Laura Leibman is a Professor of English and Humanities at Reed College whose books have won a National Jewish Book Award, a Jordan Schnitzer Book Award, and a Choice Outstanding Academic Title award.
She is on the executive committee of the Academic Council for American Jewish Historical Society and curates the Jewish Atlantic World Database.
She is a Distinguished Lecturer for the Association of Jewish Studies and an Area Director for Toastmasters, District 7.
She is currently writing a history of early multiracial Jews in the Americas. Her areas of expertise include Sephardic studies, early America, and material culture.
Website: http://www.lauraleibman.com/
“Hidden From History: How to Research Early Multiracial Jewish Families” (Sun-122), 4:30-5:45 P.M.
Today multiracial Jews make up 12% of U.S. Jewry, with nearly 87,000 nonwhite, Hispanic, or multiracial Jewish households in the New York area alone. The history of multiracial Jews, however, has often been presented as occurring primarily after the Vietnam War. This emphasis ignores the wealth of resources available regarding early multiracial Jews in the Americas.
In this workshop I discuss:
- how definitions of race have changed between the colonial era and today and how this impacts what types of sources you will find,
- strategies and resources for locating primary sources related to family histories of Jews of mixed African and Jewish descent in the early United States and Caribbean with attention to family history resources prior to 1840, and
- strategies for interpreting primary sources. Hands-on examples of sources are included in the workshop.
Topics: Immigration and migration over the ages, Jewish history and culture, Sephardic research, Specific countries or geographic areas, Race and Ethnicity
“Jews in Early America and the Caribbean” (Thurs-129), 4:30-5:45 P.M.
Genealogists researching Jewish families in North America and the Caribbean prior to 1840 face a host of unique challenges, not the least of which is that early American Jews never seemed to stay put, but rather often moved from place to place. Further complicating searches are the lack of digitized resources and the popularity of certain names in the colonies.
In this session we cover the most important types of documents and objects to locate, where they can be found, how to get access to those records, and how to interpret them in order to get the most information from them as possible. The session will include a hands-on examples chosen from key early American families.
Topics: Ashkenazic research, Jewish history and culture, Sephardic research