Routes To Roots Foundation
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Miriam Weiner () is an American genealogist, author, and lecturer who specializes in the research of Jewish roots in Poland and the former Soviet Union. Weiner is considered to be one of the pioneers of contemporary Jewish genealogy through her work to open up archives and is described as a trail-blazing, highly respected guide and leading authority on archival holdings and resources in pre-war
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
,
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
,
Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, and
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
.


Personal life

Weiner was born in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, to Edward (who grew up in St. Louis, Missouri) and Helen Weiner (who grew up In Tulsa, Oklahoma). Weiner's parents were married in Los Angeles, California and both passed away in Florida. Weiner grew up in
Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...
,
Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
. Weiner's family comes from
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
,
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
, and
Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
. Her surname, Weiner, was originally Vinokur in Ukraine. In 1960, Weiner graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines. She attended the
University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...
and
Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The University offers over 140 undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, Legal education, law, and pharmacy. Drake U ...
in Des Moines. In 1986, she received a B.A. in Historical Studies with a concentration in Modern Judaic History and Holocaust Studies from
Empire State College Empire State University (SUNY Empire) is a public university headquartered in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Empire State University is a multi-site institution offering associate degre ...
, SUNY. Since 1986, Weiner has been based out of
Secaucus Secaucus ( ) is a town in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 22,181, an increase of 5,917 (+36.4%) from the 2010 census count of 16,264, which in turn reflected an in ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. She also has an apartment in
Mohyliv-Podilskyi Mohyliv-Podilskyi (, ) is a city in Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Mohyliv-Podilskyi Raion within the oblast. It is located in the historic region of Podolia, on the border with Bessarabia, Moldova, along th ...
, in southern
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
, which she uses as a base to conduct research.


Career


Early career

After attending college, Weiner moved to
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
and worked for the Orange County Sheriff's Department in Santa Ana,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. During this time, she also took courses in criminal justice at
Orange Coast College Orange Coast College (OCC) is a Public college, public community college in Costa Mesa, California, Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides Associate of Ar ...
. From 1969 to 1971, she was country singer Bobbie Gentry's assistant and road manager. She got the job by answering an advertisement in the newspaper. Weiner worked as a paralegal for various attorneys in
Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Weiner was then licensed as a private investigator by the State of California, which she said helped her later in her “next life” as a genealogist. Weiner moved to
Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...
and lived on a horse ranch and worked as a real estate agent. In 1984, Weiner moved to Albany,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, where her mother was born and many family members still lived, while she finished her college degree.


Genealogy

In 1985, with the recommendation of Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern, genealogist for the
American Jewish Archives The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, founded in 1947, is committed to preserving a documentary heritage of the religious, organizational, economic, cultural, personal, social and family life of American Jewry. It has be ...
in
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, and Fellow of the
American Society of Genealogists The American Society of Genealogists is the scholarly honorary society of the genealogical field. Founded by John Insley Coddington, Arthur Adams, and Meredith B. Colket, Jr., in December 1940, its membership is limited to 50 living fellows. ASG pu ...
, Weiner became the first Jewish genealogist to be certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists in Washington, D.C. As part of the ongoing certification process, the Board for Certification of Genealogists has required intensive review and continuing education, resulting in separate renewals (every 5 years) of Weiner's genealogical work over 30+ years. In 2015, the Board for Certification of Genealogists awarded Miriam "Emeritus" status based upon a "long and distinguished career with BCG." Noted rabbi, historican, and genealogist Malcolm H. Stern, considered her "the most valuable person in the field of genealogy" and a standard bearer of all that BCG upholds." From 1986 to 1988, Weiner was executive director of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, which was founded by Benjamin Meed. Amongst her duties, Weiner helped develop the database of Holocaust survivors, now known as the Benjamin and Vladka Meed Registry of Holocaust Survivors, that is now housed at the United States Holocaust Memorial. From 1987 to 1996, Weiner was a syndicated columnist, writing the column "Roots and Branches", which was published in more than 100 Jewish newspapers and periodicals, both domestically and internationally. In 1988, inspired by reconnecting with her extended maternal family from Albany at a funeral, Weiner expanded the research of her family's roots with a renewed focus on Eastern Europe. This was before the 1991
dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...
, when it was virtually impossible to obtain access to archives for genealogical purposes in that part of the world. In 1989, as a result of the genealogy research and outreach from Weiner's syndicated column, "Roots and Branches", the Polish National Tourist Office (PNTO) extended an invitation for Weiner to visit Poland for the purpose of meeting with the head archivists and also to make plans for subsequent Jewish tour groups to visit their ancestral towns in Poland. Weiner found that the perception that Jewish documents were completely destroyed during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
by the occupation of
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
and
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
governments was untrue. Weiner gained permission from the head archivist in Poland to create a town-by-town index to surviving Jewish and civil documents in archives throughout Poland. She did this with the official cooperation of the Polish State Archives.


