The Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon invites you, your family and friends to its upcoming program on two topics – Ellis Island Name Change Myth & “Finding “Waldo” At Ellis Island presented by Joel Weintraub
Ellis Island Name Change Myth
The idea that inspectors at Ellis Island regularly Americanized immigrant names is a persistent myth. We will investigate the evidence that should exist (it doesn’t) to confirm the story as fact, and why name changing at the station was improbable given how immigrants were processed. The history of this immigration station, the types of people who passed through their doors, the legal documents (including their name) they came with, and station detention documents generated for about 1/6 of them, will be discussed with actual examples. Note: be prepared to avoid deportation by Inspector Weintraub.
Finding “Waldo” At Ellis Island
Using a case study, we will show how nine different strategies can be used to find the immigration record of an elusive immigrant to Ellis Island. For those who still cannot locate Ellis Island immigration records of their ancestors, this talk may provide some approaches you might not have tried. The difficulty of providing accurate indexes from transcriptions of ship manifests is a major problem associated with many of these strategies. We will see how well you do as a transcriber of manifest names.
Bio: Joel, a New Yorker by birth, is an emeritus Professor at California State University Fullerton and won awards for his science teaching. He volunteered for nine years at the National Archives and Records Administration. Joel created search tools for the U.S. and New York City censuses that are freely available on the Steve Morse “One-Step” website. He and Steve are currently developing locational tools for the 2022 release of the 1950 federal census. Joel has written and talked on NYC and Federal census research, immigration and naturalization, Ellis Island, biographical research, and Jewish genealogy topics.
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon invites you, your family and friends to its upcoming program “Read All About It!: Using Online Newspapers For Genealogical Research” by Janice M. Sellers
Description: Newspapers are valuable in genealogical research because you can find information about births, marriages, deaths, moves, business, naturalizations, court cases, and more. Millions of pages of the world’s newspapers are now accessible online, but there is no one place to find them all. This class provides an overview of what is available online and techniques to help improve your chances of finding information about your relatives.
Bio: Janice M. Sellers is a professional genealogist specializing in Jewish, black, forensic, and newspaper research. She edits three genealogy publications and serves on the boards of San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, African American Genealogical Society of Northern California, and Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy. She is also a member of Association of Professional Genealogists, Genealogical Speakers Guild, and California Genealogical Society. Before becoming a professional genealogist, she worked in publishing for many years as an editor, indexer, translator, and compositor. Her web site is ancestraldiscoveries.com.
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon invites you, your family and friends to its upcoming program “Jewish Life in Poland” by Avraham Groll.
Description: Part 1 (10th-15th centuries) will explore patterns of Jewish migration to Poland between the 10th-15th centuries. We will discuss when and why the major shifts happened, where the Jews settled and their involvement in the Poland’s development. This presentation is designed for beginners, and is not a workshop. Maps, pictures, and documents will be displayed. Handouts with further information and a bibliography will also be distributed.
Part 2 (16th-18th centuries) will explore patterns of Jewish migration to Poland between the 16th-18th centuries. We will discuss the “Golden Age of Polish Jewry,” the reaction to Shabtai Tzvi, and how the Jewish experience in Poland helped set the stage, in part, for the eventual rise of the Hasidic movement. This presentation is designed for beginners, and is not a workshop. Maps, pictures, and documents will be displayed. Handouts
Bio: Avraham Groll, the Director of JewishGen.org, is passionate about connecting people with their Jewish roots, and helping them experience what it means to be part of the Jewish people. Avraham holds an MBA from Montclair State University, an MA in Judaic Studies from Touro College, and a BS in Business Administration from Ramapo college, and spent two years studying at Yeshiva Ohr Yeruslahayim in Israel. He is a frequent lecturer on a variety of Jewish genealogical and historical topics.
PDX Business Breakfast Series: Blockchain and Bitcoin… the Future?
Join us for a discussion of blockchain, its business applications, and whether it is the next “big thing.”
PSU – Native American Student & Community Center
7:15 – 8:00 am: Networking + Breakfast
8:00 – 9:15 am: Program
FEATURING:
Dr. Joe Kiniry of Galois and Free & Fair
Rob La Forte of Columbia Fresh Transportation Services
Jeff Mazer of moovel North America
Moderator: Joey Fishman of Ritholtz Wealth Management
For more details and to register: oregonjcc.org/pdxbiz
3rd Annual Portland Young Adult Latke Ball
Join us for the annual Latke Ball! Come celebrate Chanukah with food, friends, games, drinks, and dancing.
Cost: $15/advance, $18/door.
(Includes entry, hors d’oeuvres, one drink ticket, cash bar, live DJ, and more!)
At the The Eleanor* (1605 NW Everett St, Portland, OR 97209)
*Valid I.D. is required at this venue. Must be 21 or older.
Check out the event on Facebook!
Tickets: http://oregonjcc.org/latkeball
Hosted by the MJCC, BB Camp, and Jews Next Dor. In partnership with Moishe House PDX. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.
Hanukkah Donuts + Dancing
Make decorations for your home, take part in Israeli dancing, and eat some delicious sufganiot (jelly donuts) at this family-friendly Hanukkah celebration.
Cost: $10 per family.
Register: oregonjcc.org/donuts
Pianist David Rothman in Recital
Piano virtuoso David Rothman tackles the masterworks of composers Ludwig van Beethoven and Frederic Chopin. The four-part concert series that began in September returns to the J’s December schedule for the final two performances.
David Rothman was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1962. At age 6, he began to study piano, and he was accepted into the Menuhin School in England at age 10. At 17, he was accepted into the Curtis Institute where he studied with Mieczyslaw Horszowski.
Thursdays, Dec. 13 + 20
Cost: $10. Member Cost: $5.
Register: oregonjcc.org/pianoconcert
Pianist David Rothman in Recital
Piano virtuoso David Rothman tackles the masterworks of composers Ludwig van Beethoven and Frederic Chopin. The four-part concert series that began in September returns to the J’s December schedule for the final two performances.
David Rothman was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1962. At age 6, he began to study piano, and he was accepted into the Menuhin School in England at age 10. At 17, he was accepted into the Curtis Institute where he studied with Mieczyslaw Horszowski.
Thursdays, Dec. 13 + 20
Cost: $10. Member Cost: $5.
Register: oregonjcc.org/pianoconcert
This program has been cancelled. We apologize for the inconvenience.