Presenter: Jonathan Kirsch
Format: Download MP4 video file of Slides with synchronized audio

Fulfilling traditional Jewish values, the Administrator General of Israel works to locate the owners of unclaimed assets in Israel or their heirs. Rapid developments in the field of genealogy and the proliferation of research resources in recent years have enabled our office to greatly expand and enhance its activity in this field. After outlining the Administrator General's public role and duties, our lecture will describe the process by which each year, through genealogical research, we are able to reunite hundreds of families throughout the world, especially in the US, with their ancestral property (and with each other). We will bring fascinating recent examples of how items such as Shoah documentation, family information posted on the web, public records, letters, pictures, newspaper stories, gravestone inscriptions, personal testimonies and social media provided key clues enabling us to identify property owners, piece together their family trees and ultimately track down their heirs.