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 TodayMembership runs through the end of 2026. 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. June 28, 2026 at 10:00 am (Pacific time zone)
Alexander Avram Overview of Romanian Jewish Surnames in the Old Kingdom of Romania 
Most Jews living in the Old Kingdom of Romania (former principalities of Moldavia and Walachia) used surnames common throughout European Jewry. There were two exceptions: one, a small concentration of Sephardic Jews in Walachia; the other: between 8% to 14% of the Jews in these territories adapted their surnames to Romanian patterns or adopted plain Romanian surnames. The presentation will try to analyze and categorize these specific surnames by giving examples and outlining their historical and sociological causes and implications.
Dr. Alexander Avram retired in 2025 as Director of the Hall of Names and the Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names at Yad Vashem. He trained as a philologist and linguist with a Ph.D. in the History of the Jewish People from Bar-Ilan University, Israel. Alexander specializes in Holocaust victim research, Jewish onomastics (the study of the history and origin of personal names), and the history of Jewish presence in the Romanian Principalities, as well as coexistence and anti-Semitism in 19th-century Romania, and the Holocaust in Romania and Transnistria. Dr. Avram is the author of the book: Historical Implications of Jewish Surnames in the Old Kingdom of Romania Register in advance for this Zoom presentation. Click this link to register.
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