02:00pm - 04:00pm  The “Unworthy” and the Deserted: New Genealogical Databases from The Jewish Board

Speaker: Gavin Beinart-Smollan 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 ...