Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois webinar looks at family surnames
On Sunday, Aug. 29, Sallyann Amdur Sack-Pikus, co-owner, founder and editor of AVOTAYNU, the International Review of Jewish Genealogy, will lead a webinar on "What the Genealogist Needs to Know About Jewish Family Names" at 2 p.m.
Her free livestreaming presentation will be preceded by a separate Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois members-only genealogy question-and-answer discussion at 1 p.m.
To register, go to jgsi.org/Events-calendar. After you register, you will be sent a link to join the meeting. This webinar will be recorded so that JGSI's paid members who are unable to view it live will be able to view the recording later.
From the genealogical perspective, Jewish family names are anything but simple. In this talk, hear how, why and when Jews acquired family names; what kinds of names they adopted; some special aspects of rabbinical names; techniques devised to avoid being identified; spelling considerations; Soundex; expert sources; and a few words about how to locate maiden names and married names of women.
Sack has been at the forefront of the development of organized Jewish genealogy since its inception. She is president of the Avotaynu Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of Jewish genealogy, and the founding president of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington.
She has written or co-authored seven reference books on Jewish genealogy, and received the Jewish Library Association's "Body of Work" award. She has served on advisory boards at the U.S. National Archives and at Beth Hatefutsoth, the Museum of the Jewish People, in Tel Aviv, Israel, and has lectured and taught how-to-get-started courses in genealogy in countries across the world as well as in the U.S.
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping members collect, preserve, and perpetuate the records and history of their ancestors.
JGSI is a resource for the worldwide Jewish community to research their Chicago-area roots. The group has more than 300 members and is affiliated with the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.
Members have access to useful and informative online family history research resources, including a members' forum, more than 65 video recordings of past speakers' presentations, monthly E-News, quarterly Morasha JGSI newsletter, and more.
For information about Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois, visit jgsi.org or call (312) 666-0100.