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Current Programs

Non-members/Visitors are welcome to attend programs for a $5.00 fee. If a guest joins the Society the fee will be applied toward the membership dues. Programs generally start at 1:30 PM - see exact time for each meeting, below. Doors open a half-hour earlier. Meetings start with JGSGW business, introductions of new members, and then the guest speaker.

Non-members may attend one meeting a year for free!

To encourage guests and potential new members, we have created a one-time fee waiver certificate for those who wish to attend our monthly meetings.  Normally, we charge $5 for each guest, but if an attendee brings this certificate to one meeting during the program year, we'll waive the $5 fee.  Click here to print the certificate.

Workshops are open to JGSGW members only. Non-members may join on the day of the workshop unless advance registration is required.

Meeting calendar for Winter 2012 - Summer 2012:   

March 11, 2012 - Beth El Hebrew Congregation, Alexandria, VA
April 15, 2012 - B'nai Israel
May 6, 2012 - Har Shalom
June 10, 2012 - Potomac Community Center  

March Sunday, March 11, 2012
Program:  
“The Jews of the Sudan”
Location:  
Beth El Hebrew Congregation, Alexandria, VA
Time:  
1:00 PM - Schmooze
1:30 PM - Short Business Meeting, Announcements, and Program
Speaker:     Jeffrey Malka, M.D. (click here for bio)
Learn about the little-known history of the intrepid Jews who in the late nineteenth century settled in the uncharted lands at the junction of the Blue and White Niles, prospered, established the only B'nai B'rith lodge in the heart of Africa, and whose members later had an significant impacts on Israel and world Jewry in present times. Dr. Malka speaks on this subject with in-depth personal knowledge, as his grandfather Shlomo Malka was the Chief Rabbi of the Sudan from 1904 to 1949. Dr. Malka was born in the Sudan and lived there until he was 10, with several later visits up to 1956.
Workshop:

Beginner's Workshop
Time:

3:00 PM

This workshop will be led by JGSGW Past Presidents, Arline Sachs and Faith Klein.

After finding out what the people are doing or know now, we will talk briefly about writing down what you already know or think you know and then interviewing as these are the first steps. There will be a discussion about the handout.

Faith will lead the group to the Jack Klein Memorial Library and Faith will explain the genealogy materials there. Jack Klein was the second President of JGSGW.

Attendees will receive a copy of 7th edition of “Jump-Start Your Jewish Genealogy Research: A Beginner’s Guide.”

The workshop is open to JGSGW members only. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Email registration requests to

April Sunday, April 15, 2012
Program:  
“The Chosen Folks: Writing about the Jews of Texas”
Location:  
B'nai Israel, Rockville, MD
Time:  
1:00 PM - Schmooze
1:30 PM - Short Business Meeting, Announcements, and Program
Speaker:     Dr. Bryan Edward Stone (click here for bio)

Dr. Stone’s talk will focus on the themes of his recent book, “The Chosen Folks: Jews on the Frontiers of Texas.” By addressing specific topics such as the transient sixteenth-century Sephardim who may have been the first Jews in the state, the establishment of permanent Jewish communities in Texas, and later immigrations such as the Galveston Movement, Stone explains the intricacies of Texas-Jewish identity. The ways that Texas Jews defined themselves in opposition to others with whom they shared their state — and in opposition to Jews elsewhere — provide insights into how Jews construct and maintain their distinctive identity in places where they are an extreme minority. As such, the historical insights of The Chosen Folks are relevant to Jewish communities across the United States.
May Sunday, May 6, 2012
Program:  
Finding Living People on the Internet
Location:  
Congregation Har Shalom, Potomac, MD
Time:  
1:00 PM - Schmooze
1:30 PM - Short Business Meeting, Announcements, and Program
Speaker:     Ron Arons (click here for bio)
Why search for living people? You might find cousins you never knew before. You might find people who might know more about your family than can be found in genealogical documents. This talk provides scores of websites to find almost any living person whether you know their surname or not (yes, you read correctly). Ron will provide numerous real-life examples of how these websites can be used individually and together.

June

Sunday, June 10, 2012
Program:

Annual Meeting          Note: This meeting is for members only.
 Annual Luncheon and Volunteer Recognition Meeting

Location

Potomac Community Center, Potomac, MD
Time: 12:30 PM - Luncheon    
 
1:00 PM - Program
  Speaker: TBA