“For the Love of Cousins: Endogamy as a Tool for Jewish Genealogy” with Caitlin Hollander

In the world of Jewish genealogy, endogamy is often presented in the context of DNA as a hindrance one must work around to find any real matches. Documents containing duplicate surnames often pose stumbling blocks to aspiring genealogists. In this talk, genealogist Caitlin Hollander explores the other side of endogamy—how our ancestors’ familial ties can be used as a genealogical tool to break through brick walls and work around missing records, as well as the religious and historical contexts in which the branches of our family trees became so very tangled.

This program is possible through the generous support of the William M. Lowenstein Genealogical Research Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation.

Caitlin Hollander is a New York-based genealogist, specializing in Ashkenazi Jewish genealogy in both the United States and Europe, Holocaust records and documentation, as well as forensic genealogy for high- value estates and assisting clients in citizenship reclamation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology with a minor in history from Florida International University, as well as academic certificates in Jewish studies and Holocaust and genocide studies. With her business partner, Michael Waas, she co-founded Hollander-Waas Jewish Heritage services, a full-service genealogy and family history firm. Hollander-Waas specializes in Jewish genealogy and provides a customized full-service heritage preservation and genealogy service. Her citizenship reclamation work has been featured in Family Tree Magazine, The Times of Israel, and the South Florida Sun Sentinel, among other publications.