By Emily K. Alhadeff Associate Editor, JTNews
The only thing missing was the campfire on December 8 when 30 people gathered with the Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State to practice one of the oldest arts in the world: Storytelling.
The event, the first of its kind in many years, invited participants to share “family stories: Scandalous, Scintillating, or Sweet?” at the group’s usual spot, the Latter Day Saints Factoria building.
With 10 minutes each, six presenters shared their most interesting family legends to a rapt audience, from a German father who escaped the Nazis by stealing a bicycle and pedaling over the Loire River moments before the bridge was blown up, to the forward-thinking 19th-century great-grandfather who found himself in the middle of a school-prayer controversy, to the first cousin who happened to be Stalin’s henchman (that would be Alexander Orlov — not to be confused with Aleksandr Orlov, the anthropomorphic meerkat in British commercials).
The small organization meets monthly at the LDS Factoria building to hear from local and national genealogy experts and to discuss and use ancestry research tools.
“People just want to know who they are and where they come from,” said Mary Kozy, president of the JGSWS. “People get older, family gets more precious, they have more time, and I think for a lot of people, DNA is an interesting thing.”
Now with affordable DNA kits on the market, genealogy enthusiasts are using DNA as a new tool in their heritage research.
“For people in the Jewish community and people who are adoptees, they really want to know who they are on a very fundamental level,” Kozy continued.
With a cataclysmic breach in history due to the Holocaust, many Jews use DNA testing to try to break through family history brick walls, she added. Even if the DNA results don’t yield any new information, a “DNA cousin” might show up with a paper trail you never knew about. At least one storyteller landed on a surprise paper trail while researching his family on Ancestry.com.
“It’s a huge thing for them to understand finally where they come from,” she said. “It’s very moving to watch that.”
Kozy’s own journey into Jewish genealogy is unique. As a member of the LDS church, she was always interested in ancestry — a popular topic in the church.
While researching her husband’s Ukrainian ancestry, she discovered the ship manifest from his ancestors’ journey to America. On it, they were listed as Jewish. Though her husband had never heard a thing about being Jewish, Kozy started investigating. She got involved with the JGSWS, eventually landing on the board and becoming president.
By the time the DNA kits came out and her husband could test for Jewish ancestry, she was so heavily involved that it didn’t matter when his results showed up negative.
“I’m the token non-Jew on the board,” she said with a laugh.
The group used to meet at the Stroum Jewish Community Center until they lost their storage space during the renovation. Frantically, they explored all the options, and the LDS building was willing to lend space to the group at no charge.
Former president Nancy Adelson organizes the monthly speakers. The storytelling event filled a hole in the schedule, but it was met with positive reception.
“We just brainstormed and thought it would be fun,” said Kozy. “We had a great response. People really enjoyed it.”
The next JGSWS event will take place Monday, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the LDS Factoria building, 4200 124th St. SE, Bellevue. The meeting will feature Fred Blum, a private investigator who specializes in genealogical research. In August 2016, Seattle will host the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies annual conference.