Genie Milgrom, We Salute You!
August 2016 – Genie Milgrom, a descendant of forced converts from Judaism to Catholicism, has been assisting countless others in researching their lineage and ultimately reconnecting with their Jewish roots as descendants of Jewish Spanish and Portuguese communities. Last fall, Genie participated in the Inaugural Session of the Knesset Caucus for the Reconnection with the Descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Communities and the conference, The Anousim Diaspora Today: Jewish Challenge and Hope.
Genie speaks as a voice of these descendants, the bnei anousim, making the case to accept them back and helping them to discover their lineage, and she also assists them in their research.
Genie has published three books (My 15 Grandmothers, How I found My 15 Grandmothers and Mis 15 Abuelas) detailing her personal research over 15 generations and instructing others in the methods of researching their Jewish Ancestry through 500 years under and through the records of the Catholic Church. She has authored dozens of articles on this topic in both English and Spanish. She gives lectures worldwide at her own expense. She is known for the wealth of information that she freely shares. Many bnei anousim are not even sure they are bnei anousim. They don’t know where to start with their research. Genie has helped turn on the lights, open the door, and provide a methodology and path for them to follow – reconnecting generation to generation.
Bill Israel, Chair IAJGS Salutes Committee
with Nolan Altman and Doris Nabel
