Dr. Janette Silverman is a Senior Genealogist Research Manager at ancestryProGenealogists where she specializes in Jewish research. She is the Lead Co-Chair of the 36th IAJGS Conference in Seattle, Ukraine SIG Coordinator and a Moderator of the JewishGen Discussion Group.

She was chair of the Phoenix JGS for over 5 years. She has taught beginning and intermediate genealogy classes for over 10 years.

Her doctoral dissertation, In Living Memory, was a discussion of Jewish genealogical research and contextualizing a family’s micro-history within the larger global historical time in which they lived.

Educators Forum*: “Making History Relevant” (Sun-141), 11:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.

This session will discuss ways that history can become personal events for our students. By tying what we know about our families to historical events in the places our ancestors lived, we form personal links to that history.

We will review resources that educators can make use of in our classrooms and that students and their families can use at home. Handouts will include links to various on-line resources.

Topics: Beginning genealogists, Jewish history and culture

*The combined fee for attendance at the full conference and the Educators’ Forum is just $365 during early on-line registration through April 30. If one wishes to attend the Educator’s Forum only,  registration fee is $50 per person.  See http://www.iajgs2016.org/educators/

“‘Resolving Conflicting Documentary Evidence” (Fri-102), 11:30 A.M. – 12:45 P.M.

When multiple documents provide conflicting information, how can the conflicts be resolved?

We will examine multiple documents for a family in which conflicting documentary information and the family story are examined and analyzed to understand the meaning of the documents. To arrive at a conclusion, Jewish naming patterns and culture come into play.

Topics: Immigration and migration over the ages, Jewish history and culture, Repositories, Examining documentary evidence