Recent Events

Sunday, April 3 at 10 AM: Award-winning author David Laskin talked about his book, The Family. He told the dramatic story of three branches of his family, offered guidance on Jewish genealogical research, and gave a sneak preview of the IAJGS conference. At Temple Beth Am, 2632 NE 80th St., Seattle.

Monday, March 28, 2016, 6:30 PM: Sneak Preview of this summer's IAJGS Conference on Jewish Genealogy. At the Stroum Jewish Community Centery. This event was co-sponsored by the SJCC and the Seattle Sephardic Network.

Sunday, June 29, 2014: Film and discussion: LOST TOWN. "Lost Town" tells the story of one man's obsessive search to understand his late father by uncovering the story of the town his family came from. First made famous by Jonathan Safran Foer's "Everything Is Illuminated," Trochenbrod was an all-Jewish town. All of its residents were obliterated by the Nazis, except for 33 townspeople who escaped the massacre. This personal search triggers a resurgence of interest in the town and reconnects the few remaining survivors who hadn't seen each other in over 60 years.

The film" utilizes contemporary documentary footage, original animation, and survivor testimonials to tell the story of how far one will go to claim a sense of identity.

The film was followed by a discussion and Q&A featuring Betty Gold, one of the last living survivors from Trochenbrod. Betty is a central figure in the film's retelling of the town's saga. Her memoir, "Beyond Trochenbrod: The Betty Gold Story," has just been released. The event was followed by a book signing.

This event was a Partner Program presented by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State, the Stroum Jewish Community Center, and the Seattle Jewish Film Festival.

Saturday, November 10, 2012: Family History Expo 2012 at the Redmond Stake Center Building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 10115 172nd Ave. NE, Redmond. Full day of free classes. Details and registration: http://www.wafamilyhistory.net.

We celebrated International Jewish Genealogy Month during the Hebrew month of Cheshvan (October 17 to November 14 in 2012). Download this year's poster.

October 21, 2012, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM: "Jewish Genealogy Research Essentials Presentations and Workshop," presented by Nancy Adelson. Details: 2012workshop.php.

Thursday, October 23, 2008: Paul Shapiro, Director of the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, was the guest speaker at a special JGSWS meeting. He spoke about "Opening the Archives of the Holocaust International Tracing Service."

Sunday, February 24, 2008: Julia Eulenberg and JGSWS member Deb Freedman spoke about "Wandering Urban Pioneers: Reflections on Jewish Settlers in Washington Territory." The event was co-sponsored by the Washington State Jewish Historical Society and JGSWS.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008: Jon Entine, author of Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity, and the DNA of the Chosen People, spoke about "Genes and Jewish Identity" at the Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington. The event was presented by Nextbook, http://www.nextbook.org/localprograms/eventdetail.html?id=240&market=Seattle.

Sunday, August 19, 2007: The JGSWS had an information booth at the Jewish Community Festival, an all-day event that was held at Bellevue Downtown Park.

Our February 2007 speaker, Bennett Greenspan from Family Tree DNA, was featured in a JT News article: "Digging deep into ancestry."

JGSWS was a co-sponsor of DNA and Genealogy: Creating a Family Health Portrait on Sunday, March 26, 2006, at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI). The program featured lectures by three local experts:

  • "DNA: The Basis of Inheritance" by Dr. Marshall Horwitz, Departments of Medicine, Genome Sciences and Pathology, University of Washington
  • "Genetic Counseling and Family Health Tree" by Robin Bennett, MS, CGC, Head of Medical Genetics Clinic, University of Washington
  • "DNA and Genealogy" by Dr. Tia Aulinskas, Chief Technical Officer, Genelex Corporation

Program sponsors were Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State, JTNews, Black Genealogy Research Group, Seattle Genealogy Society, Eastside Genealogy Society, Washington State Jewish Historical Society, Puget Sound Chapter of Association of Professional Genealogists, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. Download flyer >>