The Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society is excited to welcome knowledgeable and experienced professional genealogist Ellen Kowitt, on Sunday, May 4th beginning at 2:00pm EDT via Zoom.

• 2:00pm: LOCATING JEWISH RECORDS IN THE GOLDEN MEDINA (JEWISH AMERICA) 1654 - PRESENT – Documenting Jewish communities in the U.S. extends beyond cemeteries and synagogue plaques to include vital records, Escabot lists, mohel registers, hospital and funeral home records, and organizational materials. This lecture covers search techniques and key websites for uncovering Jewish genealogical records in archives, newspapers, and rare books, with examples from major repositories like the American Jewish Historical Society, American Jewish Archives, state archives, FamilySearch, and WorldCat.

• 3:30pm: US SYNAGOGUE RECORDS AS A GENEALOGICAL RESOURCE – This session provides a guide to locating synagogue records, understanding the genealogical information they contain, and recognizing their various formats. Searching for these records can be challenging due to cataloging errors and inconsistencies in how materials are described. Shul Records America, a JewishGen finding aid launched in 2022, simplifies the search by identifying over 800 collections across 80 repositories, with 20% linking to digitized materials. As synagogues merge or close, this resource helps preserve valuable genealogical records.

Ellen Kowitt, founder of Sole Searching Genealogy & Historical Research is a frequent national speaker, covering topics such as Jewish genealogy fundamentals, research methodology, Jewish institutional records, genealogy website comparisons, Russian Empire research, and Holocaust history in Ukraine. Her work appears in Family Tree Magazine and Avotaynu: The International Journal on Jewish Genealogy. She has completed the ProGen study program and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Ellen volunteers as JewishGen USA Research Division Director and D.A.R. National Vice Chair for Jewish Specialty Research. In 2022, she created Shul Records America, a finding aid for synagogue records in 80+ repositories. She will speak at the 2025 IAJGS Conference in Fort Wayne, Aug 10–14. Learn more at www.EllenKowitt.com.

Registration is required to attend this free virtual program. The link is available at https://neindianajgs.org/upcoming-events/