The Need for a Sephardic Genealogical Society

Sephardic genealogy has taken great steps forward over recent years. Following the pioneering work of Jeff Malka and others, the Sephardic Diaspora Facebook group launched in 2014 to provide a home for serious discussion of Iberian Jewish genealogy. Over the last eighteen months, the Sephardic World meetings have made a useful contribution. Today we announce the creation of the Sephardic Genealogical Society.

Why the need for a specifically Sephardic society? This week we shall discuss the main differences between Ashkenazi and Sephardi genealogy, and some of the rabbit-holes that exist within the world of Sephardic genealogy. These can include the crypto-Jewish movement, ideas around Sephardic settlement in eastern Europe, and fantasies built around 'secret signs', surnames, and 'fleeing the Inquisition'.

The Portuguese and Spanish nationality laws have spawned a whole unregulated industry. The Sephardic Genealogical Society plans to introduce a voluntary Code of Conduct for those working in the field. Join us to discuss the exciting future of Sephardic genealogy.

The meeting is on Sunday 25 July 2021 at 11am in LA, 2pm NYC, 7pm London, 8pm Amsterdam, and 9pm Jerusalem. Patrons can join us on Zoom. The link is shared at our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/sephardi

Everyone is invited to join us for free at: https://www.youtube.com/SephardicGenealogyAndHistory/

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