Pricing
£5 for members; £10 for non-members
Programme for JGSGB Annual Conference
1.30 to 1.45 Welcome. Leigh Dworkin, JGSGB Chairman.
1.45 to 2.45 Talk 1 Prof Tony Kushner – the Jewish pedlar an untold criminal history
2.45 to 2.55 Break
3.00 to 4.00 Talk 2 Emily Garber – When It Takes a Village
4.00 to 4.10 Break
4.15 to 5.15 Talk 3 Adam Brown – The genetic origins of the Jewish people
5.15 to 5.30 Closing remarks. Michael Tobias OBE, JGSGB President
5.30 Close
1) The Jewish Pedlar – an untold criminal history by Prof Tony Kushner
It’s evening at a remote Sussex pub in 1734 and a vicious triple murder has just taken place. Jacob
Harris – a Jewish pedlar, smuggler and possible highwayman – stands accused of slitting the throats
of the publican, his ill wife and a female servant.
Tony has studied the case for his latest book, The Jewish Pedlar: An Untold Criminal History. The point of
interest for him was not whether Harris was guilty (he probably was). Or even whether – despite the
seriousness of the crime – he was a victim of English antisemitism in everything from the newspaper
coverage to the way he was later remembered. He was more interested in a series of questions about
Harris’s background and motivations.
2) "When It Takes a Village: Applying Cluster and Collateral Research Techniques" by Emily Garber
Sometimes tracking one’s ancestors tests all one’s research acumen. Identifying subject ancestors, their origins, and parentage; tracking them through time and space; and constructing biographies to place them in their social context is best approached by broadening one’s research to include family members, associates and neighbours. This presentation will outline a program for solving genealogical problems via cluster and collateral research techniques. Topics will include: appropriate application, commonly used resources and documents, and case studies successfully tracking individuals despite seemingly meagre clues, overcoming name and residential changes and using DNA evidence.
3) The Genetic Origins and Migrations of the Jewish People by Adam Brown
Under the auspices of the Technion (Israel’s MIT), the Avotaynu DNA Project is a landmark scientific study that has tested over a thousand men in far-flung Jewish communities from China to Surinam. Project Administrator Adam Brown will describe what the Project has learnt thus far about Jewish origins, as well as the latest discoveries about our migrations during the last 3,000 years of Jewish history.
