“Using JRI-Poland to Find Forests AND Trees for Your Eastern European Ancestors”

Robinn Magid, president of JRI-Poland, will speak on “Using JRI-Poland to Find Forests AND Trees for Your Eastern European Ancestors” for the Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois hybrid meeting. She will be speaking in person at Temple Beth-El, Northbrook, Illinois, and online via Zoom at 2 p.m. CST. The JGSI meeting facilities at Temple Beth-El will open at 12:30 p.m. CST for those who want to use genealogy library materials, get help with family history websites or ask genealogical questions before the main program begins at 2 p.m.

Robinn Magid will join us in-person for a lively presentation and discussion of how JRI-Poland’s website can help you find information about families, communities and towns (the “forest”) and individuals (the “trees”). After about 30 minutes of presentation, Robinn will demonstrate the JRI-Poland website using your questions and answers as examples. Bring questions about how to research your family in areas that are now or used to be Polish territories; how to understand and interpret search results; and search strategies to find what you are looking for. JRI-Poland provides extensive resources, links to scans of the original documents where possible, and volunteers, articles and newsletters to help you find both the forest and the trees!