FGS Radio - How Special Interest Groups Can Add to Your Society

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http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2011/10/29/how-special-interest-groups-can-add-to-your-society

Saturday, October 29, 2011
2-3pm Eastern US
1-2pm Central US
12-1pm Mountain US
11am-12pm Pacific US

Join us for the next episode of FGS Radio - My Society, an Internet radio show on Blog talk Radio presented by the Federation of Genealogical Societies.

This week’s episode hosted by George G. Morgan is entitled How Special Interest Groups Can Add to Your Society. Our guest will be Carol Rooksby Weidlich, President of the Lee County Genealogical Society (LCGS) in Ft. Myers, Florida. Carol will discuss the importance of having special interest groups in a genealogy society and how LCGS has found success in leverage this concept. In addition, we’ll be highlighting FGS member society, the Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington in our weekly Society Spotlight feature.

Guests

Carol Rooksby Weidlich

Carol Rooksby Weidlich was born and raised in Rochester, NY and relocated to Connecticut for school and lived most of her adult life in the Hartford area. In 2000, she and her husband Jim took early retirement and relocated to North Fort Myers, Florida. Carol began serious family history and genealogy research in 1998.

She is President, Membership Chair and Webmaster of the Lee County Genealogical Society, Inc. in Ft. Meyers, Florida. Carol is also Director, Webmaster and Newsletter Editor of the Friends of the Fort Myers Library, Ft. Myers, Florida; member and webmaster of the Southwest Florida Germanic Genealogy Society, Inc.; a member of the Jefferson County (NY) Genealogy Society; a member of the Estero Island Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Carol is researching family history in New York; Connecticut; Ontario, Canada; England and Germany.

Links:

• Lee County Genealogical Society
  http://lcgsfl.org

• Southwest Florida Germanic Genealogical Society
  http://swflgg.org

• Friends of the Fort Myers Library
  http://www.fortmyersfriends.org

Society Spotlight

This week's Society Spotlight features the Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington.

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington (JGSGW) was formed in 1980 to:

• Collect, preserve, and disseminate Jewish genealogical knowledge and information

• Promote interest in genealogical research

• Stimulate and provide instruction in the use of research methodology and adherence to standards of accuracy and thoroughness in research

• Foster careful documentation and to promote scholarly genealogical writing and publication

• Promote the preservation of Jewish genealogical records and resources

• Hold meetings for the instruction and education of its members and the general public

• Conduct such other purposes as the organization shall from time to time elect to pursue.

"JGSGW" is the acronym for the “Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington, Inc.", an independent non-profit organization, focused on promoting genealogy and education.

JGSGW was formed in 1980 by Dr. Sallyann Sack with the encouragement of Rabbi Dr. Malcolm Stern, known as the “father of Jewish Genealogy.” The society provides a common meeting place for those persons interested in tracing their Jewish ancestral roots and promotes genealogical education in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia.

In 1981, JGSGW was incorporated in Maryland and Dr. Sack became the first president of the organization. Among the first activities was to begin a genealogy library and start a newsletter. The library currently has more than 2,000 items in its catalog, including books, maps and an extensive collection of recordings of lectures on a myriad of subjects related to Jewish genealogy. The name “Mishpacha” was selected for the newsletter and the publication has been continuous for more than 30 years.

The greater Washington, DC area abounds in repositories that are a treasure trove for genealogy researchers. As a result, it is a highly desirable site for genealogical conferences and JGSGW has hosted four international Jewish genealogy conferences. (1982, 1988, 1995, and 2003). A conference planned for August, 2011 will mark the fifth conference. It will feature and highlight the holdings of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Library of Congress (LOC).

Among the outstanding research accomplishments of JGSGW are the indexing of the two oldest Jewish cemeteries in Washington, DC: Macpela (Adas Israel) and Washington Hebrew Congregation.
In 2008, the society undertook the indexing and photographic documentation of the Jewish burials at Arlington National Cemetery. This project was started by the late Kenneth Poch and after his death it was turned over to JGSGW. The project currently has more than 5,000 graves included in the index

JGSGW is a member of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS), the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), and the National Genealogical Society (NGS).
The Society is open to all those interested in Jewish genealogy.

Links

• Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington
  http://www.jewishgen.org/jgsgw/

Join Us Each Saturday Afternoon at FGS Radio

Tune in to FGS Radio – My Society each week to learn more about genealogy societies and join in a discussion of the issues impacting the genealogical community.