Routes to Roots

In 1990, Weiner founded the company, Routes to Roots, which offered archival research services to individuals throughout the world. Through Routes to Roots, Weiner organized customized tours to ancestral towns for individuals and groups interested in Poland and the former Soviet Union, including
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
,
Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
,
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
,
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
, and
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. Weiner undertook these tours of ancestral towns at a time when there was little to no technology, and difficulties specific to Jewish genealogy included the lack of surnames until the late 1700s, the fluidity of surnames due to immigration and language, and the destruction of documents during
The Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. Through Routes to Roots, Weiner has conducted genealogical research in the archives of Poland and the former Soviet Union.


Routes to Roots Foundation

In 1994, Weiner founded the Routes to Roots Foundation, a
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
. The Routes to Roots Foundation hosts a website which includes a town-by-town index and inventory of surviving Jewish and civil documents held at archives and institutions in Eastern Europe, Israel and the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust, dedicated to the documentation, study, and interpretation of the Holocaust. Opened in 1993, the museum explores the Holocaust through p ...
in Washington, D.C. The website includes articles by archivists, historians and scholars; maps; document examples; name lists for about a dozen towns; as well as other reference material. Much of this information now available online was originally published in two books by the Routes to Roots Foundation, although the books include additional detailed content and images. As part of the activities of the Routes to Roots Foundation, Weiner donated copies of the books to the individual archives in Poland, Ukraine, and Moldova in appreciation of their assistance and as a way to improve the discoverability of their holdings relating to Jewish genealogical sources. Weiner also donated copies of the books to Jewish genealogical organizations.


''Jewish Roots in Poland''

In 1997, in official cooperation with the Polish State Archives (Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
), Weiner authored and published the book, ''Jewish Roots in Poland.'' The book includes archival holdings of the Polish State Archives, the
Jewish Historical Institute The Jewish Historical Institute ( or ''ŻIH''; ), also known as the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute, is a public cultural and research institution in Warsaw, Poland, chiefly dealing with the history of Jews in Poland and Jewish cul ...
in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, local town hall documents throughout Poland, Holocaust documents found in the archives of the
death camps Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe, primarily in occupied Poland, during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocau ...
located in
Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...
near
Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
and
Majdanek Majdanek (or Lublin) was a Nazi concentration and extermination camp built and operated by the SS on the outskirts of the city of Lublin during the German occupation of Poland in World War II. It had three gas chambers, two wooden gallows, ...
near
Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...
. The book also features document examples, maps, antique postcards depicting towns and daily life, and modern-day photographs. There are individual town listings for localities with more than 10,000 Jews in 1939. Zachary M. Baker, Head Librarian of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research stated, "This book is a testimony to its author's resourcefulness, years of hard work, persistence, and meticulous attention to detail. She has skillfully identified and addressed several gaps in Jewish genealogical and family historical literature. Jewish Roots in Poland provides the means for researchers to go out and "do it themselves," through its extensive chapters on Polish Jewish communities, on Polish state, municipal, and concentration camp archives and on the Jewish Historical Institute; and through its exhaustive bibliographies, abundant photographs, maps and lists of addresses. These features, taken together, promise to make this a very successful reference book."


''Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova''

In a recent interview with Weiner, Tasha Ackerman commented,"Miriam's work hasn’t been just about extracting documents; it’s been about building trust and forming relationships with archivists who were often skeptical and who sometimes took a risk in order to help Miriam on her mission.  When she began her trips to Ukraine, Miriam faced the enormous challenge of not speaking the language while attempting something unprecedented in her field. In the early years of her work, particularly when visiting small villages, she knew she might be the first American that many archivists and residents had ever encountered. Compensating for her lack of Ukrainian language skills, she arrived with big smiles and hugs." In 1999, in official cooperation with the Ukraine State Archives (Ukraïnskyi derzhavnyi arkhiv) and the Moldova National Archives (Arhivă Naţională a Republicii Moldova), Weiner authored and published ''Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova.'' The book includes archival holdings of the Ukraine State Archives and its branch archives throughout the country and the Moldova National Archives in Chișinău as well as local town hall documents throughout Ukraine and Moldova. The book also features document examples, maps, antique postcards depicting towns and daily life, and modern-day photographs. There are individual town listings for localities throughout both countries.


Belarus and Lithuania

The Routes to Roots Foundation website also includes articles by archivists and historians, maps and archive data from
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
and
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
, presented in a similar format as Weiner's two books. Originally envisioned as a third book in the ''Jewish Roots'' series, this information is only found online.


Routes to Roots Foundation Website Databases

Archive Database An online Archive Database containing detailed information about archives listed in Weiner's books on Poland, Ukraine, and Moldova was published in 2002 on the Routes to Roots Foundation website. The Archive Database was then supplemented with similar data from Belarus, Lithuania, and selected archives in Romania. The database continues to be updated by Weiner. Image Database A drop-down menu of 2,215 images (antique postcard views from the 1920s and before; Synagogue and Jewish cemetery photos from around the world, Holocaust memorials and other town views) of 358 towns in six countries in Eastern Europe. Surname Databases Standard Surname Search (surname lists, archive documents, books) and OCR Surname Search (telephone books and business directories). Holocaust Lists A new database which includes known Holocaust Collections from select towns in Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland and Ukraine. Choose the town from the drop-down menu. Typical entry example: Town: Pruzhany District (Belarus); documents in Brest Oblast Archives; entry: 1944-1945 (PARTIAL LISTS OF DISTRICT RESIDENTS SHOT OR HANGED BY THE GERMAN OCCUPIERS; LISTS OF PERSONS DEPORTED TO GERMANY). Maps * JOG Maps (Joint Operations Graphic) - The JOG Maps are regional maps for cities, towns and villages throughout Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine. The original paper maps were scaled at 1:250,000 including names and details of even small villages, plus roads and railways, rivers and lakes, and wooded areas. Borders between administrative districts in effect at the time are also marked. Topography is indicated by color bands and contour lines. * Soviet Town Plans - The Soviet Town Plans are full-color maps of selected major cities and towns in Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Ukraine, produced in the 1970s-80s. The maps are printed at 1:10,000 scale generally, clearly showing the footprints of individual buildings and other man-made and natural features, with topographic contours. Many maps include multiple sheets and full street name indexes. In Russian language and place name conventions. * Individual Town & Region Maps - Individual Town & Region Maps are both black & white and color maps for major cities and smaller towns in Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Ukraine, produced primarily in the 1980s-2010. Many of these maps were produced by the local town architect; others came from various historians and archivists in the relevant countries.


Additional work

Weiner is a former Advisory Board Member of the
American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...
organization
Holocaust and War Victims Tracing and Information Center
Weiner lectures and gives workshops and has presented her research at Jewish genealogy organizations and events, both domestically and internationally.


