The “Unworthy” and the Deserted: New Genealogical Databases from The Jewish Board

Speaker: Gavin Beinart-Smollan

The “Unworthy” and the Deserted: New Genealogical Databases from The Jewish Board – This presentation introduces two unique genealogical resources for New York Jewish family history researchers: the United Hebrew Charities Recipients & Donors Database (1869-1877) documenting the organization's early work to help poor New York Jews, and the National Desertion Bureau Card Catalog Database (1911-1935) featuring 19,000+ cases of family abandonment and separation. Both databases, created for The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services’ 150th anniversary, offer researchers unprecedented access to social welfare records that illuminate the challenges faced by Jewish immigrant families in New York and across the United States. This session will explore the broader historical context of the databases, demonstrate effective search techniques, and share compelling family stories uncovered through these resources.

Bio:

Gavin Beinart-Smollan is The Jewish Board's public historian, and the project lead for its digital exhibition 150yearsofcare.org. He previously worked for the YIVO Institute and the American Association for State and Local History, and is the creator of the South African Jewish Cookbook Project. Gavin holds an MA in Jewish history from Hebrew University, and is completing his PhD dissertation at New York University, on the transnational family relationships of Lithuanian Jews, 1899-1949.