Photographs & Memories by Reem

06/17/2026

Anyone with ancestors from regions once administered by the Ottoman Empire knows how hard it can be to trace records for our families. Two of the three sessions at Saturday’s Arab Family History Days will focus on access to Ottoman-era records and how family historians can begin using them. The third session will focus on locality and community research, including how researching a town or community can help uncover the stories of the families who lived there.

I’ll be presenting on Working with Ottoman Records and I hope you will join me. The sessions are free and open to all.

Session 3 — Reem Awad-Rashmawi - Working with Ottoman Records

In this practical follow-up to the broader discussion of Ottoman record access, Reem Awad-Rashmawi will guide participants through the use of Ottoman records for family history research, with Palestinian records as the primary examples. The session will include a step-by-step approach to working with records available online, as well as ways to recognize Ottoman-era clues preserved in home archives, family papers, tin boxes, and other inherited materials. Participants will learn how to begin, how to identify relevant sources, what information these records may contain, and how to connect Ottoman-era evidence to family stories, oral history, and other genealogical sources.

06/04/2026

Taking time to reflect on last week's National Genealogical Society (NGS) Family History Conference!

The conference began with FOCUS, the organizations' day, where representatives from genealogy organizations gathered to connect, learn from one another, and share ideas for supporting the family history community.

For me, serving on the NGS Board has been such a meaningful opportunity, and one of the best parts is meeting and learning from so many people who care deeply about family history.

Throughout the conference, I enjoyed connecting with genealogists from across the country, hearing about their research, and asking people why they are NGS members. The answers varied... from a love of family history, to the educational programs and conference, to the NGS Quarterly, member benefits, and the opportunity to be part of a larger genealogy community. There is always work to be done, but I felt the power of gathering together, listening, and continuing to strengthen a genealogy community that reflects the many people, stories, and histories we serve.

I also attended the conference as a delegate for the National Society for Arab & Arab American Genealogy (NSAB), and I appreciated the chance to talk with others about our work supporting Arab and Arab American genealogy through education and community connection.

Thank you to everyone who made the conference such a great experience! (And to those who shared photos with me.)

05/12/2026

Family History is Public History

I hope you will join me on Wednesday, May 13 at 12 PM ET for my upcoming NYG&B webinar, “Preserving Your New York Story: Family History as Public History.”

I hope to see you there.

Learn more and register at:
newyorkfamilyhistory.org/events/preserving-your-new-york-story-family-history-public-history

Also check out my latest blog on the same topic photosmemoriesbyreem.com/blog/

04/21/2026

Looking forward to being on this panel.

Edward E. Curtis IV, editor of ARAB AMERICAN PUBLIC HISTORY, along with several contributors to the book, will participate in a webinar hosted by the Center for Arab Narratives on April 22 at 12:00 pm. Register here: https://accesscommunity-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SbvdLmyyQYCVCocbANdnhA #/registration

04/21/2026

I hope you will all join me at Saturday's Arab Family History Days hosted by the National Society for Arab & Arab American Genealogy! It is free and open to all. It is an important time to document and preserve our family history!

Speakers include Akram Khatar, Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies, Roula Chalhoub Akiki FamilySearch, and Linda K. Jacobs, scholar and author.

See you Saturday!

Registration is open for our free, virtual two-part program focused on Arab and Arab American family history research, documentation, and preservation.

This year, we expanded to two Saturdays to make room for more of the topics our community asked for:

Saturdays, April 25, 2026 & June 20, 2026

8:30 AM–12:30 PM Pacific /11:30 AM–3:30 PM Eastern (same for both days)

You only need to register once. One registration covers both days.
Register link at linktr.ee/arabamericangenealogy .

Day 1 Program Highlights

Roula Chalhoub Akiki (FamilySearch), Lebanese Family History

Linda K. Jacobs, PhD (scholar and author), Early Arab Immigrants in the United States

Akram Khater, PhD (Khayrallah Center), AI and Arab Genealogies: Updates from the Khayrallah Center

We will close with a NSAB Connect Discussion Session (open to all registrants): a space to connect, share resources, and continue conversations from the day’s sessions.

03/22/2026

I’m looking forward to presenting and helping those researching and documenting their Palestinian families next Saturday in Sacramento at NSAB’s Palestinian American Genealogy Hands-On In-Person Workshop. We still have a few spots open. It is free, but registration is required. Register here: https://forms.gle/KUG2KxmWK3B1hteM7 .

A few people have asked: “I can list my family back several generations, how will this workshop help me?”

Having a list of names is a meaningful start, but it isn’t the same as documenting, preserving, and recording your family history with sources, records, or stories that can be passed down.

In this workshop, we’ll share practical ways for Palestinian families to preserve family stories, find historical documentation, and organize what you already know. If you don't know where to start, this is definitely the place for you.

This matters deeply to me personally as I work to pass down my own family’s story. Instead of allowing our families to be erased from history, we are doing the work to document that history. I want to do my part to make sure we are all doing this work.

If you’re interested, I hope you’ll join us in Sacramento on March 28. If you’re not able to attend, please sign up for the NSAB newsletter to stay informed about future workshops and upcoming programs we hope to offer. See linktr.ee/arabamericangenealogy to sign up.

01/15/2026

I’m starting 2026 by sharing a project that's been long in the making. I wrote a chapter on Arab American genealogy for the upcoming book Arab American Public History, edited by Edward E. Curtis IV and coming out in February from Temple University Press.

In the chapter, I talk about how family history is public history and how Arab Americans are researching, documenting, and preserving our family stories. I hope you will check it out!

Arab American Public History I’m excited to share a professional milestone: I contributed a chapter to the upcoming book Arab American Public History, edited by Edward E. Curtis IV, which will be p…

10/05/2025

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) recognizes excellence in the field of genealogy by presenting awards and competitions to individuals, societies, libraries, and other organizations. Do you know someone or an organization deserving an award? Please go to the NGS website linked below to learn more about the Awards and Competitions categories.

It's not too early to submit deserving people, organizations, books, and newsletters for Awards and Competitions. The deadline is 15 December 2025, but don't wait - nominate before you get busy with fall activities and holidays. Review all categories and submission details at https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/awards-competitions. Please share this information so we can honor wonderful work done in our community.

09/19/2025

Looking forward to learning more about using AI prompts for genealogical research.

Register NOW! https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/genealogy-courses/gentechtoolbox/

07/10/2025

Join me virtually on July 10th at 5:00pm PST talking about Palestinian American Genealogy.