JGSI Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois upcoming events

“Research Reports: A Tool to Create More than Names, Dates and Places” by Debbie Trotsky Soren (25 Oct 2026)

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Enhancing genealogy research reports is lecture topic for Oct. 25, 2026, JGSI hybrid meeting

“Research Reports: A Tool to Create More than Names, Dates and Places” will be the lecture topic of genealogist Debbie Trotsky Soren for the Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois hybrid meeting. Her talk will begin at 2 p.m. Central Time at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Illinois, and online via Zoom. She will be speaking in person at Temple Beth-El.

The JGSI meeting facilities at Temple Beth-El will open at 12:30 p.m. CDT for those who want to use genealogy library materials, get help with family history websites or ask genealogical questions before the main program begins at 2 p.m.

To register/RSVP please click the button at left.

Do you often think that your genealogical research and ancestors are more than the names, dates and places in your tree? Do you wonder how you can organize and share the results of your research beyond the tree? In this presentation, Debbie Soren will discuss the usefulness and importance of using research reports to organize and convey your work. She will also explore a few ideas, such as timelines, to include in reports that also help in the research process itself.

Debbie Soren began researching her own family over 25 years ago. After working as a CPA, raising a family and serving on various community boards she earned a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University, and now provides genealogical services for others. In June 2013, she toured family shtetls (towns) and visited archives in Lithuania and Belarus. Debbie is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the National Genealogical Society.

She is an archive services case worker for The Together Plan (a UK based charity dedicated to the rehabilitation, repair and revival of Belarusian Jewish communities, including reconnecting those in the diaspora to their ancestry and the homes they left behind). She has been on the board of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois for the past nine years and is currently serving as treasurer.

Be sure to come to our pre-meeting on Oct. 25, 2026, from 12:30 through 1:45 p.m. CDT: Free consultations for JGSI members and non-members alike! Wondering how to begin your family tree search? Have a brickwall? Need assistance with a DNA test—which company to test with or need help interpreting results? Need help navigating a website such as Jewishgen? Need assistance in writing your family history? Several of our experts will be on hand to assist you.

Let us help. Prior to our scheduled 2 p.m. Sunday program at Temple Beth-El, we will meet from 12:30 until 1:45 to devote our attention to you and your situation. Located in the social hall, lower level.

For more information about JGSI, visit our website. For more information about membership benefits, click here.

Genetic Genealogy Open Discussion for DNA Questions and Answers (Members Only) (12 Nov 2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 01:00:00 GMT

This 7 p.m. Central Time Zoom session is for JGSI members only. This special online-only event will feature JGSI DNA maven Gil Bardige.

This is a time for an open discussion about genetic genealogy (DNA). Bring your genetic genealogy questions and brick walls, and help answer questions of others. JGSI members are invited to share their DNA discoveries and quandaries related to using genetic tests for researching family history and discovering previously unknown cousins.

Gil Bardige is an expert on DNA and a long-time JGSI member.

Be sure to register for the Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, JGSI members-only DNA discussion by clicking the button at left on this web page.

If you are not a JGSI member and would like to participate in this discussion, please consider purchasing a JGSI membership for as little as $25 a year. See the details at: https://jgsi.org/Membership.

“Using JRI-Poland to Find Forests AND Trees for Your Eastern European Ancestors” by Robinn Magid (15 Nov 2026)

Sun, 15 Nov 2026 20:00:00 GMT

Research resources of JRI-Poland to be lecture topic for Nov 15, 2026, JGSI hybrid meeting

“Using JRI-Poland to Find Forests AND Trees for Your Eastern European Ancestors” will be the lecture topic of genealogist Robinn Magid for the Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois hybrid meeting. Her talk will begin at 2 p.m. Central Time at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Illinois, and online via Zoom.

The JGSI meeting facilities at Temple Beth-El will open at 12:30 p.m. CST for those who want to use genealogy library materials, get help with family history websites or ask genealogical questions before the main program begins at 2 p.m.

Register/RSVP by clicking the button at left.

Robinn Magid, president of JRI-Poland, will join us in-person for a lively presentation and discussion of how JRI-Poland's website can help you find information about families, communities and towns (the “forest”) and individuals (the “trees”).

After about 30 minutes of presentation, Robinn will demonstrate the JRI-Poland website using your questions and answers as examples. Bring questions about how to research your family in areas that are now or used to be Polish territories; how to understand and interpret search results; and search strategies to find what you are looking for. JRI-Poland provides extensive resources, links to scans of the original documents where possible, and volunteers, articles and newsletters to help you find both the forest and the trees! Come join us!

