JewishGen Support Center

1. Registration and Login:
   1. How do I register myself with JewishGen?
   2. How do I login to JewishGen?
   3. How do I get a JewishGen ID and Password?
   4. I've forgotten my JewishGen ID Number.
   5. I've forgotten my password.
   6. How do I change my Password?
   7. My email address has changed.  How do I notify JewishGen?
   8. I've moved. How do I change my address?
   9. Registration Problems:
   1. How do I confirm my registration?
   2. How do I get the confirmation link URL?
   3. I'm not receiving the acknowledgement email
   4. How do I enable cookies in my browser?
2. JewishGen Family Finder (JGFF):
   1. I've forgotten my password
   2. I've forgotten my JewishGen ID Number
   3. My email address has changed.  How do I notify JewishGen?
   4. Other JGFF issues
3. Mailing Lists:
   1. How do I subscribe to a Mailing List?
   2. How do I unsubscribe from a Mailing List?
   3. My email address has changed.  How do I notify JewishGen?
   4. How do I change my Mailing List format?
   5. How do I temporarily stop a Mailing List subscription?
   6. How do I send a message to a Mailing List?
   7. How can I send messages in "Plain Text" format?
   8. How do I retrieve older messages?
   9. I am no longer getting mail from JewishGen, what happened?
4. Contributions:
   1. How do I send a monetary contribution to JewishGen?
   2. How do I donate material to JewishGen?
5. Contacting JewishGen:
   1. How do I ask JewishGen a question?
   2. Genealogical questions

1.   Registration and Login

JewishGen requires that all users register themselves and login in order to use certain JewishGen services, such as the JewishGen Family Finder (JGFF), Family Tree of the Jewish People (FTJP), and the Mailing Lists.

1.1   How do I register myself with JewishGen?

To register yourself with JewishGen, go to thelogin form.  Click the Sign up as a new user link and register there.

You will then be sent an email verification message.  To complete the registration process, you will need to follow the instructions in the email message: Click on the hyperlink in the email message, and login to JewishGen.

If you have difficulty registering, see Question #1.9 for more details.

You only need to register with JewishGen once.  Afterwards, you can login with your email address and password (see Question #1.2).

1.2   How do I login to JewishGen?

To login to JewishGen, go to the JewishGen Login Page at https://www.jewishgen.org/CURE.  At the JewishGen Login Page, enter your Email Address or your JewishGen ID Number in the top box, and enter your self-selected Password in the bottom box, and then press the "Login" button.

If you've forgotten your JewishGen ID Number, see Question #1.4.
If you've forgotten your Password, see Question #1.5.

You only need to login to JewishGen once per browser session.  Your web browser will remember your login information as long as your browser is up.  If you re-start your browser, you will need to login to JewishGen again.

1.3   How do I get a JewishGen ID and Password?

You get a JewishGen ID Number and Password by registering with JewishGen (See Question #1.1).

When you register with JewishGen, JewishGen assigns you a JewishGen ID Number (JGID), and asks you to create your own password.

1.4   I've forgotten my JewishGen ID Number.

A JewishGen ID Number is required to access certain JewishGen services.  A JewishGen ID Number is assigned to you when you first register with JewishGen (see Question #1.1).  If you've forgotten your JewishGen ID Number, there are several methods you can use to find it:

1. Your JewishGen ID Number is sent to you in all acknowledgement messages from JewishGen.  Search your inbox and inbox wastebasket/trash for any acknowledgement messages which you've previously received from JewishGen.

2. You can click here — logging in with your email address and Password — to access your JewishGen registration information, which includes your JGID Number.

3. Fill out the Password Request Form, as explained in Question #1.5.  The response email message from the Password help desk will include your JGID Number.

1.5   I've forgotten my password.

If you have forgotten your password, you can simply click the "Forgot or change password" link on the login screen

1.6   How do I change my Password?

To modify your JewishGen contact information (your name, address, email address, etc.), your Display Options, or your Password, click here.

In order to modify your JewishGen contact information, you will need to login to JewishGen, using your email address and your Password.

1.7   My email address has changed.  How do I notify JewishGen?

See Question #1.6.

1.8   I've moved.  How do I change my address?

See Question #1.6.

