You missed it! What? The Family Genealogical/History Library at the Church of Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah on Memorial Day Weekend.
      Seventeen of us from Albuquerque, Chicago, Los Alamos, and Santa Fe came together at the Shilo Inn in Salt Lake City. I hadnít been to SLC for fifty years. After a delayed start in Albuquerque on Southwest Airlines, we arrived in Salt Lake City. Airline snacks were supplemented by drink tickets from Margrethe and Bill Feldman. The Society provided a catered box dinner by Cuisine Justine, with a gourmet sandwich, salad, cakes and fruit to complement the peanuts.

The intrepid genealogical researchers pause for a group photo.

      A bus from the Shilo Inn picked us up at the Salt Lake City Airport and brought us to our lodgings, somewhat worse for the delay in Albuquerque, but all together, Thursday evening. SLC is still as clean as a pin, with big building projects abounding.
      The registration fee covered plane fare, hotel, local busing, dinner, a hot breakfast Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Lunches and dinner on Friday were on our own.
      We spent all day Friday, at the Latter Day Saints Family History Library. Stan Hordes made arrangements for us to receive an in-depth orientation on the Jewish resources by a library staff official/researcher. It was competently done and provided an excellent start in this four story building, devoted only to stored microfilms of genealogical research. Facilities include computers, reference books, and indexes, all loaded with resource material covering large time-spans, and coming from all over the world. This material is being continually updated. The library staff are LDS members who volunteer their time and energy to help visitors and researchers. I was aided by Elder Clarke and another gentlemen whose name I didnít catch. They extended themselves to help guide and instruct a researcher to get into the facilities and equipment. Stan Hordesí favorite saying is ìthat if you get bitten by the genealogy bug, you are in for lifeî.
      Saturday, most of us went to religious services at Congregation Kol Ami (Voice of the People), which had one sanctuary for Conservative services and another for Reform services. Services were followed by a kiddish.
      We had lunch on our own, and then back to the Family History Center or a bus tour of SLC sponsored by our own New Mexico Jewish Historical Society, and led by local historian Ralph Tannenbaum.
      Ralph Tannenbaum, who was born in SLC, did a marvelous job of showing our group all the points of Jewish interest in the city, with answers to questions on Jewish and Mormon statistics. 600 Jewish families are active in the Conservative, Reform and Orthodox synagogues, plus a Chabad congregation. The Mormons number 70% of the population of SLC. The amount increases to 81ó83% if you include the city and the unincorporated areas around it. Mr. Tannenbaum brought us to see three cemeteries, of which he is Secretary-Treasurer, and pointed out the grave of a friend of his, named Sidney McGillis, formerly Margolis, but passing as an Irishman. The city is booming with new buildings and many of the individual homes are very large. All in all, Salt Lake City was very impressive.
      Dinner on Saturday eve at a Russian restaurant, the St. Petersburg Cafe, was arranged by Margrethe Feldman. While kosher, it wasnít, the menu selection and variety was good. Can you make a dinner of salad, herring and potato dumplings? Try it, you could like it.
      Now it is Sunday and we are on our way home, with a new experience to talk to friends and family about. We have also acquired new tools and resources to track down Zedeh and Bubbe that we wondered about, but never knew.
      While the LDS Family History Library is a huge resource, it ainít the end to the search! If you werenít there, you missed a great opportunity.