Downloads

WORKSHOP HANDOUTS

Check out our Calendar for a full schedule of events. Handouts given out at these workshops can be downloaded from the links below. To download the handout, click on the download icon and then save the pdf to your desktop.

I thought my family were Polish Jews… why do their records also say Russia, Austria and Galicia?

Presented by Robyn Dryen at Waverley Library; November 2019

In this workshop Robyn explained the changing borders in Eastern Europe and how to find useful records for researching your family’s Jewish roots.
She explored databases including

  • Jewish Records Indexing Poland (JRI-Pol);
  • the JewishGen databases for Poland, Lithuania, and Austria/Hungary;
  • Gesher Galicia;
  • the Polish State Archives and
  • Familysearch.

Attendees also learned about the complex political and geographical history of the region and were shown useful tools for narrowing the search when you don’t know the town of origin.

Click on the download icon to view the handout from her talk.

Making Sense of DNA

Presented by Dani Haski at Waverley Library; May 2019

How can my DNA test tell me I have Ashkenazi, Sephardi or Mizrahi heritage?

In this talk Dani Haski explained various aspects of genealogical DNA - what it is, the different testing regimes available, how to interpret your results and how to use some of the new tools available from the big players to climb new branches of your family tree. She will discussed some of the big research projects on specific aspects of Jewish DNA.

Click on the download icon to view the handout from her talk.

Jewish Cemeteries, Tombstones and Burial Records

Presented by Robyn Dryen at Waverley Library; February 2019

Jewish cemeteries are replete with iconography, symbolism and hidden meaning. At our February 2019 Eastern Suburbs workshop at Waverley Library, Robyn Dryen demystified some of the symbols and Hebrew iconography that appears on Jewish graves around the world.

Click on the icon to download the handout

Exploring Australian Resources

Created by Robyn Dryen, updated July 2018

Australia has a wealth of resources freely available in every state. From online birth, marriage and death registered to state and national archives, Australian Government institutions provide easy access online and on site. There are also sources specific to the Jewish community.

Click on the icon to view and download this resource.

Social Media for Genealogy

Presented by Dani Haski at Waverley Library; February 18, 2018.

Social Media is growing like topsy with literally hundreds of platforms on the internet. But are of them of use to genealogists? Which platforms work best for research and why?

The handout contains definitions and descriptions of popular social media sites, links to useful resources and tips for staying safe online.

Useful websites for jewish genealogy

Presented by Robyn Dryen at Waverley Library; October  2017. 

Jewishgen is not the only useful website for researching your Jewish genealogy. In this workshop Society President Robyn Dryen went through some of the less well known websites that could help you in your search.

This handout lists sites which offer alternative tools for Jewish genealogical research.

GETTING THE MOST FROM JEWISHGEN

Presented by Robyn Dryen at Waverley Library; July 2017. 

Jewishgen is a comprehensive source of information and indexes relating tp Jewish genealogy. In this workshop Society President Robyn Dryen provided a comprehensive overview of this valuable resource and showed participants how to make the most of it.