1.9   Registration Problems

The JewishGen registration process consists of several steps.
Here are instructions for all of the steps, in detail:

1. Create your account
   

   To register yourself with JewishGen, go to thelogin form.  Click the Sign up as a new user link and register there.

   You will then be sent an email verification message. To complete the registration process, you will need to follow the instructions in the email message: Click on the hyperlink in the email message, and login to JewishGen.

   If you have difficulty registering, see Question #1.9 for more details.

   You only need to register with JewishGen once. Afterwards, you can login with your email address and password (see Question #1.2). (If you don't receive the email verification message, see Question #1.9.3; do not fill out the registration form more than once).

2. Recieve to the email verification message.
   The email verification message, with the subject line "Confirm your email address for JewishGen", will be sent to your email address when you complete the registration form. This email message contains a link "Confirmation my email address."

3. Click on the confirmation link URL.
   Click on the "Confirmation my email address" link in the "Confirm your email address for JewishGen" message. This link will bring you to the JewishGen site.

4. Login to JewishGen.
   The "Login to JewishGen" page will have the heading "Please login to confirm and complete your registration."  Enter your JewishGen ID Number (or email address) in the top box, and enter your Password in the bottom box.  Press the "Login" button.

5. Confirm your contact details.
   On the next page, review all of your contact information (name, address, telephone number, email address), to be sure that they are correct.  If they are, press the "Yes" button in response to the question "Are these details correct?"

6. Your registration is now complete.
   You will see a page headed "JewishGen Registration Confirmation".  Your registration is now complete.

Various problems that may be encountered during the registration process are described individually below.

1.9.1   How do I confirm my registration?

If your status is listed as "AC Awaiting Confirmation", you need to confirm your registration by completing steps 2 through 6 in Question #1.9 above.

1.9.2   How do I get the confirmation link URL?

The confirmation link URL is available only within the acknowledgement email message.  That email message is sent to you when you initially register with JewishGen, or when you change your email address.

To receive another copy of the acknowledgement email message containing the confirmation link URL:

1. Login to JewishGen at https://www.jewishgen.org/CURE, using your email address or JGID Number, and Password.  Press the "Login" button.
2. On the following page, if your registration has the status "AC Awaiting Confirmation", near the bottom of the page you will see the words "To receive another email message containing your Confirmation Code, request it here."  Click on the words "request it here".
3. An acknowledgement email message will be sent to the email address in your registration.  That acknowledgement email message will contain the confirmation link URL.  (If you don't receive the acknowledgement email message, see Question #1.9.3). 

1.9.3   I'm not receiving the acknowledgement email message.

The confirmation link URL is available only within the acknowledgement email message.  That email message is sent to you when you initially register with JewishGen, or when you change your email address.

To receive another copy of the email message containing the confirmation link URL, see Question #1.9.2.

If you are not receiving the acknowledgement email message, there are a number of possible reasons why this may be happening:

1. You have a "spam filter" in place on your system, which is blocking email sent by domain "jewishgen.org".  Change your spam filter to allow "*@*.jewishgen.org", and then request another copy of the acknowledgement email message.

2. You have mail filtering setup for your inbox.  Check your "junk" or "trash" folder(s), to see if your inbox placed JewishGen's acknowledgement email message there.

3. The email address in your registration may have been typed incorrectly.  Please validate that your email address is correct, by editing your JewishGen contact information.

1.9.4   How do I enable cookies in my browser?

The JewishGen website requires that a cookie be placed on your computer to track your session.  The cookie contains information which uniquely identifies your computer to ours.  The cookie is automatically deleted as soon as you exit your browser.

• To enable cookies in Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 6.X), select "Tools" from the main menubar, and then "Internet Options...".  Select the "Privacy" tab, and then set the Privacy Setting slider to "Medium" or lower.

• To enable cookies in Netscape (version 7.X), select "Edit" from the main menubar, and then "Preferences...".  In the menu tree on the left side, select "Privacy & Security" and then "Cookies".  Select one of the options that enables cookies.

2.   The JewishGen Family Finder (JGFF)

The JewishGen Family Finder (JGFF) is a database of surnames and ancestral towns currently being researched by Jewish genealogists worldwide.   The JGFF is a networking tool, designed to connect genealogists with similar research interests.  Its purpose is to allow people who are researching the same surnames and towns to discover each other, and then share information with each other.  All Jewish genealogists are encouraged to participate.

