Upcoming Events
lecture
Interpreting Your Jewish DNA Test Results – Live on Zoom
DNA has the potential to be an essential and revolutionary genealogical tool, especially for Jewish testers facing roadblocks in their paper trails, including those affected by the Holocaust. The Center for Jewish History has recently launched the DNA Reunion Project, which provides free commercial DNA testing to Holocaust survivors and their children. If you've just taken a DNA test or are considering it, project co-founders Dr. Adina Newman and Jennifer Mendelsohn will walk you through how to decipher your results without getting tripped up by common mistakes. (Why does it say I have so many matches? What do all the numbers mean? Which of these people should I reach out to?) You'll learn techniques that will help you work effectively with DNA to expand your family tree -- and connect with new relatives.
Ticket Info: Pay what you wish; register here for a Zoom link
Tickets: Available online
lecture
concert
Spring Romance: Phoenix Chamber Ensemble performs Mozart, Dvorak and Berens – In-person Event and Livestreamed on YouTube
Join Phoenix Chamber Ensemble pianists Vassa Shevel and Inessa Zaretsky and guest artists Ellen Braslavsky on piano, Michael Katz on cello, and Anna Elashvili on violin, for Mozart’s Piano Trio in C Major, K.548; Dvorak’s Four Romantic Pieces Op.75 for violin and piano; Berens’ Gesellschafts Quartet in F Major, Op. 80 for violin, cello and piano 4 hands; Berens’ Gesellschafts Quartet in A minor, Op. 72 for violin, cello and piano 4 hands; and Berens’ Gesellschafts Quartet Op. 72 for violin, cello and piano 4 hands.
Made possible by the Stravinsky Institute Foundation through the generous support of the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
Ticket Info:
In person: $15 general; $10 members, seniors, students – ADVANCE PURCHASE REQUIRED; register here
On YouTube: Pay what you wish; register here
Tickets: Available online
concert
class
All in the Mishpocheh: Intro to Jewish Genealogy at CJH - Live on Zoom
10-session classes run from April through June 2023
Fridays, 10:00-11:15 am ET, April 21 – June 30
Join the staff of the Center for Jewish History’s Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute for this 10-week online genealogy course, suitable for beginner and intermediate learners. Topics include: family trees, online search strategies, immigration, DNA, Holocaust, finding your ancestral towns, name changes, obtaining records from other countries, and much more. By the end of this course, you will have a portfolio of new documents and information on your ancestors' lives ready to share with your family.
Students are encouraged to participate live but are welcome to watch or review class recordings as needed.
FAQ
Can I contact the instructor outside of the class time?
One unique aspect of this course is that our librarian instructors not only permit, but encourage, their students to reach out to them beyond the class time – via email, video chat, or in-person visits. Former participants say this one-on-one availability was instrumental in their personal research progress, providing the tailored guidance they needed to chart their research path or break through longstanding “brick walls.”
Will I get personal feedback?
You will definitely receive personal feedback to your questions either during or between classes. Your fellow students may also offer their advice during class or in the What’s App chat group, which has been an invaluable asset to students’ learning.
How many people will be in the class?
Class sizes have ranged from about 20-30 students, with an average of 10-15 always participating live on Zoom and others watching some or many of the classes non-synchronous to the Zoom class time.
Read reviews by past participants!
"Absolutely take this class if you are interested in genealogy or just curious."
"The information and guidance provided helped me to launch my genealogy research in an effective way."
"The course gave me terrific resources to use in the future and demonstrated how to use the resources. It was terrific to listen to the progress of others and how they reached their goals."
"You have opened the door to an endless journey."
Ticket Info: $295 general, $255 CJH members (members are those who have donated $50 or more to the Center in the past year) - Register here
Tickets: Available online
class
concert
Virtual Tenement Concert: Songs of Yiddish New York with YIVO - Live on YouTube
Back by popular demand! The Tenement Museumand YIVO are partnering up again on April 24th on YouTube Live for a night exploring Jewish immigrant New York City of yesteryear through musical performances from inside the recreated 1890s parlor of the Levine family, immigrants from Eastern Europe.
At once a “golden land” of opportunity and joy and a place full of the challenges of immigrant life, New York held a myriad of experiences for new Americans. From songs about leaving one’s homeland and arriving in Ellis Island, to anthems of the everyday difficulties of sweatshop labor, to hit songs of the Yiddish theater that exemplify leisure time activities, this concert uses music to bring the bustling world of the Jewish lower East side to life.
A performance of Pulitzer prize-finalist Alex Weiser’s song cycle, Coney Island Days, will round out the program. Based on an oral history interview with the composer’s late grandmother, these songs explore childhood activities in Coney Island, working in the family’s knish store, visiting the Russian bath, and more.
The concert will feature introduction and historical commentary by Alex Weiser in conversation with Tenement Museum President Annie Polland, and musical performances by singer Eliza Bagg and pianist Paul Kerekes.
Ticket Info: Free; register at yivo.org/Songs-of-Yiddish-NY for a YouTube link
Tickets: Available online
concert