Nu? What's New? Vol. 19 No. 28

Underlined words are links to sites with additional information.

MyHeritage to Present Online Conference

Some day, perhaps 20 years from now, people will be saying “Do you remember the old days when you had to travel all the way to Orlando, Warsaw or Cleveland to attend an IAJGS conference?” Now you can attend all/any sessions from home, via the internet, and interact online with other attendees. The technology is all there, today.

MyHeritage has announced a planned online conference called “MyHeritage LIVE” which it describes as an International User Conference. It will take place on the weekend of November 2–4, 2018, physically located in Oslo, Norway. The conference will be open to anyone anywhere in the world who would like to learn more about MyHeritage current and future products. MyHeritage states that there will be classes covering a range of subjects, including genealogy and DNA, as well as “hands-on” workshops. There will also be presentations from leading genealogists and DNA experts, and a chance to meet and exchange tips with other MyHeritage users. Particulars will be made available in the next few weeks.

Irish Jewish Genealogical Society Has Online Database

The Irish Jewish Genealogical Society now has an online index of at least 28,000 vital records (one source claims 60,000 records, but the search engine shows 28,701). It is located at http://www.irishjewishroots.com/?r=site/listallprofiles. Displayed are first name, surname, AKA (Also Known As), nee, town, state and country. Clicking on “View Details” opens up a page showing everything known about the person.

The search engine has a non-standard design and takes a bit of time to figure out. The web page states, “Please narrow the search by entering full or partial details in the text box.” These text boxes are the blank boxes on the line after the headings. The search engine includes a “Contains” function. Keying in “Mo” in the surname field produces results for persons that had “mo” anywhere in the following fields: surname, AKA and nee. Examples of results included Moskovitch and Solomon.

It is possible to print the results for an individual, but attempting to copy the results produces a message “Please do not copy. Instead why not buy a birth / marriage / or death record.” Apparently, the author of the site wants users to get copies of vital records through him.

New Book: Unbroken Chain – Third Edition – Volume 3 Published

Volume 3 (of an anticipated five volumes) of The Unbroken Chain—Third Edition has been published. Author Neil Rosenstein has devoted the past 27 years to updating and improving his landmark work “The Unbroken Chain,” and now is in the process of publishing its Third Edition. The new edition is a major improvement to the previous edition both in number of persons and quality of the work.

Second Edition (1990)                     Third Edition (2017/18)
Two volumes, 1,350 pages             Five volumes, 4,500 pages
20,000 names                                     42,000 names
Surname-only index                            Full name index
No illustrations                                    300 illustrations (Vol 1 alone)
1,600 footnotes                                   1,000 footnotes (Vol. 1 alone)
Up to 16 generations                         Up to 22 generations

The Unbroken Chain documents the descendants of Rabbi Meir Katzenellenbogen (MaHaRaM) of Padua (1482–1565) and Rabbi Judah Lowe (MaHaRaL) of Prague through 22 generations. Among the descendants of these two Torah giants are numerous famous persons including Martin Buber, Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, Karl Marx, Moses and Felix Mendelssohn, Yehudi Menuhin, Moses Montefiore, Helena Rubinstein and Judge Judy Sheindlin. A high proportion of genealogies are those of the leading Hassidic dynasties: Levi Isaac of Berdichev, Halberstam, Horowitz, Rabinowitz, Rokeach, Shapiro, Spira, Teitelbaum, Twersky and others.

Ordering information for any of the three volumes is at http://www.avotaynu.com/books/UnbrokenChain-1.html. The site includes a complete list of names for each of the three volumes, as well their Tables of Contents.

Provides LInks to 1,500 Free Online Yearbooks

The Ancestor Hunt provides links to more than 1,500 U.S. high school and college yearbooks that are online. Yearbooks invariably have portraits of each individual in the graduating class which can provide a useful addition to the family photograph collection. Links to each yearbook can be found at http://www.theancestorhunt.com/yearbooks.html.

Castle Garden, the Predecessor to Ellis Island, Featured on FamilySearch Blog

FamilySearch has added to its blog an article about Castle Garden, the predecessor to Ellis Island as the New York City port of entry. It is located at https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/ny-castle-garden-ellis-island/. The article also provides links to:
• New York Passenger Lists (Castle Garden) 1820–1891
• New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island) 1892–1924
• New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists 1925–1957

MyHeritage Adds Chapter 7 to Its Series on DNA Basics

MyHeritage has added a seventh chapter to its series on DNA Basics. The chapter discusses “Common Misconceptions about DNA Testing.” Specifically:
• Myth #1: DNA testing requires spit or blood
• Myth #2: Because children inherit DNA from their parents, full siblings should get the same results
• Myth #3: Your genetic ethnicity estimamte will match your known genealogy

The article can be found at https://tinyurl.com/MHDNAChapter7.

New Society: Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society

There is a new Jewish genealogical society in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They have a website at https://neindianajgs.wordpress.com/ and a Facebook presence at https://www.facebook.com/NEIndianaJGS/. Meetings are held at the Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library. Check their website for further information.

A list of all societies that are members of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) can be found at http://www.iajgs.org/blog/membership/member-societies/.

Free Access to AmericanAncestors.org Through July 17
The New England Historic Genealogical Society is offering free access to online databases through July 17. Access is at https://www.americanancestors.org/july. Registration is required. If you previously used the site, changing password is required.

The only results when searching for “Mokotoff” was censuses, Social Security Death Index and California birth index.

New Book! On Oldness: How to Successfullyl Navigate Old Age

Sallyann Amdur Sack, Avotaynu co-owner and a clinical psychologist, has written a wonderfully useful book, On Oldness: How to Successfully Navigate Old Age, based on first-hand experiences in growing older. Now an octogenarian, she offers a simple guide to effectively managing the challenges specific to old age. She argues that with attention and planning—plus a significant dose of health and good luck—old age can be a delightful, rewarding and pleasurable final stage of life. She challenges the assumption that the progress of life is one long, slow stage to oblivion.

Cost is only $19.00 plus shipping. Additional information, including a complete Table of Contents can be found at http://www.avotaynu.com/ books/On-Oldness.html.