Dear JGS Member: Greetings! Here's our first list of the New Year of Genealogy Reminders and Notices for your review. Another, later January notice will follow with more meetings and events being held at other genealogical societies throughout the Bay Area. *Please note that in both San Francisco and the East Bay, we have had a change of venue. In San Francisco, this has caused our first regular meeting of the year to be pushed back a week to the 4th Sunday in January*. The change in venue also has resulted in a delay of booking speakers. We're working on getting a full line-up finalized. We will send the list to our members in the next few weeks. Thanks for your understanding. Reminders and Notices: 1. *SFBAJGS Meeting - Sunday, January 24* 1:30pm in *San Francisco - NOTE CHANGE OF DATE & TIM**E* 2. It's *Membership Renewal* Time! 3. *One-on-One* Help with Your Family Tree - Next Date: *Sunday, February 7, 12pm-2pm* 4. 30th Annual IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy: July 11-16, 2010, Los Angeles 5. JGS Sacramento Meetings - Sunday, January 17 and Sunday, February 14 6. 2010 *NARA* Workshop Schedule Announced 7. Other Upcoming Genealogy Events 8. Electronic Newsletters from other JGSs available by .pdf or online 9. November 2009 ZichronNote by .pdf 10. 2010 Calendar of SFBAJGS Meetings ======================= *1. SFBAJGS Meeting – Sunday, January 24, 2010 in San Francisco* Topic: *TBD* Speaker: *Details will follow this week* When: Sunday, January 24, 2010 Time: Doors open 1:00 p.m., Program begins promptly at 1:30 p.m. Where: *San Francisco Public Library - Noe Valley Branch Community Room* *Map* <http://tinyurl.com/y8fflzo> 451 Jersey Street (near Castro), San Francisco *Street parking ONLY* Come ring in the New Year at our new San Francisco location. Mid-week announcement will give the Topic, Speaker & Details. ======================= *2. It's Membership Renewal Time!* Yes, there are still a few of you who have not yet renewed for 2010. If you're not sure, please send an email to our Membership Chair, Larry Burgheimer at *burgauer@aol.com* <burgauer@aol.com>, and Larry will check your membership status. If you haven't already done so, please: - Renew your membership! And make sure we have the correct address and email information for you. - Use your membership renewal form to let us know that you cannot receive ZichronNote via email in .pdf format. - Use your membership renewal form to let us know you'd like to get more involved with the JGS organization. ======================= *3. One-on-One Help with Your Family Tree – First Sundays* Bring your materials, questions and "brick walls" to these sessions with some of our 'genealogy mavens'. Jewish Community Library volunteer staffer and SFBAJGS member Judy Baston and other volunteers from the SFBAJGS will be on hand to help individuals with their family history research. The session includes group brainstorming, suggestions for problem solving, and research using the Jewish Community Library's extensive reference collection and Internet connections. Registration is requested but not required at (415) 567-3327, ext. 704. When: From 12 noon until 2 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month Upcoming 2010 dates: *February 7* March 7 April 4 May 2 Where: *Jewish Community Library* *Map* <http://tinyurl.com/ykrgqok> 1835 Ellis Street, San Francisco *Free parking in the building on Pierce between Eddy and Ellis * For more information: 415-567-3327 ext. 704 or *library@bjesf.org*. ======================= *4. 30th Annual IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy: 11-16 July 2010, Los Angeles* Hosted by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles Go West, Genealogists! [or for most readers of this eBlast just Go South!!!] Come be a part of the world’s largest Jewish Genealogy conference! The 30th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy will be held this summer in Los Angeles, California at the brand new L.A. LIVE conference center. Join hundreds of other researchers as we explore our roots and build our family trees. Whether you’re a beginner, just starting to trace your family’s history, or a pro looking for the latest information and tips, the IAJGS conference will have something for everyone! The official conference web-site is: *http://www.jgsla2010.com/*<http://www.jgsla2010.com/> *Sign-up now* to receive the Conference Announcement email Newletters, follow the Conference on Facebook, Twitter or their RSS Feed! Be the first to know confirmed special speakers program details! *Hotel Registration at the BRAND NEW JW Marriott at L.A. Live is open now*. You can reserve your JW Marriott guest room online now at: * http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxjw-jw-marriott-hotel-los-angeles-at-la-live/?toDate=7/21/10&groupCode=jgsjgsa&fromDate=7/6/10app=resvlink *<http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxjw-jw-marriott-hotel-los-angeles-at-la-live/?toDate=7/21/10&groupCode=jgsjgsa&fromDate=7/6/10app=resvlink>[or through the Conference web-site - http://www.jgsla2010.com/ ], or call 1-800-228-9290 (in the US). Make sure to identify as a participant in the IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, and also that you specifically want the JW Marriott at L.A. Live (there is another Marriott downtown). Room