For complete information about the JewishGen Family Finder (JGFF), please see the JGFF FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about the JewishGen Family Finder.

2.1.   I've forgotten my password.

See Question #1.5.

2.2.  I've forgotten my JewishGen ID Number.

See Question #1.4.

2.3.  My e-mail address has changed.   How do I change it in the JGFF database?

To modify your JewishGen contact information (your name, address, email address, etc.), your Display Options, or your Password, click here.

In order to modify your JewishGen contact information, you will need to login to JewishGen, using either your email address or your JewishGen ID Number, and your Password.

Please note that changing your e-mail address for the JGFF (your primary email address) also changes the email address for any of your mailing list subscriptions under that address. 

2.4.   Other JGFF issues.

For other questions relating to the JewishGen Family Finder (JGFF), please see the complete information about the JGFF in the JGFF FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about the JewishGen Family Finder.

3.   Mailing Lists

JewishGen provides several mailing lists to allow genealogical researchers to share information, ideas, methods, tips, techniques, and resources.  There is the main JewishGen Discussion Group mailing list, and several Special Interest Group mailing lists.

3.1.   How do I subscribe to a Mailing List?

To subscribe to any JewishGen mailing list, go to the JewishGen Mailing List Management Subscription page at https://www.jewishgen.org/ListManager/members_add.asp.

Note that you must already be registered and logged into JewishGen in order to use the Mailing List Management pages.  If you are not already logged in, you will be prompted to do so.

Find the mailing list that you wish to subscribe to, and then click on the corresponding "Subscribe" button at the far right side of the page.  On the subsequent page, select your subscription mode setting:

• MAIL – Receive mail as it is contributed, as individual messages.
• DIGEST – Receive daily digest with all the messages of the day.
• INDEX – Receive daily index of the subject lines of the messages of the day.

and then press the "Subscribe" button at the bottom of that page.

You should then be successfully subscribed to the selected mailing list.

3.2.   How do I unsubscribe from a Mailing List?

To unsubscribe from any JewishGen mailing list, go to the JewishGen Mailing List Management page at https://www.jewishgen.org/ListManager.  Find the mailing list that you wish to unsubscribe from, and then click on the red "X" in the "Un-Subscribe" column at the far right side of the page.  On the subsequent page, click on the "Confirm Un-Subscribe" button, and you will be un-subscribed from the selected mailing list.

3.3.   My email address has changed.  How do I notify JewishGen?

To modify your JewishGen contact information (your name, your address, your email address, etc.), your Password, etc., click here.

In order to modify your JewishGen contact information, you will need to login to JewishGen, using either your email address or your JewishGen ID Number, and your Password.

Our systems have been designed to enable you to make this change on your own — JewishGen has no staff to make these changes for you.

3.4.   How do I change my Mailing List format?

To modify your mailing list format, go to the JewishGen Mailing List Management page at https://www.jewishgen.org/ListManager/, and perform the following steps for each mailing list to which you are subscribed:

1. Press the Modify Subscription icon.
2. In the "Modify Mailing List Options" page, choose the new setting you would like to assign.  Select any one of the four options:
   • MAIL – Receive mail as it is contributed, as individual messages.
   • DIGEST – Receive daily digest with all the messages of the day.
   • INDEX – Receive daily index of the subject lines of the messages of the day.
   • NO MAIL – Receive no mail — Temporarily stop the mail.
3. Press the "Update my Subscription Settings" button at the bottom of the "Modify Mailing List Options" page.

3.5.   How do I temporarily stop a Mailing List subscription?

Our systems have been designed to enable you to make this change on your own — JewishGen has no staff to make these changes for you.

To temporarily stop your mailing list subscription to the JewishGen Discussion Group mailing list or any of the Special Interest Group mailing lists:

Go to the JewishGen Mailing List Management page at https://www.jewishgen.org/ListManager/, and for each mailing list you are currently subscribed to, perform the following steps:

1. Press the Modify Subscription icon.
2. In the "Membership Kind" row, select the NO MAIL option.
3. Press the "Update my Subscription Settings" button at the bottom of the "Modify Mailing List Options" page.

Your mailing list subscription will then be placed on "hold", and you will receive no email until you re-instate.

For additional options, you can use our Vacation Management page at https://www.jewishgen.org/ListManager/vacation.asp.

