At our last board meeting, we revisited a proposal made by Josh Perlman three years ago, suggesting that we change our organization’s name to include “historical”.
Apparently this move has been used successfully by other Jewish Genealogical Society groups across the country to not only show their interest in the Jewish history of their areas, but to interest younger people in joining.
Adding “historical” to our name would announce that our scope is broader than just Jewish Genealogy. In fact, it would highlight our historic interest.
Some groups are not only involved in projects to preserve their local Jewish history, but also interviews of local leaders and families to preserve their oral histories. These groups are actively involved in preserving the Jewish history of their areas—something that appeals to younger members,
This involvement in projects and oral histories will probably decrease the frequency of our current monthly meetings as those meetings are replaced by oral histories and other projects. It will also increase the number of historians presenting their research at our meetings.
As part of this change, we would be adding more detailed information behind our member wall on our website (ujgs.org) about the historic families, businesses and synagogues of Utah.
We encourage your participation in this transition. Please reply to this email with your suggestions for a new name, as well as ideas for a new logo that reflects that name. If you’re not already a member, you can become one in time to vote on this issue at our September 16th board meeting. Remember, our board meetings are open and we welcome input from everyone!