JGSI Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois upcoming events

Genetic Genealogy Open Discussion for DNA Questions and Answers (Members Only) (16 Apr 2026)

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

This 7 p.m. Central Time Zoom session is for JGSI members only. This special online-only event will feature JGSI DNA mavens Alvin Holtzman and 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 and Alvin Holtzman are experts on DNA and long time JGSI members.

Be sure to register for the Thursday, April 16, 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.

“Breaking Brick Walls Together” for JGSI's Sunday, April 19, 2026, in person meeting (19 Apr 2026)

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 17:30:00 GMT

JGSI to hold in person genealogy help session April 19 at Temple Beth-El in Northbrook

“Breaking Brick Walls Together” will be the focus of the Sunday, April 19, 2026, Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois in person meeting at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Illinois. Sign-in begins at 12:30 p.m. CDT, and the main event will start at 1 p.m. CDT.

Join your fellow genealogists to share experiences and ask questions on topics of mutual interest. No specific expertise is required, but you'd be surprised how valuable your own ideas might be to others.

Please register/RSVP for this in person event by clicking the button at left.

Bring your successes as well as your brick walls. Be ready to help your fellow genealogists with your positive experiences and ideas, while asking questions of your fellow JGSI family historians who might be able to help find answers to your brick wall quandaries.

Bring along paper to take notes, trees to share, documents to provide context, and computers, etc.

We all have at least one brick wall!

Possible questions you might be seeking to answer in your family history research could include some of these:

Do you have a relative you hesitate to call?
Do you need to organize your research and don't know where to start?
Do you have an interesting DNA match who hasn’t written you back?
Do you have a missing maiden name on your tree?
Is your grandmother from Russia-Poland but you can’t figure out the town?
Are you searching for living cousins?

Bring your questions! Inspire and encourage your fellow genealogists by sharing strategies, resources and successes.

Participants will work together at tables on challenges in the following areas:

Searching for Ancestors
Finding and Learning about Living Relatives
Navigating and Connecting with DNA Matches
Organizing and Preserving your Family Histories and Research

Facilitators will be stationed at each table, and participants can visit multiple tables throughout the afternoon. Homemade baked goods, and fruits and vegetables will be provided.

Help your fellow genealogists understand your quandaries and questions by bringing your research and family information, whether on paper or computer.

We look forward to hearing about your brick walls as well as your knowledge and experiences.

JGSI meeting facilities at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Illinois, will open at 12:30 p.m. CDT for sign-in and snacks before the main program begins at 1 p.m. CDT.

Free books: At this special in-person only event, we will be giving away books on a variety of topics from the JGSI library as we are streamlining it to be a more focused reference collection. You'll find local and general Jewish histories, biographies, genealogy handbooks, and more. You may even find that special book you've been searching for!

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

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Jewish Genealogy Online Discussion (Members Only) (05 May 2026)

Wed, 06 May 2026 00:30:00 GMT

This 7:30 p.m. Central Time Zoom session is for JGSI members only.

Join the second in an ongoing JGSI discussion series devoted to artificial intelligence and its use in Jewish genealogy. This is a practical, low-pressure place to learn how AI can assist with family history research, while keeping human judgment and verification at the center. No prior experience is required, though attendees who have never used a chatbot may find it helpful to spend a few minutes experimenting with one before the meeting.

In this session, we will look at examples of successful prompts, discuss how to evaluate and verify AI-generated results. We also hope to explore real questions and problems from participants.

Before the meeting, please consider sending us one question, one example, and one problem for discussion. This will help us focus on real-world genealogy use cases and tailor the session to member interests. Even a short note is enough. Submissions may be sent to aidiscussions@jgsi.org.

Please register/RSVP by clicking the button at left.

"Early Jewish Settlement in Illinois" by Suzanne Hoffman (17 May 2026)

Sun, 17 May 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Suzanne Hoffman to speak on early history of Jews in Illinois for May 17, 2026, JGSI hybrid meeting

“Early Jewish Settlement in Illinois” will be genealogist Suzanne Hoffman’s lecture topic for the Sunday, May 17, 2026, Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois hybrid meeting. Her talk will begin at 2 p.m. CDT via Zoom and at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Illinois. She will be speaking in person at Temple Beth-El.

A registration/RSVP button will be available here soon.

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 hybrid program begins at 2 p.m. CDT.

Suzanne Hoffman is the immediate past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists, current president of the Illinois State Genealogical Society, a member of the JGSI board, and a professional forensic genealogist. She also volunteers at the Wilmette FamilySearch Center and serves as Advocacy Chair for Illinois with the Records Preservation and Access Coalition. This year, she will be presenting at the NGS Conference in Ft. Wayne, Indiana; serving as a keynote speaker at the “Beyond the Family Tree” Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, and presenting at GeneaQuest in Schaumburg. Genealogy is her passion.

