Internet Connection


1			The Internet has quickly become an invaluable resource for Americans who wish to research their ethnic heritage. One useful site for Jewish Americans is JewishGen (http://www.jewishgen.org). Go to their site and take a look at the countries and regions listed under the Special Interest Groups toward the bottom of the page. Are you surprised at the geographical distribution of countries with genealogical resources on Jews? Click on the link to one of these regions. If you were a Jew descended from this area, how might you use the resources here? Is there any information in the link you've selected to the Holocaust? What might this suggest about the role of the Holocaust for Jews in general, as well as for Jews interested in researching their genealogy? Return to the main JewishGen page by clicking your browser's Back button. Under "Special Interest Groups," click on "Early American." Read through the "Purpose" section. How are Jews who immigrated to the United States before 1880 different from Jews who immigrated after this date? Why, do you imagine, are the immigration patterns for early and later Jews so different? To your knowledge, do other immigrant groups have a similar historical pattern?