Nu? What's New? Vol. 20 No. 6

Underlined words are links to sites with additional information.

Registration for Cleveland Conference Now Open
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Persons planning to attend the 39th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy can now register for the conference. It will be held from July 28 – August 2 at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown hotel in Cleveland, Ohio. Cost to register prior to April 30 is $325; $225 for spouse/partner. Thereafter the costs are $375/$275 respectively.

A new cost this year is a “mandatory meal voucher” charge of $65. The voucher can be applied toward any conference meals catered by the hotel or provided by the hotel through its kosher caterer and purchased through the website registration system. This includes Breakfasts with the Experts, SIG or BOF lunches, box lunches and the conference banquet. It does not apply to hotel restaurants or the rooftop Bar32. The hotel provides meeting space for the conference at no charge in return for attendees spending a minimum amount on catered food. If the minimum amount is not met, there is a financial penalty to the conference. It is likely that recent conferences either did not make the quota or came close. Consequently, the need for a meal voucher charge. The cost of conference meals has not yet been posted to the website, but it is likely that the Thursday-night banquet will cover the meal voucher charge.

There is now a Frequently Asked Questions page that covers many topics about the conference, registration, hotel, tours, accessibility and religious observance.

It is now possible to make hotel reservations at the site.

The conference site is at http://iajgs2019.org.

FamilyTreeDNA Comes Under Fire for Cooperating with FBI

DNA testing is becoming more and more a tool of law enforcement. A resource such as finger prints requires law enforcement to determine who is the perpetrator and then match his/her fingerprints against those found at the crime scene. DNA evidence does not require direct evidence of the perpetrator. He/she can be found by identifying the DNA of close relatives.

Now, a newspaper article has disclosed that FamilyTreeDNA is working with the FBI and allowing agents to search its vast genealogy database in an effort to solve violent crime cases. The article was written in the form of an exposé. The article can be found at https://tinyurl.com/BuzzFeedDNA.

The president of FamilyTreeDNA, Bennett Greenspan, has countered with an explanation of the association between his company and the FBI. Part of his explanation includes, “We came to the conclusion that if law enforcement created accounts, with the same level of access to the database as the standard FamilyTreeDNA user, they would not be violating user privacy and confidentiality. In order for the FBI to obtain any additional information, they would have to provide a valid court-order such as a subpoena or search warrant.

“Working with law enforcement to process DNA samples from the scene of a violent crime or identifying an unknown victim does not change our policy never to sell or barter our customers’ private information with a third party. Our policy remains fully intact and in force.”

His full statement can be fond at https://blog.familytreedna.com/press-release-connecting-families-and-saving-lives/.

MyHeritage Creates Love Letter Contest

Do you have any of your ancestors’ love letters? In honor of Valentine’s Day, February 14, MyHeritage is asking people to submit to them love letters from previous generations. The company wants to follow love throughout history and showcase the love letters from previous generations.

If you have any letters, postcards, poems or romantic notes that your ancestors sent or received, send them to MyHeritage, along with the story behind them. They will publish the most romantic love letters in time for Valentine’s Day and choose the best story to win a MyHeritage DNA Kit. Send the love letters of your ancestors to stories@myheritage.com by February 13.

Geni too. Geni, which is owned by MyHeritage is also having a love letter contest. The prize for the best letter is a 1-year subscription to Geni Pro. Send your love letters to community@geni.com. Deadline is February 12.

MyHeritage and Family Tree DNA Offer DNA Testing For Only $59
MyHeritage and Family Tree DNA are offering Valentine’s Day discounts for DNA testing. Current prices for autosomal DNA testing from the major services are:
• 23andMe. $99
• Ancestry. $99
• Family TreeDNA. $59. Ends February 14.
• MyHeritage. $59. Ends February 14.

Options Available to Watch RootsTech Presentations Remotely

If you are unable to attend RootsTech 2019 in Salt Lake City, you have two remote viewing options. Some of the show’s sessions will be streamed live at no charge at http://rootstech.org. If you want more, you can purchase a Virtual Pass to view additional sessions from the conference. RootsTech runs from February 27 to March 3.

RootsTech is the largest genealogy conference in the world, attracting more than 20,000 people. Additional information can be found at https://media.familysearch.org/how-to-remotely- watch-rootstech-2019-salt-lake-city/.

The Holocaust in France: A Resource Guide
Jean-Pierre Stroweis of the Israel Genealogy Research Association has created an online resource guide to the Holocaust in France. Some of the materials listed are in French, others in English—some are in both languages. There are links to websites as well as references to books. In addition to background, descriptions and explanations there are lists of names with information regarding those people. The Guide can be found at https://genealogy.org.il/ holocaust-france-resource-guide/.

MyHeritage Webinar on Tools to Improve Your Family Tree Data

On February 12 at 2pm Eastern Time, MyHeritage’s Genealogy Expert, Daniel Horowitz, will be giving a webinar on “Using MyHeritage Tools to Improve Your Family Tree Data.” He will discuss features of MyHeritage that permit you to evaluate current data in your family tree database making sure it is accurate. There is no charge to attend the webinar. Additional information, including how to register, can be found at https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar_details.php?webinar_id=953.

Three New Collections Added to USHMM Holocaust Survivors and Victims Database

Peter Lande reports that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has added three small collections to the Holocaust Survivors and Victims Database (HSV). They are:
• List of Residents and Refugees of Vilnius and its surroundings looking for their relatives. This collection contains a list of 232 refugees in Vilnius looking for family members. Additional information is at
https://www.ushmm.org/online/hsv/source_view.php?SourceId=48170.
• List of 3,082 individuals who were killed in Eichberg, a clinic and sanatorium for mentally ill and disabled patients situated near Eltville-Erbach in the Rheingau region. Additional information is at
https://www.ushmm.org/online/hsv/source_view.php?SourceId=45682.
• The names of 639 victims of the massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane, France. Additional information is at https://www.ushmm.org/online/hsv/source_view.php?SourceId=48173.

FamilySearch Adds More Than 6 Million Records This Week

A list of recent additions to FamilySearch, more than 6 million indexed records and images, can be found at https://tinyurl.com/FamilySearch020419. This site provides direct links to the individual collections. They include records from Australia, England, France, Russia, Wales and New York State. In addition, the Billion Graves index has been updated.

Note that at the website, announced collections may not be complete for the dates specified and will be added at some later date. Also note that counts shown in the announcement are the number added, not the total number available in the collection, which can be greater.

Attend the 39th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy

Visit the website at http://iajgs2019.org