Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy

16/06/2026

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

The Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy (CEJHG), in partnership with the Galéria Jána Koniarka v Trnave / Jan Koniarek Gallery in Trnava, Slovakia, and the Ferramonti di Tarsia International Memorial Meuseum in Italy (Museo Internazionale della Memoria di Ferramonti di Tarsia), are launching a heritage project dedicated to the documentation and commemoration of the Jewish communities under the rabbinate of Trnava (also named Nagyszombat, Tyrnau, and טירנוי), one of the oldest Jewish communities in present-day Slovakia.

The project will uncover Jewish life in this area from its beginnings, through different eras leading to, during and after the Holocaust. The intended results of the project are a comprehensive database, exhibitions, lectures, educational programs and a correlating publication.

We have already commenced the collection of archival documents, and are looking for volunteers for a few different tasks:
❇️ Do you have family photos or documents from the area?– we would love to hear about it to include your information in the database we are building.
❇️ Can you read old handwriting, translate, or transcribe in one or more of the following: Hungarian, Slovak, German, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Latin
❇️ Do you have understanding in Cataloguing and Archival documentation?
❇️ Love historical research? Collecting relevant news articles from online databases
❇️ Living in Slovakia, Hungary, or Israel? We need you to digitize material in local archives and/or museums
❇️ Are you a natural leader? Team management in a digital environment

If you’d like to participate and contribute to this project, please fill out the following form:
https://form.jotform.com/261584260979066

16/06/2026

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

The Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy (CEJHG), in partnership with the Ján Koniarek Gallery in Trnava, Slovakia (Galéria Jána Koniarka v Trnave / Jan Koniarek Gallery in Trnava), and the Ferramonti di Tarsia International Memorial Meuseum in Italy (Museo Internazionale della Memoria di Ferramonti di Tarsia), are launching a heritage project dedicated to the documentation and commemoration of the Jewish communities under the rabbinate of Trnava (also named Nagyszombat, Tyrnau, and טירנוי), one of the oldest Jewish communities in present-day Slovakia.

The project will uncover Jewish life in this area from its beginnings, through different eras leading to, during and after the Holocaust. The intended results of the project are a comprehensive database, exhibitions, lectures, educational programs and a correlating publication.

We have already commenced the collection of archival documents, and are looking for volunteers for a few different tasks:
✅ Do you have family photos or documents from the area?– we would love to hear about it to include your information in the database we are building.
✅ Can you read old handwriting, translate, or transcribe in one or more of the following: Hungarian, Slovak, German, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Latin
✅ Do you have understanding in Cataloguing and Archival documentation?
✅ Love historical research? Collecting relevant news articles from online databases
✅ Living in Slovakia, Hungary, or Israel? We need you to digitize material in local archives and/or museums
✅ Are you a natural leader? Team management in a digital environment

If you’d like to participate and contribute to this project, please fill out the following form:
https://form.jotform.com/261584260979066

01/06/2026

Our members and followers would probably like to know about JEWISH GENEALOGY, a free, online, peer-reviewed journal by the International Institute for Jewish Genealogy and Paul Jacobi Center. Their 3rd issue is now published and waiting for you!

Excited to read the latest findings in Jewish genealogy?

The 3rd issue of JEWISH GENEALOGY, IIJG’s free, online, peer-reviewed journal, is now available.

Edited by Sallyann Amdur Sack Pikus, former editor of AVOTAYNU, the journal features innovative research, newly discovered resources, and fresh methodologies from scholars worldwide.

TO ACCESS THE ONLINE JOURNAL

If you have already registered:
1. Go to: www.iijg.org/
2. Click on LOGIN, on upper menu
3. Enter your username and password.
4. You will be directed to the journal’s Table of Contents.
5. Click on any article to read.

________________________________________
If this is your first time registering:
1. Go to: www.iijg.org/
2. Click on REGISTER, on upper menu
3. Create a username and password.
4. You will be directed to the journal’s Table of Contents.
5. Click on any article to read.
________________________________________

We hope you will find this issue a meaningful contribution to the field and a valuable resource for research and scholarship.

Submissions of original articles, letters to the editor, and scholarly commentary are welcome at email: [email protected].

We look forward to your engagement and participation,
Sallyann
Dr. Sallyann Sack Pikus, Editor and IIJG Chair
• Article submissions welcome at [email protected]
• Learn more about IIJG: www.iijg.org

Jewish genealogy, identity, meaning-making, collective memory, peoplehood, narrative, digital archives, intergenerational transmission

28/05/2026

What happens when historians, genealogists, archivists, researchers, educators, and family historians from across Europe and beyond come together to explore the Jewish past of Central Europe?

This highlights film captures moments from Parallel Paths, Shared Past: Jewish History and Genealogy in Central Europe,” the inaugural international conference held in May 2026 at the Vienna Campus of Central European University.

