Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland

Our June meeting will be held on
WEDNESDAY,
June 5, 2019
starting at 7:30 PM
at Menorah Park
Miller Board Room
27100 Cedar Road
Beachwood

The Temple Archives—A Valuable Resource for Genealogists
Jane Rothstein, Archivist for the Temple-Tifereth Israel

Jane Rothstein is used to hearing genealogical questions like “was my ancestor a member?” and she generally answers by saying “maybe.” The Temple-Tifereth Israel Archives are a relatively untapped treasure for exploring Cleveland Jewish history and genealogy. Holdings include records from the congregation’s founding in 1850 through the congregation’s growth under Rabbi Moses J. Gries and Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, and on to the present. At our June 5 meeting, Jane will provide an overview of the Archives’ collection and discuss the type of records genealogists may find especially interesting.

Jane Rothstein holds an MA in American History from Case Western Reserve University where she wrote a thesis on American Jewish women’s activism in the 1890’s, along with an MSLIS in Library and Information Science and a Certificate in Archives and Records Management from Long Island University. While pursuing a PhD in a joint program in History and Jewish studies at New York University, she studied and researched women’s history, Jewish immigrants to the United States and religious practice in modern Jewish history. She has also worked in the archives of the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Public Library. One of her favorite experiences was a summer at the Center for Jewish History teaching high school students how to do family history research. Jane resides in Cleveland Heights and, in addition to her work at The Temple, she can be found working at Appletree Books in the Cedar-Fairmount district.