In her May 17, 2026, lecture for JGSI, she will follow the history of Illinois settlement and identify the impact of early Jewish settlers on the development of the state both prior to and post statehood. Illinois was developed from west to east and from south to north, and Suzanne will describe the allure and opportunities in the state for early Jewish settlers. We will learn the impact that early Jewish merchants and politicians had on defining the state and how they earned their place in history. She will briefly touch on the more notable early Jewish settlers in Chicago, but the focus will be on Illinois as a state emerging from the Northwest Territory.

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

"Kvell and Tell" JGSI hybrid meeting on Sunday, June 28, 2026 (28 Jun 2026)

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Jewish genealogists to share family history discoveries and tips in JGSI ‘Kvell and Tell’ hybrid session on Sunday, June 28, 2026

Several Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois members will take turns sharing family history discoveries and research tips as part of the annual “Kvell and Tell” session on Sunday, June 28, 2026, in a hybrid meeting at Temple Beth-El in Northbrook, Illinois. This meeting also features a brief annual report from JGSI’s president, Doug Bank.

Do you like to talk about genealogy? We want to listen! The JGSI “Kvell and Tell” meeting is built around you—our members. If you have uncovered a fascinating family story, used a unique research strategy, or solved a brick wall, then this is your chance to share it! We are looking for speakers to give 5- to 20-minute presentations on topics related to their Jewish genealogy journey. No need to be an expert—just bring your enthusiasm and experience!

Interested in sharing? Email skparker@aol.com

To view or attend this special annual JGSI event, please click the blue button at left to register/RSVP.

Those who wish to share their family history discoveries and genealogy tips in the “Kvell and Tell” session as presenters should send an email to skparker@aol.com explaining their presentation topic idea and estimated time of presentation. Each presentation is to be between 5 and 20 minutes to allow more members to share their discoveries, experiences and suggestions. PowerPoint presentations are suggested but not required. Informative handouts for those in attendance or viewing online are also encouraged.

As a hybrid meeting, the talks may be given in person at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Illinois, OR from home via Zoom.

“Kvell and Tell” presentation topics should relate to Jewish genealogy, or family history research methods, anecdotes or discoveries in general. Possible “Kvell and Tell” topics might include (but are not limited to) the following examples:

A notable event in your family history and how you discovered it
The creative way you are sharing your family history with relatives
A research tool that has been most helpful in learning about your family history
How taking a DNA test has added new perspectives about your genealogy
What family history mystery, puzzle or quandary you are still trying to solve
How to plan for a family reunion or other genealogy themed gathering
How to publish or otherwise share your family history
What did you learn about your family from the 1950 U.S. Census or other specific source
How has a recent family history discovery or tool added previously unknown relatives to your family tree

The most relevant presentation proposals will be accepted as time allows, and preference will be given to shorter talks. Presentations will be recorded and later made available in the members-only section of the JGSI website.

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 hybrid program begins at 2 p.m. CDT.

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

“From the Basement of the Shul to the Basement of City Hall: Uncovering the Hidden Records of Oak Park’s Jewish Community” by Michael Zmora (30 Aug 2026)

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 19:00:00 GMT

History of Oak Park Jewish community to be focus of Aug. 30, 2026, hybrid meeting lecture co-sponsored by JGSI and Chicago Jewish Historical Society

“From the Basement of the Shul to the Basement of City Hall: Uncovering the Hidden Records of Oak Park’s Jewish Community” is the title of a hybrid lecture to be co-hosted by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois and the Chicago Jewish Historical Society on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026.

Michael Zmora will guide us through his research process with a focus on his hometown of Oak Park, Illinois. He will be speaking in person 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.

Jews have been an integral part of Oak Park and River Forest since before these suburbs had their names. These early Jewish pioneers of the western suburbs helped pave the way for an organized community that established itself in the early decades of the 20th century. Beginning in the 1930s, Jews in both Oak Park and River Forest faced community antisemitism and institutional discrimination from the governing bodies of the two villages on their way to establishing two synagogues in the mid-20th century.

Michael Zmora will present this compelling story while explaining how he uncovered documents from unlikely sources, ranging from synagogue correspondence files to real estate board minutes to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds’ archives, in order to reveal this hidden history.

After two years of extensive research, Michael Zmora wrote two articles for Chicago Jewish History (the quarterly journal of the Chicago Jewish Historical Society), on the Jewish communities of Oak Park and River Forest. An attorney by profession, Michael has lived in Oak Park with his wife and two children for the past eight years.

For more information about JGSI, visit our website. For more information about membership benefits, click here. To learn about the Chicago Jewish Historical Society, visit www.chicagojewishhistory.org.

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 year's IAJGS conference.

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