Amy Wachs taught law in Latvia as a Fulbright Scholar and in Moldova as a Fulbright Senior Specialist. While living and working in Eastern Europe, she visited state archives in Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, and other countries.

Amy is President of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland. She serves on the Board of LitvakSIG and as LitvakSIG’s Trakai District Coordinator. Amy is a member of the IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee and is an IAJGS representative to RPAC.

“Latvia and the Holocaust” (Sun-119), 3:00-4:15 P.M.

In the years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, more information has become available about what occurred in Latvia during the Holocaust. I lived in Latvia while teaching law there as a Fulbright Scholar. I attended conferences in Riga pertaining to the extermination of Latvia’s Jewish population and the transport to Latvia of Jews from central Europe. My presentation will explain what happened to Latvian Jews and Latvia’s role in the Holocaust. I will also offer guidance for searching for Holocaust victims.

Topics: Ashkenazic research, Holocaust research, Specific countries or geographic areas

“Jewish Life in the Republic of Moldova: Past and Present” (Thurs-112), 3:00-4:15 P.M.

The area formerly known as Bessarabia is today part of the former Soviet Union country of Moldova. My presentation will explain the history and geography of the Republic of Moldova and the history of Jewish life there over the centuries. I lived in Chisinau (Kishinev), Moldova, and taught law there as a Fulbright Senior Specialist during two years. During that time, I met with archivists at the state archives and toured the archive vault. I observed Jewish holidays and interacted with the Jewish community. My presentation will describe Jewish life today in Moldova and offer guidance for seeking Jewish records from the archives. I have also been to the separatist region of Transnistra and will address issues pertaining to research there.

Topics: Ashkenazic research, Immigration and migration over the ages, Jewish history and culture, Specific countries or geographic areas