about US
Our history
The MNJGS came about when one of our members attended the 2014 IAJGS Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah and noticed, to his chagrin, that there was no local JGS representing Minnesota. Upon his return he sought out others in the genealogy community. The present organization is the result of that effort. We are a member of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS).
We held our first meeting in February of 2015, and proceeded to form the chapter under the non-profit umbrella of a local Jewish organization. A few years later we moved to the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest (JHSUM) as our fiscal sponsor. Their focus on community history nicely complements ours on family history. Interest in the MNJGS has steadily grown from both new and experienced genealogists.
MNJGS is run solely by volunteers who are deeply committed to building a community of researchers with an interest in researching Jewish roots. We hope you will join us.
Our Programming
We offer programs for beginners as well as experienced researchers and bring in speakers from around the world to assist you in your research. We also create our own programming, often gathering panels on a variety of topics. As we have moved to on-line presentations, we have created unique programming bringing together speakers from Minnesota to Australia.
Our past meetings have addressed such topics as an introduction to Jewish genealogy, DNA, immigration and how to make use of online resources and tools. Since 2020 we have recorded our sessions and make them available to members on our member page. As we look ahead we anticipate continuing significant on-line programming while we periodically bring local members together in person.
In addition to our programming events, this website is also a significant resource that we hope you will draw on. We actively add to our resource page where you will find both local information as well as resources from around the world, many of which can be accessed on-line.
Our Board
Susan Weinberg, President/Treasurer
Walter Elias, Immediate Past President
Liba Casson - Nudell, Vice President
Sue Weinstein, Recording Secretary
Dorothy Nadosy, At Large Member
June Lash, At Large Member
Maura Lerner Fisher, At Large Member
Barbara Rice, At Large Member
If you have feedback or programming ideas to share, we invite you to contact us.