Genealogy: What Makes Jewish Genealogy Different

Jewish genealogy has its unique challenges and advantages. This presentation will discuss some of the reasons Jewish genealogy differs from generic genealogy. We’ll also do some “myth busting” based on the most common misunderstandings about genealogical research.

Nolan Altman was bitten by the “genealogy bug” when he was inspired to write his family history in 1996 in memory of his mother. After making use of the valuable information on JewishGen, he volunteered to do data entry on various projects In time, he was asked to become the Coordinator for JewishGen’s Holocaust Database and subsequently the Coordinator for the JOWBR (JewishGen’s Online Worldwide Burial Registry) project. Nolan works with volunteers from around the world helping to grow both databases for the benefit of family members and researchers. Nolan currently holds the position of JewishGen’s Director for Data Acquisition and focuses on growing the JOWBR, Holocaust , and Memorial Plaques databases.