Five-day "Introduction to Jewish Genealogy" course offered at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh

Commit to furthering your genealogy education! Wednesday, 5 February 2020 marks the opening of registration for all courses offered during this coming summer at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), one of the premiere genealogical institutes in the United States. This year, for the first time, GRIP will offer “Introduction to Jewish Genealogy.” This in-depth course will provide a foundation for family history research on Ashkenazi Jewish people in Eastern Europe and the United States and will be offered from July 19-24, 2020.

Topics will include: 

• Changing boundaries in Europe; 
• European industrialization and migration; 
• Hebrew and vernacular first names; 
• Ashkenazi surname adoption;  
• Developing a Jewish genealogy research plan; 
• Immigration, settlement and naturalization in the United States; 
• Considerations for analyzing Jewish DNA for genealogy; Records specific to the Jewish community; 
• Burial customs and cemetery records; 
• Identifying immigrants’ original first and last names and communities of origin in the Old Country; 
• Conducting research in Russian and Austrian-Hungarian Empire records;  
• Getting creative when records are scarce;  
• Holocaust and pogrom records; and 
• Essential Jewish genealogy websites.

Emily Garber (me!) will serve as course coordinator for “Introduction to Jewish Genealogy.” The teaching cadre will include Emily, Dr. Janette Silverman, Lara Diamond, and Marian Smith.

Genealogical institutes offer students options for intensive study of genealogical topics during five days of classes taught by well-known and respected experts. In 2020, GRIP will offer 20 courses in three separate week-long learning opportunities at La Roche University in Pittsburgh, PA. Other courses offered in 2020 include genetic genealogy; forensic genealogy; genealogical documentation; New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and German genealogy research; immigration; land and property records; and more!  

A list of courses may be seen at  https://www.gripitt.org/courses/ where each course title links a description and schedule of each of the 18 sessions being presented.

Online registration for courses at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh opens on 5 February 2020. Some courses will fill quickly and it is advisable to register as soon as possible to ensure enrollment. For further information about registration see: https://www.gripitt.org/registration/.