
The JGSGB is the only Jewish family history organisation in Great Britain, and is a society for anyone researching their Jewish ancestors. Now in its thirtieth year, the JGSGB runs online and in-person genealogy workshops, specialist talks and provides a variety of research and support services for members.
On Sunday 30 October 2022 the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain (JGSGB) held its 29th Annual London Conference at the Jewish Museum in Camden Town, and the first in-person conference in three years. We were delighted to be featured in the guest speaker line-up. Debra Brunner’s talk “Jewish Belarus – archives, heritage, vodka and herring!” gave an insight into the complexities of searching for ancestral records in the Belarus archives and how The Together Plan is helping people through its Archive Search Service. Of course there was a nod to Belarusian herring and vodka, something that many of our ancestors in Belarus would have enjoyed around their kitchen tables in their shtetls back in the day. For sure Marc Chagall and his family would have partaken, since Chagall’s father worked in a fish factory in Vitebsk, an image that was captured in a sketch by Marc Chagall himself.

Marc Chagall Storehouse of Herrings, 1911
Exhibited in Marc Chagall’s family home in Vitebsk
Photo credit Debra Brunner 2019
The other speakers at the conference who delivered fascinating talks were Howard Martin and Marilyn Scott from the Bevis Marks Synagogue Heritage Foundation speaking about the “The Bevis Marks Synagogue Story – celebrating over 300 years” and Dr Nick Barratt, author, broadcaster and historian whose talk was “The Future of Family History”.
We are always very grateful for the opportunity to speak at JGSGB’s events and we value the warm welcome that we always receive from its members.