Ellen Shindelman Kowitt has been a leader in the Jewish genealogy community for thirty years. She has held continuous volunteer leadership roles for JewishGen (currently serving as USA Research Division Director), the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, and as founder of Jewish Specialty Research for Daughters of the American Revolution. In 2026, she was awarded The Martha Berg Fellowship by the American Jewish Archives to survey North American synagogue records. Ellen received her bachelor’s degree from Alfred University and spent twenty-five years working in marketing management and communications before transitioning into full-time genealogy research in 2015. She celebrates her twelve-year anniversary as a professional genealogist operating Sole Searching Genealogy & Historical Research where she accepts clients, frequently speaks at conferences, and has published articles and reviews in Family Tree Magazine, Avotaynu: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy, NGS Magazine, and NGS Quarterly. Ellen has completed ProGen, SLIG and Gen-Fed institutes, and she was an instructor for the 2024 Slava Ukraini! Genealogical Research in Ukraine institute led by Joe Everett where she taught Jewish Research in Ukraine; Holocaust Research; and Methodology. Ellen’s published client books include America’s Alligator Family: The David Crystal Story (2023); From Scheinman to Simon (2024); The Lizerbram Family History: A Long Journey to San Diego (2025); and forthcoming books for Kohler-Koerber (antic. 2026) and Myers families (antic. 2027). Originally from New York and Washington, DC, Ellen lives in Colorado with her husband and two adult daughters. For more information and lecture dates, visit www.EllenKowitt.com.

June 2027 Instructor – 2027-03 Using U.S. Religious Records for Family History