Legacy

Weiner has been described as "the
Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...
of prewar Polish Jewry." Weiner has discovered previously unknown archival holdings and then had this information translated and made available to the public via her books and website; in so doing, she has been described as “the genealogist who lifted the archival iron curtain.” Weiner changed the perception that there were no Jewish ancestral documents available after
The Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. Because of her early travels to Eastern Europe, beginning in Poland in 1989 and Ukraine in 1990, and the time she spent working in the archives there, Weiner was able to debunk the myth that existed at that time, an assumption that all Jewish documents were destroyed during the Holocaust. With her column “Roots and Branches” and along with her lecture schedule, she made this discovery available and accessible to Jews throughout the world. In addition to finding that documents had survived, Weiner organized the information, pre-internet, so that it was easier for genealogists researching their families to find information about archives, museums, and libraries with family documents. The original data in the archives needed to be translated, coded by document type and manually entered into an organized format. The result was the Archive Database created by Weiner, which then became available to the public in her two books and via the Routes to Roots Foundation website.


Donations of genealogical and archival material

Weiner has donated collected materials and organized research to various archives, institutions and organizations. The items include books, maps, town brochures, video cassettes, archive inventories, and document copies. Listed below are societies and organizations that have received donations of genealogical and archival material from Weiner: *
American Sephardi Federation The American Sephardi Federation, a founding member of the Center for Jewish History, is a non-profit Jewish organization that strengthens and organizes the religious and cultural activities of Sephardic Jews, preserves Sephardic heritage, tradit ...
* Association of Holocaust Organizations *
Association of Jewish Libraries The Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) is an international organization dedicated to the production, collection, organization and dissemination of Judaic resources as a library, media, and information service. AJL has members in the United St ...
*
Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City, namely the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva Univ ...
's Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute *
Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City, namely the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva Univ ...
Collections * Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Kyiv * Chernivtsy Regional Welfare Fund In Chernivtsy, Ukraine *
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society HIAS, founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, is a Jewish American nonprofit that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. It was established on in 1881 to help Russian Jewish immigrants to the United States escaping antisemit ...
* Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Philadelphia *
JewishGen JewishGen is a non-profit organization founded in 1987 as an international electronic resource for Jewish genealogy. In 2003, JewishGen became an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York ...
Bessarabia/Moldova SIG Group *
JewishGen JewishGen is a non-profit organization founded in 1987 as an international electronic resource for Jewish genealogy. In 2003, JewishGen became an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York ...
Belarus SIG Group *
Jewish Historical Institute The Jewish Historical Institute ( or ''ŻIH''; ), also known as the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute, is a public cultural and research institution in Warsaw, Poland, chiefly dealing with the history of Jews in Poland and Jewish cul ...
, Warsaw, Poland *
JRI-Poland JRI-Poland, also known as Jewish Records Indexing-Poland, is an online resource for Jewish genealogists searching for Jewish vital records for the current and former territories of Poland. History JRI-Poland was founded in 1995 by genealogists ...
* Judaica Foundation - Center For Jewish Culture in Kraków, Poland * Latvian State Historical Archives (Latvijas Valsts Vēstures Arhīvs) in Riga, Latvia *
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
* Lithuanian State Archives (Lietuvos Archyvų Departamentas) in Vilnius, Lithuania * Russian American Jewish Experience *
St. Louis County Library St. Louis County Library (SLCL) is a library system that serves residents of St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is the busiest public library in Missouri, circulating more than 11 million items in 2023. It consists of 20 branches, incl ...
*
Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine The Vladimir Vernadsky, Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine, VNLU () is the main academic library and main scientific information centre in Ukraine, one of the List of largest libraries, world's largest national library, national libraries. Its ...
in Kyiv, Ukraine *
Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.
and Yeshiva University's Sephardic Reference Room *
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research YIVO (, , short for ) is an organization that preserves, studies, and teaches the cultural history of Jewish life throughout Eastern Europe, Germany, and Russia as well as orthography, lexicography, and other studies related to Yiddish. Establi ...


