1, Guides For Tracing Your Jewish Roots

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By SHIRLEY HOGAN

More than half the world's Jews
are Americans and 85 percent have
European roots. Because of the
history of persecution, documents
about Jews often are difficult to find.
Fortunately there are several
guidebooks and archival collections
that can be of help.
The holdings of the American
Jewish Archives (3101 Clifton Ave.,
Cincinnati, Ohio 45220) include
many genealogies, vital records and
newspaper indexes. The archives
manuscript catalogue was published
in 1971 by G.K. Hall and Co. and
may be found in some large
research libraries.
The American Jewish Historical
Society (2 Thornton Rd., Waltham,
Mass. 02154) has a large collection
of early American family documents
as well as organizational and
institutional records — 66,000
volumes and four million pages of
manuscripts. It also publishes a
journal, American Jewish History.
The Western Jewish History
Center (2911 Russell St.., Berkeley,
Calif. 94705) is a manuscript and
archival library that provides
historical and how-to information on
the western United States, with
some material for Canada and
Mexico. It also has an extensive oral
history program.
The library of the Jewish
Theological Seminary of America
(3080 Broadway, New York, N.Y.
10027) has archival material about
Jewish communities and family
histories.
The genealogical department of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Day Saints (35 N.W. Temple St. Salt
Lake City, Utah 84103) has
extensive holdings of Jewish records
from several European countries,
notably Poland, Germany and
Hungary, on microfilm.
The Gathering of Jewish
Records to Israel is a report
published as result of the World
Conference on Records held in Salt
Lake City in 1969.
The chapter, "Jewry," in The
Genealogist's Encyclopedia by L.G.
Pine (Collier Books) presents a
survey of the available records and
methods of record-keeping in
modern European countries and
calls attention to the paper,
Registration of Births, Deaths and
Marriages of European Jewish
Communities in Palestine and in
Communities
Israel, that was issued by the
Jewish Historical General Archives
in Jerusalem.

A Guide to Jewish Genealogical
Research in Israel by Sallyann
Amdur Sack (Genealogical
Publishing Co. Inc.) focuses its
attention primarily on sources
dealing with Ashkenazi ancestry,
with some resources listed for those
with Sephardic roots. The body of
the book lists libraries or archives
that hold certain types of records as
well as information about the
Central Archives of the Holocaust
and Resistance.

Finding Our Fathers: A
Guidebook to Jewish Genealogy by
Dan Rottenburg (Random House) is
the pioneer manual in the field.
Concentrating mostly on Eastern
Europe, Rottenberg provides
information about major collections
of Jewish records. There is a
bibliography of the genealogies of
individual families.
Tracing Your Jewish Roots by
Malcolm H. Stern (American Jewish
Archives) is a short manual for
novice genealogical researchers.
Stern, a retired rabbi, served as
archivist for the Archives.
Stern's First American Jewish
Families: 600 Genealogies,
1654-1977, published as a joint-
venture by the American Jewish
Archives and the American Jewish
Historical Society, contains
genealogical tables for every Jewish
family known to have been
established in the United States
before 1840 traced to the most
recent generation.

Stern also wrote Americans of
Jewish Descent: Sources of
Information for Tracing Their
Genealogy, Special Publications 20
for the National Genealogical
Society (4527 17th St. N.,
Washington, D.C. 22207-2363) that
provides historic and bibliographic
background information.
Jewish Synagogue Records,
also by Stern, (Genealogical Society
of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints) offers vital
information on the location and use
of religious records.
My Jewish Roots, A Practical
Guide to Tracing Your Genealogy
and Family History by David
Kranzler (Sepher-Hermon Press)
offers historical background and a
guide to sources. The author
provides sample write-in charts.
From Genration to Generation:
How to Trace Your Jewish
Genealogy and Personal History by
Arthur Kurzweil, editor of the
genealogical journal Toledot,

(William Morrow) is a step-by-step
guide to genealogical research and
sources.
Toledot: The Journal of Jewish
Genealogy (155 93rd St., No. 3-C,
New York, N.Y. 10028) provides
articles on methodology, vital
records, queries, book reviews and
other information that is not easily
found elsewhere.
Most of the books and
pamphlets are available at the
Midrasha library, 21550 W. 12 Mile,
Southfield.

Family Activity

Set up a time for the family to
sit down together and talk. Let the
children take the role of interviewers
to do oral histories of their parents.
After constructing a family tree, the

whole family can go to the library

and look into the various sources to
trace its history.

Next Month

The festival of Purim will be the
theme of our February issue of
L'Chayim. We will explore the
holiday's significance and, of
course, offer lots of activities
that every member of the family
can enjoy.

citiditcs, Meaning Of
Tzedakah

Following are questions about
tzedakah and about Parshat Bo, the
Torah portion for this Shabbat:
— Tzedakah is understood as
"charity," especially the giving of
money or goods to the poor and
needy. But tzedakah really means
"that which is just" or "that which
is right." What is right and just
about "charity?"
— A Talmudic sage once
taught: "As tiny links join to form a
strong coat of mail armor, so little
donations combine to make up a
large total of good." How much or
how little should one give as
tzedakah?
— This week's Torah portion
(Sedra Bo) describes the Plague of
Darkness in Egypt before Moses led
the Israelites to freedom. Scripture
states, "People could not see one
another ... but all the Israelites had
light in their dwellings." How does
tzedakah make light shine in the
home, in the synagogue in the
community? Does not giving
tzedakah keep us from "seeing"
needy people?

— Submitted by
Rabbi Lane Steinger,
Spiritual Leader,
Temple Emanu-El

15 Trees for the
15th of Shvat

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answers: oak, palm, olive, elm, bamboo, pine, fir, maple, cedar, ash, sequoia, spruce,
bay, birch, aspen.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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