East of London Group

Contact: Shirley Collier

 

ABOUT THIS GROUP

The JGSGB East of London Group is based in Redbridge, Essex.   Meetings are held every three months at Ilford Synagogue, 22 Beehive Lane, Gants Hill.
They cover every aspect of Jewish genealogy and are not restricted to local residents, nor to local research.   Everyone is welcome.  Each meeting contains items of interest for both new family tree researchers and more experienced genealogists. Researching family history is very much a self-help activity but we enjoy bringing people together, putting them in touch with others who can help them, and to provide guest speakers who are able to give informed information regarding source material.

We do try to provide what we think will be of interest but any suggestions for future meetings are especially welcome.  Useful literature and
information folders are available at every meeting and there is an opportunity to socialise over tea and biscuits.     There is always time put aside for those wanting to ask questions regarding  their personal research and the committee consisting of Elliott Porte - Chairman, Shirley Collier, Raymond Montanjees, David Miller and Ida Lawrence are only too pleased to help.   If anyone wishes to become more involved in the running of the Group they are especially welcome.

As well as helping run the East of London group, Elliott has spent a number of years recording all the graves at Edmonton Cemetery. Those he has completed are now on line.   Raymond Montanjee's interests span both Sephardi and Ashkenazi genealogy.   He is a member of the library committee and also arranges visits for members to local cemeteries.    David Miller, a regular face at the East of London meetings since its earliest days, is the photographer and an expert with computers.   Ida Lawrence contributes her own brand of expertise and is researching her Polish and Russian family.   We are always grateful for any offers of help.   Our meetings are held in March, June, September and December each year.  If you feel you can contribute and/or help at meetings either occasionally or on a regular basis, please contact Shirley Collier

PREVIOUS MEETING INFORMATION:

JEWISH GENEALOGICAL WORKSHOP
Richard Pearlman.  Topics covered included tips for both Ashkenazi and
Sephardi family tree research with audience participation.

QUESTION TIME
The JGSGB's own experts: Doreen Berger (Anglo-Jewry), Poland (Richard
Cooper), Lithuania (Elliott Porte, who is also compiling the Edmonton
Cemetery Database) and Anglo Jewry and Insurance researcher, George Rigal,
vice president of the JGSGB.

JEWISH GENEALOGY ON YOUR DOORSTEP
Using local resources for family research, including a section on computer
access, with a huge range of books and leaflets to browse through.

"TELL US YOUR FAMILY HISTORY"
Special guest JGSGB member and journalist Francis Beckett, son of former
Labour MP turned Mosley blackshirt, John Beckett.  Francis is compiling his
own family tree.   With members of the EOL having the opportunity to discuss
their own brickwalls and successes, a very popular part of our meetings.

GENEALOGY IN THE BALTICS
Saul Issroff, a retired medic, author and Baltics' genealogy guru, gave a
jam-packed rundown of the resources available for research followed by a
lively question and answer session.

MIGRATION AND THE PORTS OF LONDON
Academic Nick Evans showed the routes by which our ancestors reached the
Ports of London and Hull from former homelands. A talk filled with
information -- facts and figures and homely anecdotes bringing our families'
past to life.

"HELPING EACH OTHER"
General Jewish Genealogy Workshop.  New researchers and experienced old
hands all had something to learn and to bring to this occasional interactive meeting.

"WE DON'T SPELL OUR NAME THAT WAY"
Sue Fifer showed how to use spelling of surnames to unlock Eastern European
ancestry. Sue's enthusiasm, knowledge and humour demolished many a brick
wall, inspiring new and experienced family tree researchers alike.

HOW CEMETERIES KEEP OUR ANCESTORS ALIVE!
Uncovering Jewish family history in the graveyard. We discovered how
graveyards can give precious clues to a family's past. With Elliott Porte,
compiler of the Edmonton cemetery database.

RICHARD PEARLMAN'S GENEALOGICAL LIBRARY
Richard brought his magnificent library of reference books and other
material and many solutions were found to long unanswered questions.

PRESERVING THE HERITAGE OF THE JEWISH EAST END
Clive Bettington, founder of the Jewish East End Celebration Society, spoke
about his efforts to save the heritage of the Jewish East End by preserving
the remaining Jewish buildings and also endeavouring to mark with blue
plaques the sites of buildings which have long disappeared.

JCR-UK (JEWISH COMMUNITIES RECORDS IN THE UK)
Guest speaker Louise Messik - JGSGB Council Member and Co-ordinator for the
Project, the aim of which is to record genealogical and other community
related information about Jewish communities, which might otherwise
disappear and be lost forever.

EXAMINING THE ARCHIVES HELD AT TOWER HAMLETS LIBRARY
Malcolm Barr-Hamilton, Archivist of the library in Mile End.   The library
holds the complete Jewish Chronicle on microfilm, Poor Rate Books, Land Tax,
etc. and a collection of over 25,000 photographs.

"HOW TO FIND YOUR FAMILY RECORDS AT THE FAMILY RECORDS CENTRE
Guest speaker Gerry Toop from  the FRC.

"DAVID BADDIEL AND ME"
Modelled on the BBC "Who Do You Think You Are" television programme and presented by Alice Joseph. 
As it was a festive occasion the programme included donated raffle prizes.