International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) 2026 conference

 

SAVE THE DATE

The date for the 2026 International Conference on Jewish Genealogy has been announced. It will be held on 18-20 October 2026. This year will be a virtual conference. Further information will be available soon.

IAJGS 2025 conference in Ft. Wayne

 

Beth Israel Congregation, Portland, Oregon

 

  Congregation Beth Israel (House of Israel), was first established in Portland in 1858. This was not yet a state but was still part of the Oregon Territory. A small congregation, affiliated withe the Reform movement,  it's first services were held in a room above a livery stable. A year later, in 1859 the congregation was able to move their first synagogue.

The second Synagogue was a good home for the congregation, before it also became to small for its needs. A new Synagogue was then built nearby in 1889. 

A city directory of Portland from 1893, lists the synagogue, with Jacob Bloch serving as the Rabbi. In 1923, 34 years after being built, the second Synagogue was destroyed by fire. The current synagogue, built in the Byzantine style is shown above, was completed in 1928. The congregation continues to grow and over time has added to its campus. A religious school and art room for young artists are some of the features of the additional space.

In addition, a short distance from the synagogue is the Beth Israel Cemetery.

Over the next few years, they will be celebrated the 170th anniversary of its founding and the 100th anniversary of the completion of the synagogue. 

RootsTech 2025

 The time is fast approaching for Rootstech 2025. Whether you want to attend in person or join millions of your closest friends in a virtual environment, the time to register is here.

More information can be found at https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/  I hope to see everyone there.

Jewish History of Puerto Rico

Like so many of its Caribbean neighbors, the history of the Jewish community in Puerto Rico dates to the 15th century. Many of these early Jews were Crypto Jews, those who had fled the Spanish Inquisition. However when they arrived in Puerto Rico they found that Judaism could not be practiced openly as it was also prohibited under the rules of the Spanish Inquisition. This prohibition caused many of the community to flee to the mountains, far away from the populated area around San Juan. Here they could continue to practice Judaism.  

Luis de Torres is widely believed to be the first Jew to arrive in Puerto Rico. He did so as the interrupter for Christopher Columbus on his journey to the New World. He was part of the second voyage, arriving in November of 1493. 

It wasn't for another 450 years before large numbers of Jews settled in Puerto Rico. These were refugees fleeing the German occupation of Europe.

The next large group of Jews arriving in Puerto Rico came in the 1950's. They to were refugees, this time fleeing Cuba as Fidel Castro came to power. The majority of the Jews from Cuba migrated to Miami, Florida but good amount did move to Puerto Rico. This was most likely because of the fact that the island of Puerto Rico was very similar to that of Cuba and to many it felt like the home they had left. Today, Puerto Rico has one of the largest Jewish community's in the Caribbean, over 2500 people.

FamilySearch has a growing number of collections that can help people find their Puerto Rican ancestors. These can be found by looking under the search tab, under Records.

California, Walnut Creek, Oak Hills Park Chapel, Funeral Records, 1962-2018

 

Yesterday, on October 23, 2024, FamilySearch  updated a very unique collection. The funeral records of the Oak Park Chapel in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa, California. This collection is unique in that it is for a very specific area, Walnut Creek, and for a very modern time frame (1962-2018).

However, this group of records provides incredible information for the development of a family tree. I did a basic search for the name Cohen and it retrieved 204 results. One of those was for Miriam Pearl Cohen, who died on 14 June 1987, in Walnut Creek.

The entry provides two ways to view the record. The first is the indexed version which provides the names and locations of others listed on the document (shown below). 

The second way to view the record is to look at look at the original document. Simply click on the box which says VIEW ORIGINAL RECORD on the indexed page and the original document can be viewed, (see below).

For the most part, these records tend to place the people into the census records, which can continue to build the trees. It's a wonderful way to connect to our ancestors.

Rosh Hashanah

 

May the year ahead, be one of peace and joy for Jewish families everywhere.

Southern Jewish Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky, 1-3 November 2024

 On November 1 of 2024, one of the finest conferences for finding your Jewish ancestors will convene in Louisville, Kentucky. It's not to late to register and join us there. More info can be found on the conference website, https://www.jewishsouth.org/upcoming-conference. I hope to see everyone there.