Miscellaneous

Reminder, meeting on 18 Nov at 6:30 on Zoom

Zoom link is: https://ancestry.zoom.us/meeting/register/xn9olHtDTs6JQUh30L6hwg

Todd Knowles will speak on AI at FamilySearch. He is an Accredited Genealogist who currently serves as a Deputy Chief Genealogy Officer at FamilySearch, where he has been employed for over 25 years. His personal family history story began at the age of 11, when he first discovered his own Jewish heritage.

Press Release

New Year, New Direction

Hello members and supporters of the Utah Jewish Genealogical Society. We have exciting news to share.

First, Shana Tova! Happy New Year!

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins Monday night.

So what better time to do a “reset”? Just like the new year in January, sometimes we do new things for the Jewish new year. And we are.

We are changing our direction.

And to signify that, we are changing our name.

From now on, we are the Utah Jewish Historical Society.

We aren’t changing the whole web site overnight, but that will eventually come. And we’re not abandoning genealogy — we’re still genealogists over here. But we’ll be leaning into history  significantly more. We have some new ideas for what we want to do as a society, things to change, things to update, things to share with the world, and to steer more towards history.

For starters, we’re raising our dues. Sorry, but times are different than 20+ years ago at our founding. Dues is now $20 per year or $30 per household. Staying the same: membership runs for the calendar year and new members who join after October 1st will receive the remainder of 2025 with their 2026 membership.

We still have three more meetings scheduled for this year. December will be a roundtable (share your finds or your brick walls) and our election. We’re open to new ideas and new volunteers to be involved in our society. Please join us if you’re interested in helping to shape the future of our society.

Miscellaneous

Honoring Gary Mokotoff

forwarded from IAJGS:

The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS), on behalf of its member societies around the world, expresses its sorrow to learn of the death of Gary Mokotoff. Gary was a central figure in the history of IAJGS with many firsts attached to his name. From 1989 to 1995 he served as the founding president of IAJGS, and in 1998 he was the first recipient of the IAJGS Lifetime Achievement Award. The international network of Jewish genealogical societies that we have today grew in large part out of his early efforts.

Gary’s enthusiasm for Jewish genealogy coupled with his technical skills as a computer software pioneer led to the creation of many genealogical innovations such as JewishGen’s Family Finder and the Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex system.

His vision and drive took him into the world of communications as both an author and as publisher of the journal Avotaynu: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy.

Gary also served in leadership roles for JewishGen, the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG). In 2006, FGS honored him with its Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Humanitarian Ward and APG, in 2008, granted him an Honorary Life Membership.

Gary opened the door to genealogy research for many in the Jewish community through organized trips to the FamilySearch Library and the Arolsen Archives. His passion for genealogy ignited that passion in others as well.

We extend our sincere condolences to Gary’s family and his many friends and colleagues in the genealogy community. Gary was a giant among leaders and will be deeply missed.

Miscellaneous

University of Colorado genetic study for BRCA

“Are you a Converso man or woman from the San Luis Valley, Colorado, or northern New Mexico? Do you know anyone who is? Volunteers from those areas are being asked to participate in an important medical study by the University of Colorado…” says the notice from the Society of Crypto-Judaic Studies.

See https://redcap.ucdenver.edu/ for details. Oh, they now make you fill out a survey to see if you qualify first. It is a study of hereditary cancer risk for BRCA among those of Spanish heritage in the San Luis Valley. This area is known for a high population of Jewish DNA. Please pass this along to those who would benefit from this free testing.

Miscellaneous

comments on name change

Hello Everyone.

I just had a couple of thoughts on the proposed name change which I raised at the last board meeting. I feel it is time to change the name and focus of our society and the reasons are listed below.

  • Since COVID the world of genealogical societies has changed, and membership is down nationwide. Those that are thriving are doing so because they are adapting. Changing the name and focus would enable us to grow and have a larger presence in Utah. Adding Historical to our name would show that but more importantly if we focus our society toward preserving Utah’s Jewish history, which would still include genealogy, we would be more welcoming toward a larger group.
  • Nationwide, Jewish Historical Societies are growing and making a difference. I welcome everyone to visit the website of The Dallas Jewish Historical Society (djhs.org) to see the incredible things they are doing. Visit their Oral History Project and see how they are documenting family history. I am a member, and I am constantly impressed by the society.
  • We would also be able to work closer with groups such as the Utah Historical Society (history.utah.gov), University of Utah History department, BYU history department and so forth.
  • We would not have to do monthly meetings, we could also have ongoing projects to document Utah Jewish history, however, when we have meetings, we could draw on a larger selection of speakers. We could have unlimited opportunities.
  • We would open ourselves to a potentially new membership base. Societies around the country that have a historical focus are attracting younger members.

I would hope that by making these changes, we could grow and prosper as a society.

All my best

Todd