After retiring from her career in education, Deborah Katz decided to take on the role of a lifetime – president of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland. She succeeds Stuart Hoicowitz.
Katz, who lives in Medina and was born in Cleveland, spent her early years in Germany where her father was stationed in the U.S. Army. She moved back to Cleveland in 1969 and graduated from Hawken School in Chester Township in 1980.
After her high school graduation, she went to law school at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in Columbus. She continued to live and work in Columbus for 30 years. When she retired, she became involved with the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland.
She told the Cleveland Jewish News that, while she does have some limitations when it comes to her health, she is excited to work and grow with the organization.
CJN: What prepared you for the role of president of the JGSC?
Katz: I am an enthusiastic genealogist and thoughtful learner who enjoys working with people and breaking through brick walls. My health crisis has kept me in a recliner on most days, but COVID has offered new technology for nonprofit administration and the board has approved my online participation.
CJN: What made you decide to take on the role of president of the JGSC after retirement?
Katz: It is an organization and mission that I support and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that fits my interests and skill set. We will not be the same organization next year, but the under-standing of family roots, connections to family near and far, medical history discoveries, meeting new friends, and the history and skills learned through genealogy research will continue to bring us together in new and different ways. I am ready and eager to meet this challenge.
CJN: What is membership with the JGSC like?
Katz: Our membership is diverse and growing. A majority of our members are Jewish and live in Northeast Ohio, however, we have a strong contingent who live out of state, and we hope to expand our virtual services to better serve them and build our base. We welcome all and hope to explore new partnerships in Cleveland and around the world.
Our membership process is currently under review. Over the next several months, we will simplify the process with new technology and improve: free access to all JGSC program-ming; easier connections for members researching common families and towns; direct access to JGSC’s informative newsletter, The Kol; online access to past JGSC programs and speaker handouts and power points; and a research tip of the month. Our website has been our point of contact and will undergo a complete overhaul. In the meantime, we hope you will connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/jgscleveland.org.
CJN: Tell me a little bit about the Zoom conference for the JGSC’s next program, “Secrets, Lies, and Families … Let’s Talk!”?
Katz: “Secrets, Lies, and Families … Let’s Talk!” will be on Sept. 7th at 7 p.m. It’s part of our monthly series and is open to the public. Noted independent writer and book author, Diane Cole, will join us to discuss the genealogy lessons from, “The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters: A True Story of Family Fiction,” by Julie Klam. The book title says it all: What’s fact? What’s fiction? How can we distinguish between the two? What can research reveal, and what secrets will remain unknown, however much we research? What lessons can we learn from disproving the mythical, fictional aspects of family history? How do we reconcile our family fictions with family realities? In addition to discussing Klam’s entertaining book, she’ll tell her own story of learning about previously unknown aspects of her family history, courtesy of relatives she never knew who tracked her down through their own research.
Our monthly programs occur on the first Wednesday of the month and will remain on Zoom through 2022. They are active, engaged and open to the public. Currently, there is no charge, except our November program. If you have questions about JGSC, you can email me at president@jgscleveland.org.
Abigail Preiszig is the Linda and Clifford Wolf Editorial Intern at the Cleveland Jewish News.
