Yitzhak Berchunsky
ca 1880 |
Welcome to the Orange County Jewish Genealogical Society! The OCJGS is your resource in Orange County, California, for all things related to finding your Jewish roots.
Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned expert, you will find our monthly meetings stimulating and informative. In addition to meetings, hands-on workshops, and special events, members also have access to an excellent library of books and magazines pertinent to Jewish genealogy. The Orange County Jewish Genealogical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We are a member of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. Remember the Days of Old; Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders and they will explain to you. (Deut. 32:7)
זכר ימות עולם בינו שנות דור ודור שאל אביך ויגדך זקניך ויאמרו לך פרשת האזינו |
Renew or Join TodayJoin today and get the rest of 2023 for free! Membership runs through the end of 2024. Calendar of EventsWorld-Class Speakers!We have a lineup of truly world class speakers coming to you wherever in the world you are, from wherever in the world they are. We normally meet the 4th Sunday of each month.
Virtual meetings are via Zoom. You must register in advance by clicking the link for the meeting you want to attend. Registration only takes a few seconds. Attendance at virtual meetings is free to OCJGS members. If you are not a member, please consider joining. Otherwise, the charge for non-members is $5. Please visit the Membership page to join or pay your $5 fee. December 17 at 10:00 am (Pacific time zone)
Alexander Beider: What can we learn about our ancestors from surnames used in Eastern Europe? 
But for a few exceptions, Jews from Eastern Europe adopted their surnames at the turn of the 19th century. For this reason, names present a panorama of the Jewish life at that time: occupations, nicknames, given names used, places of origin. Yet, indirectly, surnames often point to family roots going back centuries before the 19th century.
Alexander Beider holds one doctoral degree in applied mathematics and another in Jewish Studies. He uses onomastics and linguistics as tools to unravel the history of the Jewish people. He has written a series of reference books dealing with the etymology of Ashkenazic and Sephardic surnames and Ashkenazic given names, all published by Avotaynu Inc. (1993-2019). His book Origins of Yiddish Dialects, published by Oxford University Press (2015), sheds light on the early stages of the development of Yiddish. Beider was born in Moscow (Russia) and currently lives in Paris (France). Register in advance for this Zoom presentation. Click this link to register. January 28 at 10:00 am (Pacific time zone)
Joseph Benatov: Jewish Bulgaria: A virtual Sephardic Journey 
Join us for a dynamic interactive trip through Bulgaria’s rich Jewish heritage. We will focus on notable moments and individuals from the rich and varied history of Sephardic life in Bulgaria. Our virtual tour will start with the arrival of Iberian Jews to the Ottoman empire and the establishment of the first Sephardic communities in towns such as Nikopol, Sofia, Plovdiv, Pazardzhik, Russe (Ruschuk), Vidin, and Samokov. Learn about some of the most prominent Sephardic rabbis, intellectuals, and merchants from Bulgarian history. For those interested in conducting genealogical and historical research, the presentation will also offer a historiographic overview of the main sources on Bulgarian Jewish history.
Joseph Benatov holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches Hebrew. He is originally from Bulgaria and a member of Sofia’s Jewish community. Joseph has over 20 years of experience leading travelers across the Balkans, including UNESCO representatives, 92nd Street Y visitors, JDC board members, and Anti-Defamation League officials. He lectures regularly on the history of Jewish life in Bulgaria and on Balkan Sephardic culture. Every summer Joseph leads Jewish heritage tours to the Sephardic Balkans. You can find out more at https://sephardicbalkans.com/ Register in advance for this Zoom presentation. Click this link to register. But wait, there's more...
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