Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland upcoming events

Date Change! - One in Six Million with Amy Fish (04/15/2026)

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:00:00 GMT

NOTE: The date for this event has been changed!

Previously scheduled for April 8th, the new date is April 15th.

One in Six Million: The Baby by the Roadside and the Man Who Retraced a Holocaust Survivor's Lost Identity

with Amy Fish

When: Wednesday, April 15, 7:00pm ET

Where: Zoom only

Summary:

Author Amy Fish will join us for a talk about her recent book, One in Six Million, which is both a moving Holocaust narrative and an exploration of the power of genealogical research to connect people and reveal hidden histories.

Maria was eight months old in 1942 when a childless couple found her, wrapped in a blanket, at the side of a road near Krosno, Poland. A note pinned to the blanket stated only her first name and her date of birth. The couple picked up Maria and raised her, but she grew up longing for identity and connection. Who was she, and what had happened to her family?

Years later, Maria’s story came to the attention of Stanley Diamond. Diamond was the founder of Jewish Records Indexing-Poland, one of the largest databases of Jewish vital records and a crucial tool in researching the stories of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.

In this engrossing story, Amy Fish shows how Diamond and an intrepid band of international volunteers compared photographs with genealogical records and smuggled DNA tests to provide Maria with family ties that she thought were lost to her forever. This is a tale of unexpected coincidences, astonishing revelations, more than a little luck, and identity lost — and found.

Presenter:

Amy Fish is a born storyteller with a sense of humor. She is the author of three books of non-fiction: The Art of Complaining Effectively; I Wanted Fries with That; and One in Six Million. Amy graduated with an MFA in Creative Non-Fiction in 2023. She lives in Montreal where she works as the Ombudsperson at Concordia University.

Registration:

This event is free for members and non-members of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland. Registration is required by Tuesday, April 14th. The Zoom link will be distributed upon registration and again closer to the meeting date. Please direct any questions to Jane Rothstein at president@jgscleveland.org.

Jewish Lives Remembered: The Lost Shtetl Museum in Šeduva, Lithuania (05/06/2026)

Wed, 06 May 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Jewish Lives Remembered: The Lost Shtetl Museum in Šeduva, Lithuania

When: Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 7:00pm

Where: Congregation Mishkan Or, 26000 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood, OH 44122 and via Zoom

Description: Eighty-four years after the Jews of Šeduva, Lithuania were murdered in the Holocaust, more than 400 people from around the world gathered there in August 2025 for the opening of The Lost Shtetl Museum, including JGSC member Marlene Saul Englander and her family.

Marlene's mother, Hinda Saul, lived in Šeduva from 1934 to 1937. Before World War II, nearly two-thirds of Šeduva’s population was Jewish. Today, no Jewish residents remain. Rather than focusing primarily on the Shoah, the museum honors the lives of the once-vibrant Jewish community, highlighting the interwar years when Jewish and non-Jewish Lithuanians lived side by side. Marlene has spoken about Seduva to us before. Come hear "the sequel" and see how her mother's mementos, stories, and letters from her friend Nochum Berman have been incorporated into the museum.

Marlene Saul Englander is a graduate of Cleveland Heights High School, Indiana University, and Case Western Reserve University. A retired medical librarian, she is also a former treasurer and current secretary of JGS Cleveland.

This hybrid meeting, held in-person at Congregation Mishkan Or and via Zoom, is free and open to the public. Registration by Tuesday, May 5th, is requested for all attendees. It is required for those who wish to participate via Zoom.

Please contact Sean Martin at smartin@wrhs.org with any questions.

June Meeting and Program (06/03/2026)

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT

June Meeting and Program

More information to come!

July Meeting and Program (07/01/2026)

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT

August Meeting & Program (08/05/2026)

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 23:00:00 GMT

September Meeting and Program (09/02/2026)

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT

October Meeting and Program (10/07/2026)

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT

IAJGS 2026 (10/18/2026)

Sun, 18 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT

2026 International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Virtual Conference

This year's IAJGS conference will be held online from October 18-20, 2026. When available, details will be found at www.iajgs2026.org.

November Meeting and Program (11/04/2026)

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT

JGSC Annual Meeting (12/06/2026)

Sun, 06 Dec 2026 20:00:00 GMT