---

To re-instate your mailing list subscription(s) when you return from your vacation:

Go to the JewishGen Mailing List Management page at https://www.jewishgen.org/ListManager/, and for each mailing list you are currently subscribed to, perform the following steps:

1. Press the Modify Subscription icon.
2. In the "Membership Kind" row, select one of the MAIL, DIGEST or INDEX options.
3. Press the "Update my Subscription Settings" button at the bottom of the "Modify Mailing List Options" page.

Your mailing list subscription will then be re-instated.

To retrieve the mailing list postings that you missed during your subscription hold, follow the instructions in Question 3.8 below.

---

For additional options, you can use our Vacation Management page at https://www.jewishgen.org/ListManager/vacation.asp.

3.6.   How do I send a message to a Mailing List?

• To send a message to everyone on the JewishGen Discussion Group mailing list, address your message to main@groups.jewishgen.org .

  Before posting, please read the Rules and Guidelines of the JewishGen Discussion Group.

• To send a message to everyone on a Special Interest Group (SIG) mailing list, you must first become a subscriber to that SIG mailing list.  Use the JewishGen Mailing List Management Subscription page to become a subscriber, and instructions will be sent to you in the SIG's welcome letter.

3.7.   How can I send messages in "Plain Text" format?

JewishGen's mailing list server can only read and send messages sent in "Plain Text" format.  Messages sent in other formats — MultiPart, MIME or HTML format — come out as unintelligible text to many recipients, thus JewishGen mailing lists require that messages be sent in "Plain Text" format only.

Instructions on how to set "Plain Text" format in several popular email programs can be found in the InfoFile "Sending Plain Text Email".

3.8.   How do I retrieve old messages?

Back copies of mailing list digests are retrievable.  Visit https://groups.jewishgen.org/g/main.

For example:

• To get the JewishGen Discussion Group digest of January 23, 2002, write:
      get jewishgen 20020123
• To get the Sephardic SIG digest of March 15, 2001, write:
      get sephardic 20010315
• To get the Belarus SIG digests of July 24 through August 3, 2001, write:
      get belarus 20010724-20010803

All of the JewishGen Mailing List names are listed in the box on the right.

You can also search all messages posted to any mailing list:

• The JewishGen Discussion Group Message Archives, 1993 to the present.
• The JewishGen SIG Lists Message Archives, 1998 to the present.

3.9.   I am no longer getting mail from JewishGen. What happened?

There are several reasons why you may no longer be receiving mail from a JewishGen mailing list to which you are subscribed:

• If the emails we send to you bounce back to our list-server (this could be caused by a temporary problem at your Internet Service Provider (ISP); network problems; a full mailbox, etc.) for several days, your subscription will automatically be set to "held" status.
• If we receive a virused email from you, your subscription will be set to "nomail" status.
• If your e-mail address changed, and you did not change your subscription address for every list to which you are subscribed (see Question 3.3).

The first step in the reinstatement process is to learn your status.  Address all e-mails asking about subscription status to our Support Team at support@jewishgen.org.

1. If you cannot remember to which mailing list(s) you are subscribed, your message to the list-server should contain the single word "which".

   The list-server will send back an email message telling you the mailing list(s) to which you are subscribed.  If the report comes back that you are not subscribed to any of our lists, that means that the e-mail address from which your message is being sent does not appear in our system.  The easiest remedy is to re-subscribe, as described in Question 3.1.

2. To find your current subscription status for each list, send an e-mail to the list-server containing "query listname".  Put each query request on a separate line in your message.  For example, if you are querying your status for three mailing lists – JewishGen, Belarus and Galicia – your message would look like:
       query jewishgen
       query belarus
       query galicia

   The list-server will send back an email telling you the subscription status of each list.  The possible status is: "held" (on hold); "nomail"; or one of the "active" settings "mail", "index" or "digest".

3. If you are on "hold" or set to "nomail", use the webforms as described in Question 3.4 to reactivate your subscription.

   If the list-server confirms that your status is active (i.e. your status is either "mail", "index" or "digest") and you are not receiving anything, you need to alert your ISP so they can explore why your mail is not being delivered to you.  If the problem cannot be resolved at that level, please communicate with JewishGen Technical Support with complete details.

4.   Contributions

4.1.   How do I send a monetary contribution to JewishGen?

JewishGen is a non-profit organization, with a small paid staff supported by hundreds of volunteers, dedicated to preserving Jewish history and helping people research their Jewish ancestry.

