorialized their towns after the Shoah. These “shtetl satellites" flourished wherever immigrants were found, especially in North America and Israel but also in Argentina, South Africa and Australia. Their study is an essential part of ancestral town research. Records kept by these organizations often reveal genealogical information not found elsewhere. Here one may learn about the activities and life of an ancestor or discover a lost or unknown branch of a family tree. This session will survey landsmanshaftn and their activities and acquaint the researcher with their records.

Avrohom Krauss is an educator, genealogist and speaker specializing in Jewish resources. He has written articles on landsmanshaftn, immigration, relief organizations, vital records, the Hebrew calendar and name changes which appeared in Avotaynu (in print and Avotaynu Online) and Dorot (JGSNY). Krauss is the creator of CAHJP Landsmanshaft Inventory and the Philadelphia Landsmanshaftn Inventory. His recent three-part series on Jewish cemeteries in the U.S. and eastern Europe entitled: Cemeteries of the Honorable, Forgotten and Unknown was featured on the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemeteries podcast. He is a frequent presenter at IAJGS conferences, JewishGen Webinar Series and at JGS societies in Israel and across the U.S.
A native of Elizabeth, NJ, Avrohom resides in Kiryat Yearim (Telz-Stone), Israel.