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Save the Date for OUR NEXT JGSC Event!


Events

Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM (EST)

Brick Walls: Over, Under, Around, or Through --

Any Way That Works

with Ken Bravo

Congregation Mishkan Or,  26000 Shaker Boulevard, Beachwood, and via Zoom

Description:

Description: At our June 2026 meeting, Samantha Baskind presented he remarkable story of her great uncle, First Lieutenant Nathan Baskind, a Jewish American soldier who fought at the Battle of Normandy, went missing in action soon after, and whose remains were identified nearly 80 years after his death. She asked for help finding a piece of the puzzle, a man named Orville Burnett who remained elusive in spite of her significant research. Ken Bravo came to her aid and solved the mystery. This month Ken will discuss how to break down the brick walls we encounter in our research. Join us for what is sure to be an informative presentation that will offer many useful tips and resources for researchers at all levels. 

Presenter: JGSC Member Ken Bravo is a Past President of JGSC and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. He is a retired attorney who has been researching his family since the mid-1970s.

Registration: This event is free for members and non-members of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland.  Registration is requested for all and required for those wishing to attend via Zoom, by Tuesday, August 4th.  The Zoom link will be distributed multiple times within the week prior to the meeting date. Please direct any questions to Jane Rothstein at president@jgscleveland.org.

   CLICK HERE TO REGISTER 


Open house highlights Jewish family histories, honors local leaders

Congregation Mishkan Or in Beachwood hosted a honey-themed Family History and Genealogy Open House on Aug. 11, allowing more than 40 attendees to explore their family history and genealogy with talks, interactive tables, activities and tours.

The event was put on by the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland and Congregation Mishkan Or.

READ THE COMPLETE CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS ARTICLE ...


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My Story

MyHeritage.com: My Favorite Tool for Jewish Genealogy

by Robin Selinger

I joined MyHeritage as a subscriber in 2018, and have had a wonderful experience using it to research my own family tree and to assist others as a “search angel.” It’s my favorite online resource for genealogy research.

MyHeritage made it easy for me to build my tree. With help from “Smart Matches” and “Instant Discoveries,” I added new family members—plus parents, spouses, siblings and children—with matches to historic records and other family trees. Most of my ancestral lines are documented back five generations; many extend to the 1700s, and a handful back to the 1500s... READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

World Class Programs

JGSC offers monthly programs open to members and non-members on a variety of topics applicable to Jewish genealogy and research.  Please check the program listings for time, location and format.  Advance registration required.  A special thank you to The Temple-Tifereth Israel Hartzmark Library for hosting our new in-person Genealogy Discussion Group and Coffee Talk.  Please stop by.


Copyright 2026.  The Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland, Inc. (JGSC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (EIN: 34-1648203).  All Rights Reserved.