JGSI hybrid meetings feature easy access to useful research library and genealogy help desk

The JGSI meeting facilities at Temple Beth-El in Northbrook, Illinois, open at 12:45 p.m. before each monthly hybrid meeting. This allows individuals to utilize genealogy library materials, seek assistance with genealogy websites, or pose genealogical questions before the main program commences at 2 p.m.

During every in-person JGSI monthly meeting, our "help desk" operates from 12:45 to 1:50 p.m. Member volunteers will access online databases and address genealogical questions one-on-one for both members and visitors, as time permits. The JGSI research library boasts over 800 volumes catering to Jewish family historians, including a diverse selection of historical and contemporary maps. All books and maps are available for perusal from 12:45 to 1:50 p.m. at each regular monthly meeting.

More details and registrations for JGSI events are on the Programs page.

ALEC Ferretti to present "The five families of records of the USCIS Genealogy Program"  on Jan. 28, 2024

“The Five Families of Records of the USCIS Genealogy Program” will be the topic of a talk by genealogist Alec Ferretti for the Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024, hybrid meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois. Alec will explain how U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services records are indexed, why getting ahold of them is so difficult, issues plaguing the agency, what is being done to remedy them, and why the records cannot just go to National Archives. 

More details and registrations are on the Programs page. Additional information and actions you can take regarding USCIS and their proposed fee hike has been recently posted in the Member's Forum. Look there for more information: Access to Federal records.