rates are $199 per room, single or double, including free wireless Internet access. For triple or quad, it is $20 per person additional. The special rate is available for three days pre- and post-conference. *Program Overview & Call for Papers *The 30th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy will present five and half days of informative programs and scholarly lectures for both beginner and experienced genealogists. Whether you can trace your family to the 17th century or are not sure where your grandparents were born, there will be sessions and resources to help in your quest. On Sunday, July 11th, you’ll be able to plunge into a variety of beginners’ workshops, films, classes and an afternoon SIG “Market Square” where you can sample the “wares” of various regional special interest groups. In this informal, friendly setting, you’ll meet the foreign archivists and experts in overseas research who will be lecturing later in the week. Our SIG committee chair, Vivian Kahn, will be reaching out to SIG and BOF leaders soon via email. to begin this planning. We also will offer a Jewish film festival, computer classes, artistic workshops, musical performances and panel discussions to enlighten and entertain. Networking and shared-learning opportunities will abound and attendees will have direct access to experts in breakfast, lunches and special receptions. Even Jewish Genealogical Game Show Night will return! Specific program information will be forthcoming soon. *The Call for Papers is now closed * *Stay tuned for more from JGSLA 2010!* Conference Co-Chairs: Ann Harris Pamela Weisberger Sandy Malek Lois Rosen ======================= *5. Upcoming JGS Sacramento Meetings - Sunday, January 17 and Sunday, February 21* Program: *Joann Weiser - "Everyone has a story to tell..."* When: Sunday, January 17, 2010, 10 am Where: Albert Einstein Residence Center *Map* <http://tinyurl.com/ytnbnx> 1935 Wright Street, Sacramento Joann Weiser will focus on the importance of preserving stories of family members and ancestors. Memories not recorded are soon forgotten. How often have you heard someone say, “I wish I would have asked my mother or father more about their lives?" Joann is originally from Sacramento, where she met her Israeli husband while earning a teaching credential at CSUS. They moved to Israel, where they spent 28 years before returning to this area. The idea of becoming a personal historian came about on one of her visits back to Israel, where preserving the personal histories of Holocaust survivors and Israeli pioneers has become a national priority. Joann is a member of the Association of Personal Historians and helps people write their life stories. ----------------------------------- Program: *Victoria Fisch - Jews in the Gold Rush? Who Knew?* When: Sunday, February 21, 2010, 10 am Where: Albert Einstein Residence Center *Map* <http://tinyurl.com/ytnbnx> 1935 Wright Street, Sacramento This presentation is an overview of the Jewish presence in the Gold Country from 1850 to 1900. Victoria Fisch of Folsom will discuss the geography of the Mother Lode, and events in central Europe and California that coincided with the discovery of gold in 1849. She will explain how Jewish immigrants traveled here, where they settled, and describe their unique experience in this region. While Victoria grew up in New York City, her mother told her tales of her own childhood in San Francisco. In 1978 Victoria moved to the Bay Area, and began her quest to fill in the puzzle of her Western relatives. For the last 20 years she has undertaken genealogical projects for friends and clients, including supplying documentation to furnish proof of Jewish ancestry for aliyah. In early 2009, Avotaynu, a Jewish genealogical publisher, asked Victoria to write a chapter on Sacramento Jewry for a U.S. sourcebook. This led to a fascination with the history of the Jewish merchant pioneers of the Gold Rush and a desire to make their story widely known. ----------------------------------- The JGS Sacramento genealogy library will be available for your use before and after the meetings. For more information about the Jewish Genealogical Society of Sacramento, please visit: *www.jgss.org*, send email to* jgs_sacramento@yahoo.com*, or call (916) 486-0906 ext. 361. ======================= *6. 2010 NARA Workshop Schedule Announced* *All workshops will be held from 9am to 1pm* at the National Archives and Records Administration - Pacific Region (San Bruno), 1000 Commodore Drive, San Bruno, CA 94066-2350. *Map*<http://tinyurl.com/33e2rm> Genealogy Workshops: - Census Records Research – Friday, March 19 - Passenger Arrival and Naturalization Records – Friday, April 16 - Military - Part I: Revolutionary War to the Civil War – Friday, May 14 - Military - Part II: Spanish American War to the Vietnam War - Friday, June 18 - Federal Land Records - Friday, July 16 - Freedman Bureau Records – Friday, July 23 [presented by Deborah Ostenberg, Indian Specialist] - Preserving Your History – Friday, August 13 To Register and Reserve a Space for Genealogy Workshops and for more information contact Rose Mary Kennedy, Genealogist Specialist, at 650-238-3488 or send her an e-mail at *rosemary.kennedy@nara.gov*<rosemary.kennedy@nara.gov> . Cost: Fees for Genealogy Workshops are $15, payable in