Have you been wanting to learn more about Jewish genealogy, but needed a structured class to get you started? I am pleased to announce that the course I wrote for the National Institute for Genealogical Studies is now available! This has been a few years in the works, but I am so excited to share that it’s available now. The course covers a lot of great content that as you get started with your Jewish genealogy research will be quite helpful. Visit this website for more information.  Take a look and see what you think!

The description:

Researching a Jewish ancestor may seem a daunting task especially when you consider the Holocaust and the incredible destruction of lives, synagogues, and cemeteries in Europe. You may ask “why should I even try?” Then there is the myth that immigrants had their names changed at Ellis Island that leads us to believe that our Jewish ancestors are nearly impossible to research. All of these things scare off many from researching their Jewish family and discovering that there actually is a great deal of information “out there.” Researching Jewish ancestors is challenging, but with the research techniques provided in this course it will be revealed that much information is available.

This course is presented with the assumption that the student may have little to no first-hand knowledge of Jewish ancestry. At the completion of the course the student will have a solid foundation to research Jewish ancestors and will understand the types of records available. This course will start with an introduction to the history of the Jewish people to better understand the challenges of this research. We will then get a basic understanding of the languages, dates, and name conventions of this unique group. Immigration patterns of the Jews as they came to North America are a valuable component to ultimately discovering their origins and the resources to assist in this research will be presented. Jewish life and record sources as they settled can provide additional clues to their origins and experiences as they came to America and Canada. Effective research strategies for finding Jewish ancestors will be presented. Lastly, the course includes an extensive discussion on resources available to pursue the genealogy of Jewish ancestors.

The course has 6 modules which cover the following information:

Module 1 
Introduction to Jewish Ancestry
What does it mean to be Jewish?
Jewish History

Module 2 
Language, Calendar, and Names
Translation Tools
Jewish Calendar
Naming Patterns

Module 3 
Immigration Patterns
Types of Immigration Records
Coming to America
United States Research Strategies
Canada
Other Records for Clues
Major settlements within US & Canada
United States Naturalization Papers
Canadian Naturalization Papers

Module 4 
Jewish Life and Record Sources
Synagogues
Hebrew Schools
Landsmanshaften
Jewish Societies
Holocaust Records
Jewish and Local Newspapers
Cemeteries

Module 5 
Research Strategies
Gather Known Information
Vital Records
Census Records
City Directories
Naturalization and Immigration Records
Newspapers
Cemetery Headstones
Focusing on Ancestral Origin
DNA Testing
Network

Module 6
Available Resources
Websites
Locations for Research

• United States
  
• Archives
  
• Libraries
  
• Museums
  
• Canada
  
• Archives
  
• Libraries
  
• MuseumsOnline Resources
• Research
  
• EducationGenealogical Societies
• United States 
• Canada