Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Start on a family discovery journey with the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) as it continues “My Jewish Roots” a JGSGO Workshop Roadshow.

Join JGSGO for all nine remaining free workshops coming to locations throughout the Orlando metro area or participate over the Internet. Each participant’s family discovery journey will include directed hands-on labs that will lead to extending their family tree—adding newly discovered ancestors and living cousins.

The second “My Jewish Roots” workshop, “Connect to the Experts and Key Resources,” will cover: the best opportunities to learn from others; how to stay current on the latest developments such as Facebook groups, Wiki pages, Jewish Genealogy on YouTube, and other resources to get your questions answered; and the best ways to bait for unknown cousins who may have information that you’re missing.

Future workshops will cover: how to discover the ancestral towns outside of the U.S .; how to decide which DNA test to take, who to test, and with which company; understanding your DNA results; researching with Ancestry.com; researching family in the Shoah; and researching ancestral records in the native country.

JGSGO President Jerry Kurland noted, “Two participants in our first workshop made major discoveries. If you have had any interest in finding your roots, this workshop series will bring you success.”

Marlis Glaser Humphrey will lead the “Connect to the Experts and Key Resources” workshop. She is the president of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) and president of the Florida State Genealogical Society (FSGS), a world-known lecturer, and has discovered all her ancestral shtetls. Humphrey and JGSGO mavens will assist workshop attendees as they start their family discovery journey on their own laptops.

“Connect to the Experts and Key Resources” with Marlis Humphrey will be held: Wednesday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Roth Family Jewish Community Center, 851 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751. The workshop is free and open to the public. Bring your own laptop to participate in the lab portion. It is also possible to attend via the Internet. Pre-registration is required. Pre-register for either in-person or online participation at http://www.jgsgo.org/MyJewishRoots.

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) is a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing genealogical information, techniques and research tools with anyone interested in Jewish genealogy and family history. For more information visit http://www.jgsgo.org and “like” us at http://www.facebook.com/jgsgreaterorlando. Questions? Email info@jgsgo.org.

The “My Jewish Roots” series of 10 monthly hands-on workshops hosted by the JGSGO is co-hosted by the Roth JCC, Rosen JCC, UCF Hillel, Congregation Ohev Shalom, and Temple Israel in rotation at their facilities and also joinable over the Internet. In addition to assisting attendees in discovering their family tree, these workshops will help the Orlando Jewish community get the most out of the upcoming 37th Annual International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. This premiere international conference will be held for the first time in Florida July 23-28, 2017 at the Disney Swan Hotel with local host JGSGO. For more information, visit http://www.jgsgo.org/MyJewishRoots.