The Institute for Polish-Jewish Studies is delighted to announce our

2nd Jewish Roots Workshop

This year we focus on general questions of genealogy, and especially on the fate of Jewish families during the Holocaust. As last year, we also want to include your reflections on engaging with your family's eastern European roots.

We will have four sessions: two speakers on genealogy, and two family-research presentations. Our two special guest speakers are:

• Michael Tobias, a Vice-President of JewishGen, Inc and co-founder and Board member of Jewish Records Indexing-Poland (JRI-Poland), returning by popular demand!
• Sima Velkovich, from the Reference and Information Department of Yad Vashem, the internationally-leading research centre for Holocaust history.

Our family research presentations include:

• Asya Gefter takes us on a journey into the recovery of her family history, and her experiences as an artist and researcher. She grew up in Moscow as the granddaughter of a dissident historian, and the daughter of a human rights activist. The past was represented by silence: a near complete absence of stories, pictures, documents, memories. Starting from that ‘inherited’ silence, Asya began an extensive research project to uncover the stories of her ancestors' lives, disappearances, ideologies, and migrations. Her findings reflect on the complexities of third generation Holocaust survivors' experiences, and the ways that memory can support intergenerational healing and resiliency.
• Dr. Sima Beeri’s parents were among the 5% of Litvaks who survived WWII, returning to Kovno after the war, their families having been decimated. Denied access to resources and archival documents in this Soviet republic, Sima had been unable to find out about her parents' pre-war life - until a chance visit to the Yad VaShem archive in 2018 led to the revelation of her long-lost family, in documents and photos. This story, of the disappearance and concealment of any information from future generations, must resonate with many. Her discoveries will give hope to others searching to uncover their roots.

We will also be introducing the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research UK, a new London branch of this internationally renowned institution from NYC.

Our specialist IPJS historians of Jewish history in Eastern Europe, Prof Antony Polonsky and Dr François Guesnet, will join us again this year to continue those mutually enriching conversations.

The day concludes with a film screening of 'A Town Called Brzostek', Prof Jonathan Webber‘s moving story of how the restoration of the local Jewish cemetery led to the reconciliation of Jewish and Polish communities, and their perceptions of the German occupation in World War Two.

The price includes morning and afternoon coffee/tea, a light lunch, and film screening.

Early booking is recommended!

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The Institute for Polish-Jewish Studies