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Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal

JGS-Montreal Projects

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The Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal has made significant contributions to both Jewish genealogical research in Quebec and to Canadian genealogical research in general.

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal, founded in 1995, is one of more than 80 Jewish genealogical societies worldwide. Although small in size, with fewer than 100 members, the Society has made significant contributions to the study of Jewish family history for both its members and genealogists all over the world with a Montreal connection. Current and past projects include:

Lecture Series Meetings (1994-ongoing)

We have had more than 200 lecture series meetings since they started at the end of 1994, organized by our program chair for over 20 years, Merle Kastner. Upcoming meetings can be seen on the Meetings page, and past meetings can be reviewed in the Meeting Archive.

Sunday Morning Family Tree Workshops (1998-ongoing)

Starting in 1998 as the Scholar in Residence, renamed the Sunday Morning Family Tree Workshop in February 2003, the SMFTWs are an informal way to get one-on-one answers and help. They are normally held on the first Sunday of each month (except July and August), at the Jewish Public Library, from 10:00 am to 12 noon.

Some of the resources used by workshop leader Stanley Diamond have been incorporated into the JGS-Montreal Genealogy Dashboard.

Ancestry.ca has a wealth of information for family researchers, but it can be expensive. The Jewish Public Library has World Deluxe Ancestry available in the library at no charge to members and to people attending the Sunday Morning Family Tree Workshops.

Montreal Cemetery Indices (2007-ongoing)

JGS of Montreal members have provided thousands of records of Jewish burials in Quebec -- including over 50,000 photographed burials -- to the JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR) for online research around the world. There are many reasons to submit data and photographs to JOWBR.

Starting December 2017, updated JOWBR records have links to "More information" at JGS-Montreal.org. We show enhanced record displays with (if available):
  1. a list of all the burial records in the same section, sorted by name, but also sortable by date, plot location, etc.
  2. additional photos (we have over 90,000)
  3. obituaries (we have over 10,000 before 2001, and 14,000 after)
  4. links to services like FindaGrave.com (almost 6,000)
  5. links to profiles on Geni.com (over 750) and Ancestry.ca
  6. a Research link to the JGS-Montreal.org Genealogy Dashboard
  7. a link to Report problems or add information to the record, which will appear quickly on the JGS-Montreal.org site, and in JOWBR the next time the record's section is updated
Example record: Lena Rock Rappaport

Canadian Naturalization Records (2002-ongoing)

A naturalization file documents the application of an immigrant to become a citizen. These files can contain details of birth, marriage, immigration, and business, and are often an excellent source of genealogical information. The Society has an ongoing program to index 600,000 Canadian Naturalizations from 1914 to 1952 (both Jewish and non-Jewish), thanks largely to Ruth Diamond and Alan Greenberg.

Other Indexing Projects (ongoing)

A number of other indexing projects are underway, some in conjunction with the Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee National Archives.

Montreal and Quebec Province Vital Records (1998-2009)

Together, these resources have given us an unprecedented capability to research Jewish families and re-unite long-lost relatives. For information on how the JGS of Montreal can help researchers with Montreal and Quebec family connections, contact vital@jgs-montreal.org.

Book Reviews (2012-2015)

Despite the wealth of information available to family historians on the Web, books are still a needed and valuable resource. The JGS-Montreal web site featured Book Reviews to help guide you to the real gems that are available.

JGS-Montreal Cookbook (2011)

The foods we love often strengthen our ties to parents, grandparents and even ancestors we never met. The smells of food from our childhood can bring back vivid memories. Members of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal have shared their most loved recipes (and often their background) in our Cookbook.

Montreal Forum (2005-2009)

Montreal Forum

Published from 2005 to 2009, our quarterly publication, the Montreal Forum, edited by Anne Joseph Z"L, includes articles of ongoing interest to all family historians.