Garri Regev has lived in Israel since 1978 and was an elementary teacher for more than 20 years there. She has been doing genealogical research for over 20 years.

Garri has lectured in genealogy to many adult groups including Hadassah, Touro College, the Central Zionist Archives (CZA), EVA/MINERVA and IAJGS Conferences.

She currently volunteers at the Israel Museum, at the CZA and the National Library of Israel Genealogy Center.

She was President of the Israel Genealogical Society and is currently the President of the Israel Genealogy Research Association. She was the Vice-Chair of the 2015 IAJGS Conference in Jerusalem and co-chair of program.

Computer Lab*: “Record Searching with IGRA” (Sun-131), 10:45 A.M. -12:15 P.M.

Finding records for relatives who passed through or lived in Israel (or Eretz Yisrael) can be challenging. The Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) has been indexing, digitizing and preparing databases from materials available in many of the Archives in Israel and some located elsewhere. With the language challenge there is a bilingual search engine and filters to help focus on specific areas.

Join a hands-on workshop emphasizing how to make the most of this unusual collection. Part of the time will also relate to the Montefiore census records that do not actually sit on the IGRA site but can be accessed through a link.

This computer workshop will be beneficial for all interested in research in this area of the world.

Category: Beginning genealogists

Topics: Ashkenazic research, Cemetery research, Immigration and migration over the ages, Mizrachi research, Organization and preservation, Repositories, Sephardic research, Technology in support of genealogical research

* NOTE: One must reserve one’s place in this computer workshop and pay a separate fee of $35 (in additional to the conference registration fee).

“Immigration to Eretz Israel” (Tues-110), 9:00-10:15 A.M.

The term aliaya in Biblical times referred to going up to Eretz Israel from Egypt. Now it refers to immigration to Eretz Israel from all over the world. This lecture will review the various waves of immigration, starting with the Prushim in 19th century, and documentation found.

The following databases dealing with immigration are available online in the IGRA collection:

• Ruslan Passenger List 19 Dec 1919;
• Third Aliyah: Dec 1919-Apr 1921;
• Exiled to Palestine: The Emigration of Zionist Convicts from the Soviet Union, 1924-1934;
• List of Farmers from Galicia Requesting Aliyah 1935;
• Swiss Aliyah Requests 1945; and
• Lists of Immigrants from Hungary 1947.

There are a number of databases that deal with illegal immigration to Palestine based on documents from archives in Israel and around the world.[co-taught with Rose Feldman]

Category: Beginning genealogists

Topics: Immigration and migration over the ages, Mizrachi research, Repositories, Sephardic research, Specific countries or geographic areas

“Marriage & Divorce Certificates during the Mandate Period in Palestine” (Thurs-105), 4:30-5:45 P.M.

In the fall of 2014 the Israel State Archives approached the Israel Genealogy Research Association [IGRA] with a request to build a database based upon Marriage & Divorce Certificates from their digitization project. IGRA has taken on this project from the Mandate Period.

In the late spring of 2015 IGRA received over 50,000 certificates for the period 1922-1948. The types of certificates found in the first files IGRA started working for were: marriage certificates, divorce certificates, annulment of marriage, request for correction, and copies of certificates.

It is not sure if all the certificates issued were deposited or if everyone registered in the ledgers of the Rabbinate, received or asked for a certificate. In November 2015, the first 4,220 certificates were uploaded to our website showing all of the information included. Scans are available, as well. These certificates provide a unique opportunity to access records not previously available. (presented with Rose Feldman]

Category: Beginning genealogists

Topics: Ashkenazic research, Immigration and migration over the ages, Mizrachi research, Organization and preservation, Sephardic research, Specific countries or geographic areas, Technology in support of genealogical research