Partnership agreements

In 2009, the Miriam Weiner Routes to Roots Foundation, Inc. and The Generations Network, Inc. now known as
Ancestry.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...
entered into a partnership agreement that granted Ancestry.com a semi-exclusive right and limited license to display the Archive Database and 1,200 images on the Ancestry.com website. In April 2012, Weiner entered into a partnership with the
Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City, namely the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva Univ ...
in New York City, donating data from the Routes to Roots Foundation Eastern European Archival Database and Image Database for integration into the Center for Jewish History's online catalog. Weiner also became the Senior Advisor for Genealogy Services for the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute at the
Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City, namely the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva Univ ...
. In 2016, Weiner entered into partnerships with two
JewishGen JewishGen is a non-profit organization founded in 1987 as an international electronic resource for Jewish genealogy. In 2003, JewishGen became an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York ...
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) for
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
and
Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...
which involved the donation of research materials so it is available on each group's website. Later that same year, Weiner entered into an agreement with the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
where she donated 95 volumes of telephone books for cities, towns and villages in
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
,
Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
and
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
. After acquiring digital rights from Moldova, several of their telephone books were scanned are now accessible at the Library of Congress website via a surname search, as well as th
RTRF website
Weiner's 90+ telephone book collection from cities and town in Ukraine were also scanned are now available at the Library of Congress website in a keyword searchable format. Additionally, in that same year, Weiner entered into a license agreement with
JRI-Poland JRI-Poland, also known as Jewish Records Indexing-Poland, is an online resource for Jewish genealogists searching for Jewish vital records for the current and former territories of Poland. History JRI-Poland was founded in 1995 by genealogists ...
where Weiner and the Routes to Roots Foundation will contribute extensive archive data, articles, name lists, and other reference material to be processed by JRI-Poland and placed on its website. In 2018, Weiner entered into a partnership agreement with
JewishGen JewishGen is a non-profit organization founded in 1987 as an international electronic resource for Jewish genealogy. In 2003, JewishGen became an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York ...
and the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City, wherein Weiner and the Routes to Roots Foundation contributed extensive material from Belarus and Moldova including archive inventories, archive documents, articles, name lists, maps, images, and other reference material that were subsequently placed on the JewishGen website.


Awards

Miriam Weiner has won almost every award that there is to be given from numerous genealogy organizations. She has been called “A Rock Star in the Jewish Genealogy World,” "The Genealogist Who lifted the Archival Iron Curtain,” and “The First Lady of Jewish Genealogy.” * 1988: Council of Genealogy Columnists, General Writing, Special Interest Writing Award * 1990: The Lidman Prize Competition, Writing Award for "A Window Into the Past" in ''Outlook'' (Honorable Mention) * 1991: Council of Genealogical Columnists, Writing Award * 1991: Federation of Genealogical Societies, Distinguished Work in Genealogy & History * 1991:
National Genealogical Society The National Genealogical Society (NGS) is a genealogical interest group founded in 1903 in Washington, D.C., United States, with over 10,000 members. Its headquarters are in Falls Church, Virginia. The goals of the organization are to promote gen ...
, Individual Achievement * 1999:
International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, Inc. (IAJGS) is an independent non-profit umbrella organization coordinating the activities and annual Convention (meeting), conference of 84 Jewish Family history society, genealogica ...
, Outstanding Contribution via Print Award: Miriam Weiner for ''Jewish Roots in Poland'' * 1999:
Jewish Book Council The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1943, is an American organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature. The goal of the council, as stated on its website, is "to promote the reading, writing and publishing of quali ...
, National Jewish Book Award, Reference (Finalist) for ''Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova'' * 2000: Neographics, Best of Reference Books/Directories to Routes to Roots Foundation * 2000:
Association of Jewish Libraries The Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) is an international organization dedicated to the production, collection, organization and dissemination of Judaic resources as a library, media, and information service. AJL has members in the United St ...
, AJL Research and Special Libraries Division Reference Award for ''Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova'' * 2000:
International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, Inc. (IAJGS) is an independent non-profit umbrella organization coordinating the activities and annual Convention (meeting), conference of 84 Jewish Family history society, genealogica ...
, Outstanding Contribution to Jewish Genealogy via Print for ''Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova'' * 2003:
International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, Inc. (IAJGS) is an independent non-profit umbrella organization coordinating the activities and annual Convention (meeting), conference of 84 Jewish Family history society, genealogica ...
, Lifetime Achievement Award * 2015: Board for Certification of Genealogists, Awarded Emeritus status * 2017: Jewish Women's Archive Award, honored wit
Profile entry
* 2019:
National Genealogical Society The National Genealogical Society (NGS) is a genealogical interest group founded in 1903 in Washington, D.C., United States, with over 10,000 members. Its headquarters are in Falls Church, Virginia. The goals of the organization are to promote gen ...
, honored with the President's Citation. * 2020: Federation of Genealogical Societies, honored with the Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Humanitarian Award. * 2020-2025: Family Tree Magazine,
Best Genealogy Websites,
' by David Fryxell. * 2023:
National Genealogical Society The National Genealogical Society (NGS) is a genealogical interest group founded in 1903 in Washington, D.C., United States, with over 10,000 members. Its headquarters are in Falls Church, Virginia. The goals of the organization are to promote gen ...
, honored with the Genealogy in Tourism Award * 2024:
International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, Inc. (IAJGS) is an independent non-profit umbrella organization coordinating the activities and annual Convention (meeting), conference of 84 Jewish Family history society, genealogica ...
, Outstanding Project/Resource/Program Award (RTRF Website) * 2024: Massachusetts Genealogical Council, Shirley M. Barnes Records Access Award


