From generation to generation to generation DMJ San Francisco Gathering - September, 2013 Presentation Outline  key features of DMJ’s approach  current successes  future directions

Today he DMJ site has an online library with 1,538 photographs, 1,018 original documents and 29,000 individual biographic records and a six-month backlog of yet-to-be-indexed material for a Jewish community with no more than 15,000 Jews at any one time

Everyone can contribute in their own unique way to building our information base of Maine community and personal histories, and everyone is a part of the process.

Sample biographic record

All going well DMJ aims for a 20% increase in bibliographic citations and a 20% increase in biographic information in the coming year Expectations for 5744, Key Feature #1 Cantor Messerschmidt and Rabbi Grossman

Today DMJ has working relationships with and records from  all 16 Maine synagogues  all cemetery associations and Cherva Kaddisha  all major Jewish social and community organizations; and it supports many of these organizations by helping to archive their records.

Photographing and displaying headstone images Key Feature 3 Cover of a JCC bulletin and Bangor newsletter Torah covers from Beth Abraham, Auburn

Sample organizational history page

All going well Enhance DMJ’s website as an entry point for information about all Jewish organizations in the state Expectations for 5744, Key Feature #2 Beth Israel - Bath

Both in smaller and larger ways:  all local home pages have their names in Yiddish  broadcast messages often reference the religious calendar  the website is a platform for listening to Maine Cantors davening Plus …

From generation to generation to generation

All going well More messages reaching out to  Maine’s largely isolated and under-identified Jewish families  Maine-identified Jews living outside the state Expectations for 5744, Key Feature #3

Today DMJ has local home pages for Aroostook County, Augusta area, Greater Bangor, Bath, Biddeford-Saco, Calais, Greater Portland, Lewiston-Auburn area, Old Orchard Beach, Old Town-Orono, Rockland, Rumford, Waterville

Sample local home page

All going well More support for local community history projects:   financing, where possible  how-to presentations on Jewish genealogy  traveling exhibition on Maine’s Jewish history Expectations for 5744, Key Feature #4 CDC boating

DMJ has  recorded interviews with 40 Greater Portland Jews  located an additional 40 oral interviews in the archives of Portland Public Library  compiled a list of more than 250 other personal biographic histories and interviews of Maine Jews

All going well DMJ aims to support oral and video histories prepared by other Maine communities and by Mainers living in Florida Expectations for 5744, Key Feature # 5

DMJ has created a state-wide Jewish burial index and an opportunity for virtual visits to Maine Jewish cemeteries, including burial records from all 18 cemeteries and over 2,500 headstone images

Sample headstone image

All going well DMJ aims to add headstones images from six Bangor cemeteries and to devise a plan for regular updates of burial records Expectations for 5744, Key Feature #6 Rockland cemetery

DMJ Gatherings have enabled Jewish Mainers to re-connect with old family and friends and have inspired reflections on the special character of the Maine Jewish experience. Gatherings have taken place in Westchester, NY (2); Old Orchard Beach (2); south Florida (2); greater Boston (2); San Francisco and greater Hartford (Oct 2013)

All going well At least two additional DMJ hosted Gatherings in the coming year Expectations for 5744, Key Feature # 7 Newton Gatherings

Today DMJ has institutional ties with  Colby’s Maine Jewish History project  Maine Historical Society   International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies  Greater Boston Jewish Genealogical Society  Portland, Bangor, and USM public libraries and has produced exhibitions for the  Maine Jewish Museum and Bates College

DMJ utilizes the best of web-based technology to engage Jewish Mainers in their own history and help them visualize their own role in the Jewish history of the state

All going well DMJ aims to have user-friendly update and notification systems in place this year Expectations for 5744, Key Feature #9

People genealogical info POB, Lived In, POD Significant Events Images Burial records Organizations History Location Significant Events Images Places Local home pages Maps Oral Histories / Biographies Photographs / Documents Years Significant Events World As it Was Cemeteries Burial info Public Index Sources & Software

DMJ is collecting information on Maine’s Jewish businesses, lawyers, doctors, political figures and artists as well as on Maine’s history of anti-Semitism in hotels and clubs, in residential housing and in social clubs

All going well DMJ aims to do two special research projects – one on the Jewish history Maine’s shoe and leather industry and the other on Maine Jews in the retail trades Expectations for 5774 Key feature #10

Documenting Maine Jewry has had meetings about sharing our methodology and software with RI Jewish Historical Society, The Portland Public Library, The Greater Boston Jewish Genealogical Society, the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies; and South African Jewish historical society.

All going well As a specially funded sub-project, DMJ aims to redesign, document, and make portable our methodological approach and our operating software so that it be used by other small and medium sized Jewish and non-Jewish communities. Expectations for 5774 Key feature #11

DMJ Structure Registered Maine non-profit organization Under the financial supervision of Temple Beth El, Portland, Maine Under the organizational leadership of a state-wide Minyan, a local gabbiium from ten Maine communities, and a national group of Mainers from the diaspora community

DMJ Finances Income : 45 Donors of over $500 Foundations grants from Sam Cohen Foundation, Cogan Family Trust, Haward Fund for Community Development, Bernard Osher Jewish Philanthropic Foundation, Jewish Community Endowment, and Wein Charitable Trust Project contracts from Tree of Life Foundation (Maine Jewish Museum) Expenses : part-time data manager, part-time software consultants, computer services and subscriptions, honorium to project shammas, support to local communities, support for DMJ gatherings, administrative and office expenses. Totaling $25 - $40,000 per year

All going well Core functions : Full-time data manager, Half-time software manager and outreach coordinator Working office [other elements the same] Expected operating budget: $85 – $95,000 Project functions: Fund ($8 -$10K/yr) for local history projects, extending community history methodology and software to other Jewish and non-Jewish communities ($40 - $60,000) Expectations for 5744, Finances

DMJ People The Minyan Thirteen State-Gabbiim Nine out-of-state Landsmann coordinators Part-time data manager Part-time software person Contracted software firm services Specially funded project people DMJ Shammas coordinator 550 Volunteers of Data and 2400 Registered Users

All going well DMJ aims to  expand the number of geographic coordinators  stabilize the organization with a full-time data manager, half-time software manager and outreach coordinator and  have the project shammas share DMJ methodology with other Jewish and non-Jewish communities Expectations for 5744, Personnel

From generation to generation to generation DMJ San Francisco Gathering - September, 2013

Volunteer to help build the database on Maine’s Jewish life Please contact me to discuss ____ donating photographs and memorabilia ____ helping to collect data on a theme ( an organization / a business) ____ making a financial contribution ____ outreaching out to other Mainers in CA and elsewhere Name _________________________________________________________ / Telephone number _________________________________________