When: Wednesday, August 6, 7:00 pm EDT
Where: via Zoom
When researching Jewish families and communities in small towns, the most revealing sources are often hiding in plain sight. Austin Albanese, who has documented over two dozen small-town Jewish communities and published in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Plain Dealer, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, will explore how general newspaper archives, outside the Jewish press, can offer rich insight where few other records survive. The talk will include real examples and practical strategies for finding overlooked names, events, and stories through these underused sources.
Speaker: Austin Albanese is a historian, writer, and nonprofit strategist who uses ethically grounded storytelling to illuminate overlooked histories—especially those rooted in Jewish life, civic memory, and small-town America. His writing has appeared in The Times of Israel, The Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and other major outlets. Austin has documented Jewish communities in over 20 towns, supporting museum exhibits, Holocaust education, and public history projects. With an MPA from Cornell University, he brings a historian’s rigor and a nonprofit leader’s vision to advancing education, policy, and community memory.
Registration is required by Tuesday, August 5th. It is free for members of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland and $5 for non-members. The Zoom link for the presentation will be sent automatically on the morning of August 5th and again on the morning of August 6th.
Please contact Sean Martin at programming@jgscleveland.org with any questions.