Robinn has volunteered for JRI-Poland since 1995 and has served as the Lublin Area Research Coordinator since 1998. Robinn was born in Chicago. Her parents and American grandparents were all born in Chicago and she says “melk” and “pop” to prove it. Robinn holds an IAJGS Lifetime Achievement Award and served as the chair of two landmark IAJGS Conferences: Warsaw, Poland, in 2018 and the first virtual International Jewish Genealogy Conference in 2020 during COVID.

She has been honored by her immigrant grandmother’s hometown of Lublin, Poland, with a medal, on the occasion of that city’s 700th birthday, for her work with the city to promote Jewish heritage and memory. Robinn and her husband live in Berkeley, California, and have four adult children and five grandchildren.

Be sure to come to our pre-meeting on Nov. 15, 2026, from 12:30 through 1:45 p.m. CST: Free consultations for JGSI members and non-members alike! Wondering how to begin your family tree search? Have a brickwall? Need assistance with a DNA test—which company to test with or need help interpreting results? Need help navigating a website such as Jewishgen? Need assistance in writing your family history? Several of our experts will be on hand to assist you.

For more information about JGSI, visit our website. For more information about membership benefits, click here.

"The Rebirth of the JGSI Online Jewish Resource Catalog” by David Sterlin and Mike Karsen (08 Dec 2026)

Wed, 09 Dec 2026 01:00:00 GMT

JGSI Online Jewish Resource Catalog is focus of Dec. 8, 2026, online meeting

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois will hold an online meeting the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2026, via Zoom. It will feature "The Rebirth of the JGSI Online Jewish Resource Catalog” by David Sterlin and Mike Karsen.

Please register/RSVP by clicking the button at left. Mark your calendar so you don't forget.

Have you ever found the name of a Jewish organization, burial section, or shul in your research that you wanted to know more about?

The JGS of Illinois has compiled an Online Resource Catalog indexing more than 500 books, newsletters, cemetery sections, online websites, and more related to Jewish Illinois. Our resource catalog contains over 8,000 digital index cards. It is searchable from your desktop—courtesy of Steve Morse One-Step technology.

Previously known as the Subject database, this research aid has been re-engineered (redesigned) for ease-of-use. This presentation provides an overview of the process to create the database and, more important, how to use it. If you have any test cases for us, please email us at JCRP@jgsi.org.

Mike Karsen is a former JGSI president and is currently JGSI’s executive vice president. He has lectured for JGSI many times on Chicago resources and has been a force in getting both the JGSI Names database and this Resource database designed and populated.

David Sterlin is a retired software implementation consultant. Since joining JGSI in 2019, David has worked with Mike Karsen, Celia Wilk and Ron Miller in the design, preparation and implementation of our Names and Resource databases and their growth from 96,000 to more than 140,000 records.

For more information about JGSI, visit our website. For more information about membership benefits, click here.

“A Virtual Tour of Jewish Rosehill Cemetery” by David Kalensky and Mike Karsen (17 Dec 2026)

Fri, 18 Dec 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Virtual tour of Jewish Rosehill Cemetery set for Dec. 17, 2026, JGSI online meeting

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois's online meeting the evening of Thursday, Dec. 17, 2026, via Zoom will feature “A Virtual Tour of Jewish Rosehill Cemetery” by David Kalensky and Mike Karsen.

Please register/RSVP by clicking the button at left. Mark your calendar so you don't forget.

Situated on Chicago’s highest natural elevation, Rosehill Cemetery is the largest cemetery within the city limits of Chicago. Rosehill contains more than 200,000 gravesites in a 350-acre garden setting. It opened in 1859 as non-denominational with an exclusively Jewish section. The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois in collaboration with the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society and the Chicago Jewish Historical Society has developed a virtual tour of Rosehill Cemetery.

Join us as Mike Karsen and Dave Kalensky take us on this virtual tour of some of the notable Chicago Jewish pioneers, business moguls, politicians, and public figures interred in Rosehill Cemetery.

Mike Karsen is a past president of JGSI and specializes in Chicago Jewish genealogy. He has given more than 300 presentations on genealogy.

Dave Kalensky is a board member of the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Far North Side.

For more information about JGSI, visit our website. For more information about membership benefits, click here.

“Rooting at NLI: Using the National Library of Israel’s online collections for your genealogical research" by Nachum Zitter (17 Jan 2027)

Sun, 17 Jan 2027 18:30:00 GMT

National Library of Israel’s online family history resources to be focus of Jan. 17, 2027, JGSI webinar

In “Rooting at NLI: Using the National Library of Israel’s online collections for your genealogical research,” for the Sunday, Jan. 17, 2027, Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois online meeting, librarian Nachum Zitter will explain how to access the great variety of resources available to family researchers.

Registration/RSVP will soon be available here for this 12:30 p.m. CST free webinar. Please note: This is an online only event, open to everyone who registers.

