Looking for ancestors who lived in, passed through, or died in Israel? The Internet contains many rich repositories where you can learn about them — and these resources, which can be searched in English and in Hebrew, are growing each day. In this session, you’ll learn how to access these resources and receive the tools you need to make the most of them. Daniel will also provide a quick introduction to the Hebrew keywords and translation tools that can help you overcome language barriers and unearth fascinating details about your ancestors located in Israel.

Dedicated to Genealogy since 1986, Daniel Horowitz holds a board-level position at the Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA). Since 2006 Daniel has been working at MyHeritage liaising with genealogy societies, bloggers and media, as well as lecturing, and attending conferences around the world..

This talk was originally given in April 2026

Paul Gardner tells us of his family history journey as he gained new research skills and learned of new genealogical resources that greatly expanded his knowledge of a line of his mother's family in Silesia / Prussia / Germany. (Paul promises to explain at the outset the reasons for the duplication and excitement.)

Dr. Paul Gardner AM was born and lives in suburban Melbourne, Australia. His newly-married parents had fled Nazi Germany in 1937. Paul was a high school science teacher for six years prior to his appointment to the Faculty of Education at Monash University in 1967. His long and varied career as an academic included appointments as a Fulbright senior scholar at Stanford University, a visiting professor at UBC in Vancouver, and the Editor for six years of Research in Science Education.

In retirement, he became interested in genealogical research in 2014 and has had numerous articles published in British, American and Australian journals. He is a member of the Melbourne branch of the Australian Jewish Genealogical Society.

This talk was originally given in February 2026

Murder in Cayoosh
Finding the brother of the first Jew buried in Victoria
By David Scriven

During the night of February 1st 1861, a Jewish storekeeper named Morris Price was brutally murdered in Cayoosh (now Lillooet) in the Colony of British Columbia. The shocked citizens raised a large reward and within a short time the perpetrators were apprehended. The local Masons buried the unfortunate man but three months later his body was disinterred and transported to Vancouver Island where he was buried with pomp by the Masons and Jews of Victoria becoming the first Jew buried in that cemetery. In Oct 1861 one Jacob St Losky of Vancouver Island, the brother and next of kin of Morris, was appointed Administrator of his estate.

The question was put to us by a law professor in Toronto who studied this case: “Who were Morris Price and Jacob St. Losky?”. This presentation concentrates on the aftermath of the murder and the origin and doings of the St. Losky family. A follow-up presentation which tells the story of Morris Price can be found here.

David Scriven is a retired scientist and a long-time member of the JGSBC. This talk was originally presented in February 2025

Murder in Cayoosh - part 2 - The full story of Morris Price and his brothers, Samuel and Jacob St Losky
By David Scriven

In an earlier meeting I told the story of Jacob St Losky who stated that he was Morris Price’s brother and was appointed administrator of Morris’s estate. I also discussed Samuel St Losky, a presumed relative of Jacob, but said and knew very little about the life of Morris Price and was unable to confirm that Jacob and Morris were brothers. The day after my talk a member of our group contacted me with information about Morris that enabled us to track him from his arrival in the United States until his death in Cayoosh. It also allowed us to connect Morris to the St Losky brothers and learn something about their life in America before they adopted their pseudonyms.

Morris Price was a pedlar, merchant and frontiersman. He lived in at least four Western gold rush towns and met his untimely end in the last one, Cayoosh. The talk will begin with a recap of what was presented earlier before describing our new findings.

David Scriven is a retired scientist and a long-time member of the JGSBC. This talk was originally presented in Aprl 2025