advance. ======================= *7. Other Upcoming Genealogy Programs in the Bay Area* *An Upcoming Bay Area Speaking Engagement with SFBAJGS Member Steven Morse* Program: *One-Step Website: A Hodgepodge of Lesser Known Gems* When: Monday, January 19 Where: Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society 70 W Hedding Street *Map* <http://tinyurl.ycyal4t> San Jose, CA 95110 Steve Morse, creator of the helpful One-Step Web Pages (see www.stevemorse.org) <http://www.stevemorse.org/> and SFBAJGS member, will make a presentation to the Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society*. One-Step Webpages: A Hodgepodge of Lesser-Known Gems *is a sequel to the well -received Potpourri talk. There are too many utilities on the One-Step website to be covered in a single talk, so many of them found their way to the cutting room floor when the Potpourri talk was being edited. However several of those are quite useful. This talk describes those gems that you might not otherwise be aware of. They range from problems with genealogical searches to problems with identity theft to problems with DNA. <-><-><-><-><-><-><-><-> *A Book Reading and Discussion* Program: *Marianne Hirsch and Leo Spitzer: Ghosts of Home* When: Thursday, February 4, 6:00-7:30 Where: University Press Books 2430 Bancroft Way (between Telegraph & Dana) *Map*<http://tinyurl.com/yjxmqmk> Berkeley, California University of California Press and University Press Books Invite you to join Marianne Hirsch and Leo Spitzer For a Discussion and Reading from Their New Book - *Ghosts of Home: The Afterlife of Czernowitz in Jewish Memory *(UC Press, 2010) from the publisher - In modern-day Ukraine, east of the Carpathian Mountains, there is an invisible city. Known as Czernowitz, the "Vienna of the East" under the Habsburg empire, this vibrant Jewish-German Eastern European culture vanished after World War II-yet an idealized version lives on, suspended in the memories of its dispersed people and passed down to their children like a precious and haunted heirloom. In this original blend of history and communal memoir, Marianne Hirsch and Leo Spitzer chronicle the city's survival in personal, familial, and cultural memory. They find evidence of a cosmopolitan culture of nostalgic lore—but also of oppression, shattered promises, and shadows of the Holocaust in Romania. Hirsch and Spitzer present the first historical account of Jewish Czernowitz in the English language and offer a profound analysis of memory's echo across generations. ======================= *8. Newsletters from other JGSs available by .pdf or online* We receive more and more newsletters from various JGSs in .pdf format or links to those published online, and would like to make them available to you by free "subscription." The .pdf files range in size from about 25KB up to 1.5MB. Your download time will vary depending on your Internet connection speed. Recently received newsletters include those from: South Africa SIG, Broward County, FL, St. Louis, Ventura County/Conejo Valley. In the past, we have received newsletters from: JGS of Argentina JGS Australia JGS of British Columbia JGS of Broward County JGS Conejo Valley & Ventura County JGS Denmark JGS of Great Britain JGS of Greater Philadelphia JGS Illiana (Illinois/Indiana) JFRA - Israel JGS JGS Miami JGS Michigan JGS Montreal JGS Oregon JGS New Jersey (North Bergen) JGS San Diego JGS of South Africa South Africa - JewishGen SIG JGS of St. Louis, MO JGS of Southern Nevada JGS SW Florida JGS of Toronto JGS of Utah JGS Washington, DC JGS of Washington State JGS of Wisconsin If you would like to "subscribe" to any of these newsletters, please send an email to our SFBAJGS Electronic Newsletter Coordinator Dana Kurtz, dlkurtz@ix.netcom.com, and let her know which one(s) you'd like to receive. (If you have sent in an email previously, there is no need to send another.) ======================= *9. November 2009 ZichronNote by .pdf* We had sent out the November 2009 electronic issue in the end of December. If you did not find it in your email mailbox, please let us know by sending a note to sfbajgs.news.blast@gmail.com. If you did receive an electronic version but need to have a printed publication mailed to you, please let us know that as well. Sometimes, we err. ======================= *10. 2010 Calendar of SFBAJGS Meetings* (Subject to change - check * www.jewishgen.org/sfbajgs/calendar.html *for the latest info!) - Sunday, February 21 – *Oakland Family History Center [note new location]*: TBD - Monday, February 22 – Los Altos Hills: Civil War Records [4th Monday of the Month] - Sunday, March 21 – San Francisco: TBD - Sunday, April 18 – Oakland Family History Center: TBD - Monday, April 19 – Los Altos Hills: How We Share and Preserve Memories in a Digital Era - Daniel Horowitz - Sunday, May 16 – San Francisco: TBD - Sunday, June 20 – Oakland Family History Center: TBD - Monday, June 21 – Los Altos Hills: Writing My Family History - Mark Cohen - Sunday, July 18 – San Francisco: TBD - Sunday, August 15 - Oakland Family History Center: TBD - Monday, August 16 – Los Altos Hills: TBD - Sunday, September 19 –San Francisco: TBD - Sunday, October 17 – Oakland Family History Center: TBD - Monday, October 18 – Los Altos Hills: TBD - Sunday, November 21 – San Francisco: TBD - December 2010 – *no meeting*