We depend upon your contributions to fund all of the unique projects and services found on JewishGen, which require ongoing service and maintenance.

Contributions can be made via the JewishGen-erosity program at https://www.jewishgen.org/JewishGen-erosity.  JewishGen-erosity accepts checks and all major credit cards, via fax, mail, and our secure web server.

Your gifts, which are greatly appreciated, help to ensure JewishGen's continued ability to serve the ever-growing worldwide JewishGen community, enabling us to increase the information we provide as a public service to all who have an interest in researching their Jewish ancestry.  At the same time, your gifts today fuel our mission of Jewish continuity: preserving the precious history of the Jewish people.

JewishGen, Inc. is a non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) status, which means that all donations are tax deductible for United States citizens and in some cases for Canadians as well.

4.2.   How do I donate material to JewishGen?

JewishGen welcomes the donation of relevant material for inclusion on its web site.  Donating material to JewishGen is a simple process.

First, determine which area within JewishGen is the appropriate placement:

• FTJP:  Family trees should be submitted to the Family Tree of the Jewish People.   [Donation info].
• KehilaLinks:  Information about a particular town or locality could be part of a KehilaLinks page.   [Donation Info].
• InfoFiles:  Instructional information, general reference, and how-to material could form a JewishGen InfoFile.
• Yizkor:  Yizkor book translations and other Holocaust-related material should become part of JewishGen's Yizkor Book Project.   [Donation info].
• Databases:  Larger datasets (over 1,000 items) should be placed in a searchable JewishGen Database.   [Donation info].

If there is any doubt regarding the proper placement, consult with Warren Blatt, JewishGen’s Managing Director.  JewishGen observes copyright laws, and reserves the right to reject inappropriate material.

Then visit https://www.jewishgen.org/JewishGen/agree, click on the appropriate Donor Agreement, print or download, fill in all requested information, and mail or fax to the address on the form.  Any questions should be addressed to the respective Project Manager.< /P>

Donations of material to JewishGen may be tax qualified, but it is best to consult your tax advisor to determine whether this is applicable to your own circumstance.

5.   Contacting JewishGen

5.1.   How do I ask JewishGen a question?

First, please see if your question is already answered in one of the questions above.

• If your question pertains to genealogy, then please address your question to the JewishGen Discussion Group.

• If your question pertains to a technical issue using JewishGen services, then please fill out the Technical Support Form.

• You can direct all other questions to the JewishGen Support Desk, using the guidelines specified below.

When writing to the JewishGen Support Desk, please tell us exactly what your question is.  Don't just tell us "JewishGen isn't working"... we can't help you if that's all you say.  Be very specific and tell us exactly to which page or service you are referring, what you are trying to achieve, what you expected the results to be, and what were the results you saw.  State precisely what you are trying to do.

In every message to the JewishGen Support Desk, be sure to include:

• Your full name and e-mail address.
• Your JewishGen ID Number.
• The URL: which web page you are referring to  (i.e. something that starts with "https://").
• Which web browser you are using (e.g. Mozilla Firefox 3, Microsoft Internet Explorer 7, WebTV, etc.).
• What computer operating system you are using (e.g. Windows XP, Windows Vista, MacOS X, etc.).

Your message should be coherent and consist of several complete sentences.  Establish a context and explain what you are trying to achieve.  If we cannot understand your message, we cannot help you.  Address your complete question to the JewishGen Support Desk at support@jewishgen.org.

The JewishGen Support Desk is for questions and problems relating to the JewishGen website only.  It is not a genealogical help service.  For questions about genealogical research, see the next question.

5.2.   Genealogical Questions

All questions about genealogy or genealogical research should be directed to the JewishGen Discussion Group.

JewishGen is pleased to guide you in your search, but we cannot offer any personal research service.

For information about genealogical research, please consult the JewishGen FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Jewish Genealogy, the JewishGen InfoFiles, search the JewishGen Discussion Group Archives and JewishGen web site.

You could then post a query to the JewishGen Discussion Group, via its mailing list at main@groups.jewishgen.org .

Authors: Warren Blatt, Iris Folkson, Paula Zieselman, Barry Spinak, Carol Skydell.
Version 2.10   Last Updated: Oct 25 2017   WSB