Works and publications

* Weiner, Miriam (December 1990)
"Can You Name Your Eight Great-Grandparents?: Exploring Your Jewish Roots Leads to a Link with the Past."
Moment Magazine, Washington DC. Vol. 15, no. 6. * * * * * * * * ;Selected syndicated columns * Weiner, Miriam, April 8, 1988
Yad Vashem Affirms Deaths
* Weiner, Miriam, May 1988
Digging Roots in a Dictionary
* Weiner, Miriam, September 1987
Glasnost and Genealogy
* Weiner, Miriam, January 1989
Ships of our Ancestors
* Weiner, Miriam, April 30, 1993
Family Reunion: Planning Ahead or Standing in Line at the Deli
* Weiner, Miriam, August 4, 1988
Passing on a Legacy of Love to the Next Generation
* Weiner, Miriam, January 1991
Search Bureau for Missing Relatives
* Weiner, Miriam, June 29, 1990
Soviet Jews Search for Family in Israel
* Weiner, Miriam, November 1988
The Other Ellis Island
* Weiner, Miriam, May 1987
Jewish Genealogy "By the Book"
* * *Weiner, Miriam, December 1988
Is This My Dad?


References


External links


Routes to Roots

Routes to Roots Foundation
*
The Miriam Weiner Genealogy Collection
' at
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research YIVO (, , short for ) is an organization that preserves, studies, and teaches the cultural history of Jewish life throughout Eastern Europe, Germany, and Russia as well as orthography, lexicography, and other studies related to Yiddish. Establi ...
*
The Miriam Weiner Genealogy Collection
' at
Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

The Miriam Weiner Sephardic Genealogy Collection at Yeshiva University
*
The Miriam Weiner Genealogy Collection
' at the
St. Louis County Library St. Louis County Library (SLCL) is a library system that serves residents of St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is the busiest public library in Missouri, circulating more than 11 million items in 2023. It consists of 20 branches, incl ...

The Miriam Weiner ''Ukraine Telephone Book Collection''
at the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
*
The Miriam Weiner Genealogy Collection
' at
JRI-Poland JRI-Poland, also known as Jewish Records Indexing-Poland, is an online resource for Jewish genealogists searching for Jewish vital records for the current and former territories of Poland. History JRI-Poland was founded in 1995 by genealogists ...
.org *Links on th
FamilySearch Research Wiki

Miriam Weiner Routes to Roots Foundation Collection

Finding Jewish Ancestors in Belarus

Finding Jewish Ancestors in Lithuania

Finding Jewish Ancestors in Moldova

Finding Jewish Ancestors in Poland

Finding Jewish Ancestors in Romania

Finding Jewish Ancestors in Ukraine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiner, Miriam American genealogists 1942 births Living people Jewish genealogy Jewish historians People from Glendale, California Jewish American journalists Theodore Roosevelt High School (Iowa) alumni Historians from California 21st-century American Jews