Since its organizational beginnings in the 1970s, Jewish genealogy has offered countless Americans of Jewish descent an opportunity to connect with Jewish history emotionally and spiritually. Based on her interviews with genealogists around the country, observations of Jewish Genealogical Societies, and studies of Jewish genealogists’ papers, Rachel B. Gross, Associate Professor of American Jewish Studies at San Francisco State University, will discuss how and why genealogy research has come to be viewed as a religious practice by many American Jews today.

This event took place on April 27, 2023.