Organized by the Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy (CEJHG) in partnership with the CEU Jewish Studies Program, the conference created a unique space for dialogue between academic scholarship and genealogical research, bringing together voices dedicated to uncovering, preserving, and reconnecting the region’s Jewish histories.

Featuring reflections from conference speakers and organizers, this video offers a glimpse into three remarkable days of scholarship, collaboration, and shared discovery in Vienna.

From archival discoveries to questions of memory, identity, preservation, and historical reconstruction, the conference highlighted the many ways family history research deepens our understanding of the broader Central European Jewish experience.

See you again in our next conference - May 2027 in Budapest

Join the CEJHG here: https://cejhg.org/en/membership/

28/05/2026

The day after the conclusion of our Parallel Paths, Shared Past 2026 Conference, members of the Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy and conference participants from near and far gathered for a special reception at the residence of Israeli Ambassador David Roet in Vienna.

Bringing together Austrians, Israelis, and participants from around the world, the evening offered a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the conference and continue the meaningful conversations it sparked.

With so many of our global members together in one place, we also held the CEJHG’s official General Assembly, where we discussed the association’s path forward, new initiatives we hope to implement, opportunities for collaboration, and ways to harness the remarkable expertise, language skills, and spirit of cooperation within our international community.

We extend our sincere thanks to Ambassador Roet and his team at Israel in Österreich for their generous invitation, their collaborative spirit, the special care they extended to our guests, and their warm hospitality.

Moments like these remind us that building bridges across borders is at the heart of our shared work.

28/05/2026

The second group of participants in the conference "Parallel Paths, Shared Past: Jewish History and Genealogy in Central Europe" went on a tour through the older Jewish section of the Viennese Central Cemetery (Wiener Zentralfriedhof 1. Tor), with E. Randol Schoenberg, who created a tailored walk between the gravestones of ancestors of anyone who wanted., and also doubled as the designated tour photographer.

At the same time, a third tour explored Jewish Vienna with tour guide Walter Juraschek.

And thus the 3-day conference organized by the Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy in partnership with the CEU Jewish Studies concluded.

See you next year in our second conference in Budapest, May 2027!

27/05/2026

To finish the conference Parallel Paths, Shared Past: Jewish History and Genealogy in Central Europe with a lasting impression – a few tour options were offered to the participants, and the top three which were picked by CEJHG members, speakers, and conference participants materialized into three tours.

One group explored the Währinger Jewish Cemetery. Guided by Georg Gaugusch and Wolf-Erich Eckstein, and hosted by the association Rettet den jüdischen Friedhof Währing ("Save the Jewish Cemetery Waehring"). The weather was perfect, and the cemetery, which is not generally open to the public most of the time, was as fascinating as always. The stories added by our two expert guides made the experience unforgettable.

A shout out goes to CEJHG member and MyHeritage Chief Genealogist
Daniel Horowitz, who didn’t waste a second and managed to take over 600 photos of graves during the tour.

Photos by CEJHG members Fred Chvatal and Mercedes Marmorek

27/05/2026

The closing discussion of the conference Parallel Paths, Shared Past: Jewish History and Genealogy in Central Europe, titled “CEJHG - Next Steps”, was a lively discussion between the 110 Historians and Genealogists in attendance, with Prof. Michael Miller - Head of the CEU Jewish Studies program and Co-Founder & Deputy Chairman of the CEJHG, and Mattan Segev-Frank, MA - Co-Founder and Secretary General of the CEJHG.

During this discussion we listened to what the audience felt about the conference, and expectations from members of the Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy for our future projects. We discussed the need for fundraising for the CEJHG (contact us if you’d like to make a donation), about our first project, initiated by member Matan Copperman from Israel for the documentation and commemoration of the Jewish communities under the rabbinate of Trnava, Slovakia.

And last but certainly not least - we announced our 2nd conference will take place next year, May 3-6, in Budapest, Hungary.
We hope to see you all there!

Photography by Elena Azzalini Photography

26/05/2026

Pavel Kats, CEO of the Jewish Heritage Network, presenting his paper “Data Ecosystems, the European Data Spaces and the Future of (Jewish) Genealogical Research” at the conference Parallel Paths, Shared Past: Jewish History and Genealogy in Central Europe, organized by the Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy in partnership with the CEU Jewish Studies Program.

Photography by Elena Azzalini Photography

26/05/2026

Prof. Mag.a Hannah Miriam Lessing, Managing Director of the Nationalfonds der Republik Österreich, presenting the great work done by the National Fund for Neo-Austrians and in maintenance of Jewish cemeteries around Austria, and answering questions from the audience at the conference “
Parallel Paths, Shared Past: Jewish History and Genealogy in Central Europe, organized by the Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy in partnership with the CEU Jewish Studies Program.

Photos by Elena Azzalini Photography