At this year’s virtual Treasures in the Archives program on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m., Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives Director Eric Lidji and Project Archivist Catelyn Cocuzzi will look at collections where "everyday archivists" have given us the pieces to tell the story of local Jewish history.

In "The Art of Field Gathering," Lidji will talk about collecting archival materials in real time, as events unfold. "Field gathering" is when archivists leave the comforts of the archive to proactively collect ephemera from the world, rather than allowing those materials to arrive by happenstance. This "real time" technique has been crucial for documenting local Jewish history over the past two years, first after the Oct. 27 synagogue attack and now as the Jewish community navigates the coronavirus pandemic.

In "Scrapbooks: Preserving Family Legacies," Cocuzzi will consider the lasting historical value of one of the most common ways of preserving family stories. Scrapbooks are journals of memories, a gateway into the lives of their creators. They contain seemingly mundane materials. But upon closer inspection, those materials come together to tell specific, nuanced stories.

Using photographs, business documents, and correspondence, DeRoy pieced together the history of Joseph DeRoy & Sons, the well-known downtown jewelry store run by her husband Ralph L. DeRoy and his family. Her scrapbook pages show how a small pawn broking business started by an immigrant Jewish family from Amsterdam evolved into a series of downtown jewelry stores operated by branches of a growing family.

This edition of Treasures in the Archives will also include a presentation of rarely seen materials from more than a century of Kennywood Park history.

This virtual program is free and open to all.

For more information about Treasures in the Archives, please contact Sierra Green at 412-454-6361 or sgreen@heinzhistorycenter.org.

JGS-Pittsburgh Presents: Jennifer Mendelsohn - Oct. 21 

In her talk "No, You Don’t Really Have 7,900 4th Cousins: Some DNA Basics for Those With Ashkenazi Jewish Heritage," Jennifer Mendelsohn will present the basics of DNA, helping you avoid some of the common pitfalls of DNA research and teaching you some tips for moving forward on your tree.

The program is on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. It is free for JGS-Pittsburgh members and $5 for the general public. Please register online.

Jennifer Mendelsohn is a seasoned journalist and ghostwriter whose work has appeared in numerous local and national publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, People, Slate, and USA Today.

A native Long Islander now based in Baltimore, Md., Mendelsohn serves on the board of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Maryland and is the administrator of Facebook’s Jewish genetic genealogy group. A member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, she is the creator of the movement known as #resistancegenealogy, a project that uses genealogical and historical records to fight disinformation and honor America’s immigrant past. Her work has received international media attention, including being featured on CNN.com, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post.

For more information, contact the archives by email or call 412-454-6406.

The Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives was founded on November 1, 1988 to collect, preserve, and make accessible the documentary history of Jews and Jewish communities of Western Pennsylvania. You can help the RJHPA continue its work by making a donation that will directly support the work being done in Western Pa.