In his talk, Nachum will describe the NLI collections and search options. The National Library of Israel’s collections are a treasure trove for genealogical researchers. The library’s materials go far beyond standard book collections, and include manuscripts, archives, and extensive newspaper collections. However, the complexity and lack of sufficient indexing of genealogical materials can pose a challenge to those digging up their roots.

In this webinar, Nachum will unpack the collections and search options. Join us, as we access books, peruse periodicals, open letters and look through lists.

Nachum Zitter is the head of reference services at the National Library of Israel. Among other responsibilities, his job includes supporting genealogical research at the library and beyond. Nachum has an M.A. in information science, and decades of experience in librarianship.

Outside of his professional life, Nachum made Aliya in 1990, studied in Kerem B’yavne, lives in Mitzpe Yericho, is married to Mira and has seven children.

For more information about JGSI, visit our website. For more information about membership benefits, click here.

Mark your calendar for JGSI's Sunday, Feb. 28, 2027, online meeting (28 Feb 2027)

Sun, 28 Feb 2027 19:00:00 GMT

Plan to attend JGSI's Sunday, Feb. 28, 2027, online meeting

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois will hold an online meeting the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 28, 2027, online via Zoom. It will feature an interesting speaker giving a webinar talk that you won't want to miss.

Registration/RSVP will be available here soon. Please mark your calendar so you don't forget.

For more information about JGSI, visit our website. For more information about membership benefits, click here.

Mark your calendar for JGSI's March 7, 2027, hybrid meeting (07 Mar 2027)

Sun, 07 Mar 2027 20:00:00 GMT

Mark your calendar for JGSI's Sunday, March 7, 2027, hybrid meeting

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois will hold a hybrid meeting on Sunday, March 7, 2027, at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Illinois, and online via Zoom.

Temple Beth-El will open at 12:30 p.m. CDT for sign-ins. Please join us for a social hour at 1 p.m. CDT before the lecture begins at 2 p.m. CDT.

Registration/RSVP will be available here soon. Please mark your calendar so you don't forget.

For more information about JGSI, visit our website. For more information about membership benefits, click here.

Join us online for the 46th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy (04 Apr 2027)

Sun, 04 Apr 2027 05:00:00 GMT

Expert Jewish genealogists will be presenting informative family history talks for the 46th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy from April 4–6, 2027. This IAJGS conference will be totally online.

Presenters will offer a wide range of interesting Jewish genealogy topics for this IAJGS conference. Live sessions will run from 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central Time, with 90 days of on-demand access to every recorded session, so you can join live or catch up in your own time.

For more information when it becomes available, visit the conference website here: https://www.iajgs2026.org/.

Mark your calendar for JGSI's April 18, 2027, hybrid meeting (18 Apr 2027)

Sun, 18 Apr 2027 19:00:00 GMT

Mark your calendar for JGSI's Sunday, April 18, 2027, hybrid meeting

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois will hold a hybrid meeting on Sunday, April 18, 2027, at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Illinois, and online via Zoom.

Temple Beth-El will open at 12:30 p.m. CDT for sign-ins. Please join us for a social hour at 1 p.m. CDT before the lecture begins at 2 p.m. CDT.

Registration/RSVP will be available here soon. Please mark your calendar so you don't forget.

For more information about JGSI, visit our website. For more information about membership benefits, click here.

Mark your calendar for JGSI's May 23, 2027, hybrid meeting (23 May 2027)

Sun, 23 May 2027 19:00:00 GMT

Mark your calendar for JGSI's Sunday, May 23, 2027, hybrid meeting

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois will hold a hybrid meeting on Sunday, May 23, 2027, at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Illinois, and online via Zoom.

Temple Beth-El will open at 12:30 p.m. CDT for sign-ins. Please join us for a social hour at 1 p.m. CDT before the lecture begins at 2 p.m. CDT.

Registration/RSVP will be available here soon. Please mark your calendar so you don't forget.

For more information about JGSI, visit our website. For more information about membership benefits, click here.

Mark your calendar for JGSI's June 27, 2027, hybrid meeting (27 Jun 2027)

Sun, 27 Jun 2027 19:00:00 GMT

Mark your calendar for JGSI's Sunday, June 27, 2027, hybrid meeting

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois will hold a hybrid meeting on Sunday, June 27, 2027, at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Illinois, and online via Zoom.

Temple Beth-El will open at 12:30 p.m. CDT for sign-ins. Please join us for a social hour at 1 p.m. CDT before the lecture begins at 2 p.m. CDT.

Registration/RSVP will be available here soon. Please mark your calendar so you don't forget.

For more information about JGSI, visit our website. For more information about membership benefits, click here.