The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, JewishGen and JLTV are partnering to produce Generations, the first Jewish-themed genealogy television series that will use the vast digital resources of JewishGen, the historical resources of the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the production resources of JLTV to unravel centuries-old family histories.
The groundbreaking series—planned to pilot this fall—will uncover and explore each featured luminary’s family tree, delve into where their ancestors lived, as well as reveal artifacts, objects, documents and photographs that paint a full family portrait. Guests, including prominent Jewish celebrities and dignitaries, will be announced at a later date.
“We look forward to partnering with JewishGen and JLTV—two pillars in the Jewish community—to bring this show to life. We hope this new series will provide moments of discovery to those we feature and to broader audiences, where they will learn more about their ancestry and how to access the resources available. To better know who we are, we need to know where we came from. These personal stories will also provide opportunities to learn about many important moments and movements in Jewish history,” said Jack Kliger, president and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
Generations will be anchored by Brad Pomerance, host of award-winning television programs such as Air Land & Sea on JLTV, Uncovered in the Archives on KVCR in Southern California and formerly Local Edition on HLN. Brad has received several awards for his work from the American Psychological Association’s Society of Media Psychology, Los Angeles Press Club, Religion Communicators Council, Religion News Association (1st Place, Outstanding Religion Documentary, 2021), Society of American Archivists and Telly Awards.
Avraham Groll, executive director of JewishGen, said “helping people retrace their family history and strengthening their sense of Jewish identity aligns perfectly with JewishGen’s mission of being the global home for Jewish genealogy. This partnership is an ideal path to learn, discover and grow, all while demonstrating how people can utilize our unique collection of records, and unparalleled historical and community-focused resources on their own. It will demonstrate that Jewish Genealogy is accessible for anyone with a desire to gain a deeper understanding of their Jewish roots, no matter their level of familiarity or expertise.”
Pomerance added that “knowing one’s family history helps us to better understand ourselves and where we came from. It is an honor to partner with JewishGen and the Museum of Jewish Heritage to launch this new series. We can’t wait for our viewers to watch Generations.”
The announcement comes as the Museum of Jewish Heritage cements its plans to establish the Peter and Mary Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Research Center, where visitors can access the Jewish genealogy resources within JewishGen and the museum’s respective collections to discover more about their Jewish history.
The space will contain computer stations where people can access JewishGen’s genealogy resources and its vast collection of records and data. It will have printers for visitors to bring their research home, and contain hundreds of Yizkor (Memorial) Books and print materials. There also will be on-site volunteers and content experts to assist people.
For more information, click here.
