Jewish Special Interest Group
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The Jewish Special Interest Group (J-SIG) of St. Louis Genealogical Society began in June 2005 as a revival of the Jewish Genealogical Society of St. Louis, formerly associated with United Hebrew Congregation. It took a hiatus for 2016 through 2018 but returned as an active SIG in 2019, assisted by the Center for Jewish Learning/Jewish Federation of St. Louis. The St. Louis Genealogical Society’s Jewish SIG continues to be a member of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. |  |
Upcoming Meetings for 2024
Jewish SIG meetings this year will all be a combination of in-person, hybrid, and via Zoom so please note the instructions for each meeting.
Click here for the 2024 J-SIG meeting flyer.
All Jewish SIG meetings are free and open to the public; however it is necessary to register, if you want to join a Zoom webinar. You do NOT need to register for any in-person meetings or to view the digital recordings that will be posted on this page. All meetings begin at 1:00 p.m. (Central)
Last Meeting for 2023
Sunday, 3 December 2023
Exploring Genealogical Resources at Washington University’s Libraries
Join interim Jewish Studies librarian, A. J. Robinson, for a glimpse at resources for Jewish genealogy research at Washington University’s libraries. This will include an overview of the yizkor books at Olin Library, information on how to search and access the collections, and a demonstration of HathiTrust Digital Libraries search strategies for identifying relevant sources in libraries across North America. This meeting will be Zoom only.
Featured Speaker: AJ Robinson, interim Jewish Studies librarian at Washington University
This meeting will be via Zoom only. Registration for this meeting is now open.
All Jewish Special Interest Group meetings are free and open to the public. However, you need a link and a passcode to join the meeting, so it is necessary to preregister. Click on the Registration Button below and follow the simple instructions that appear on your screen. Once you have filled in the registration form, an invitation with a link and a passcode to attend the meeting will be sent to the email you provided.
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lf there is a handout for this meeting, it will be here.
Sunday, 4 February 2024
Jewish Foodways
Many of us enjoy delicious Jewish food as part of our everyday lives without giving it much thought. Learn how immigration, tradition, and the observance of the laws of kashrut shaped Jewish food culture here in America.
Featured Speaker: Margi Lenga Kahn
This meeting will be via Zoom only. Registration for this meeting will open in mid-December. Please check back.
Sunday, 19 May 2024
J-SIG Meet and Greet
Come spend some time at the StLGS office. Get acquainted with the facility, meet with the other participants and SIG leaders to ask your questions, check out the StLGS website, and see what’s for sale at the Trading Post. This meeting will be in-person only.
J-SIG Leaders: Phyllis Faintich, Ilene Murray, and Carol Waggoner
Sunday, 25 August 2024
St. Louis Jewish Newspapers
Did you know that there once were more than a dozen newspapers in St. Louis that had direct relevance to the Jewish community? We’ll explore the history of St. Louis Jewish newspapers, learn more about their contents, and most importantly, let you know where they are and how to access them. This meeting will be hybrid.
Featured Speaker: Ilene Murray
Sunday, 1 December 2024
Jewish Genealogy Resources at the St. Louis County Library
Discover the resources available for tracing your Jewish family in the History & Genealogy Department at the St. Louis County Library, including books, periodicals, newspapers, local history indexes, and more. This meeting will be hybrid.
Featured Speaker: Robin McDonough
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Recorded Meeting from Sunday, 27 August 2023
East Side Mishpachah: Jewish History and Family in Southwestern Illinois
Featured speaker: William Shannon, executive director of the St. Clair County Historical Society
Watch the recording here. Password for the recording is 4.=57Hj8
The handout for this meeting is here.
Recorded Meeting from Sunday, 25 August 2021
Techniques to Determine Ancestral Origins
Featured speaker: Ilene Murray, StLGS publications director and Jewish SIG co-leader
Watch the recording here. Password for the recording is d=s&M0*9
The handout for this meeting is here.
Jewish Newsletter
During its existence, the JGS of St. Louis had a monthly newsletter called Generations. Its first editors were founders, Art and Sylvia Jaffe. Then, for a brief time, it was edited by Gene Schneider, followed by Jerry Goldberg. In late 2000, Ilene Murray began her tenure as editor and remained in that position until the last issue, July 2005.
A complete set of all of the issues is available at St. Louis County Library Headquarters in the History and Genealogy Department and at the Missouri History Museum’s Library and Research Center.
Electronic copies of issues from November 2000 until July 2005 can be found on this site. They are in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format and can be downloaded, saved, and/or printed. To do so, click here for Jewish Genealogical Society Newsletters
Jewish Community
Click here for more information on the Jewish community in St. Louis.
Click here to go to the Jewish congregations page on this website, where you will find information about specific congregations and a growing set of marriage and death records.
Research Queries
Please address questions about Jewish research in St. Louis to J-SIG co-leader, Phyllis Faintich. You can reach her at .
Last modified: 16-Nov-2023 10:26