Jewish Special Interest Group
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The Jewish Special Interest Group (J-SIG) of St. Louis Genealogical Society began in June 2005 as a revival of the Jewish Genealogical Society of St. Louis, formerly associated with United Hebrew Congregation. It took a hiatus for 2016 through 2018 but returned as an active SIG in 2019, assisted by the Center for Jewish Learning/Jewish Federation of St. Louis. The St. Louis Genealogical Society’s Jewish SIG continues to be a member of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. |  |
Upcoming Meetings for 2026
Jewish SIG meetings this year are via Zoom only, so please note that you will have to register to attend each meeting.
Click here for the 2026 J-SIG meeting flyer.
All Jewish SIG meetings are free and open to the public; however, it is necessary to register to join a Zoom webinar. You do NOT need to register to view the digital recordings that will be posted on this page. All meetings begin at 1:00 p.m. (Central)
Sunday, 1 February 2026
1:00 p.m. (Central)
The Old Deal: Fraternal Societies, Self-Help, and How Our Immigrant Ancestors Built the World We Live in Today
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, fraternal societies made things like life insurance and home loans available to their members. They also served as an important focal point for cultural and communal identity among recent immigrants. This talk will introduce the history of fraternal societies in the United States—with special focus on Jewish organizations—and argue for how their records can be incorporated into genealogical research.
Featured Speaker: Dr. John Cline, reference specialist, St. Louis County Library
Registration for this meeting will open in December 2025; please check back.
Remaining Meetings for 2026
Sunday, 7 June 2026
1:00 p.m. (Central)
Origins and History of the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis
Jewish Hospital (now Barnes-Jewish) has served St. Louis for more than 120 years. Founded in 1902, it was originally a thirty-bed hospital with a staff of only six nurses and four doctors. This presentation will touch on the origins and early history of this institution and will prominently feature Jewish Hospital’s incredible archival collections (photographs, documents, and artifacts) held by the Becker Archives at Wash U. Medicine.
Featured Speaker: Stephen Logsdon, head of archives, Washington University School of Medicine
Sunday, 23 August 2026
1:00 p.m. (Central)
Rituals and Superstitions of our Ancestors
Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh will share “shtick” and stop knocking on wood, discussing the superstitions and rituals that were beliefs of our ancestors. How did these superstitions impact their behavior? And what is the difference between ritual and superstition? You may be surprised! Come and learn––“kenya hora!”
Featured Speaker: Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh, Temple Emanuel, St. Louis
Sunday, 6 December 2026
1:00 p.m. (Central)
Lost Tables: Lost St. Louis Restaurants
Harley Hammerman will revive culinary memories of old St. Louis restaurants which were dear to members of the
St. Louis Jewish community.
Featured Speaker: Harley Hammerman, physician and local blogger (Lost Tables)
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Recorded Meeting from Sunday, 7 December 2025
How to Find Any Shtetl on Topographic Maps
Featured speaker: Andrew Kapochunas, expert on historic maps
Watch the recording here. No password is needed to watch this recording.
The handout for this meeting is here.
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Recorded Meeting from Sunday, 24 August 2025
Understanding Jewish Cemeteries
Featured speaker: Ilene Murray, StLGS publications director and Jewish SIG co-leader
Watch the recording here. No password is needed to watch this recording.
The handout for this meeting is here.
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Recorded Meeting from Sunday, 1 December 2024
Jewish Genealogy Resources at the St. Louis County Library
Featured speaker: Josiah Schmidt, SLCL reference librarian
The recording for this meeting has expired; however, you can still access the handout here. St. Louis County Library also has a guide to Jewish resources you can download as a PDF. You can find that guide here.
Recorded Meeting from Sunday, 25 August 2021
Techniques to Determine Ancestral Origins
Featured speaker: Ilene Murray, StLGS publications director and Jewish SIG co-leader
Watch the recording here. Password for the recording is d=s&M0*9
The handout for this meeting is here.
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Jewish Newspapers
During its existence, the JGS of St. Louis had a monthly newsletter called Generations. Its first editors were founders, Art and Sylvia Jaffe. Then, for a brief time, it was edited by Gene Schneider, followed by Jerry Goldberg. In late 2000, Ilene Murray began her tenure as editor and remained in that position until the last issue, July 2005.
A complete set of all of the issues is available at St. Louis County Library Headquarters in the History and Genealogy Department and at the Missouri History Museum’s Library and Research Center.
Electronic copies of issues from November 2000 until July 2005 can be found on this site. They are in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format and can be downloaded, saved, and/or printed. To do so, click here for Jewish Genealogical Society Newsletters
Jewish Community
Click here for more information on the Jewish community in St. Louis.
Click here to go to the Jewish congregations page on this website, where you will find information about specific congregations and a growing set of marriage and death records.
Research Queries
Please address questions about Jewish research in St. Louis to J-SIG co-leader, Phyllis Faintich. You can reach her at .
Last modified: 07-Dec-2025 22:42