Cultural | Family History | Jewish Life | ReligionOnly online St Albans Masorti Synagogue (SAMS) heritage projects Photograph of Arriving and Belonging participant, David Zwaig's, grandparents before they emigrated to England ca1900 • St Albans Masorti, Arriving and Belonging St Albans Masorti Synagogue (SAMS) has collected stories from community members to create the following archives: SAMS Roots is a digital oral history collection of interviews with twelve members of the St Albans Jewish community. Mapping SAMS Roots is a digital mapping project which contains over 120 family documents and photographs plotted on to a virtual map. The Arriving and Belonging online exhibition contains stories chosen to illustrate universal themes and show how Jewish families arrived in St Albans and made it their home. Archive Description SAMS Roots is a digital oral history collection held by St Albans Masorti Synagogue (SAMS) and Hertfordshire University. SAMS Roots was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and contains twelve in-depth interviews with SAMS members conducted by the biographer Caroline Pearce. SAMS members speak about where they came from, and what brought them to SAMS. The full transcripts and interviews are housed online in the University of Hertfordshire’s Heritage Hub. Mapping SAMS Roots contains over 120 family documents, photographs and stories from SAMS members which have been mapped on to a virtual collection using Historypin. These present a rich picture of SAMS members’ roots. SAMS members continue to contribute family stories which are displayed together with a virtual map. The online exhibition Arriving and Belonging: Stories from the St Albans Jewish Community reveals personal stories of migration and heritage, examining universal themes of sanctuary, courage, compassion and starting a new life in Britain through testimonies, objects and family photographs. Digital Accessibility The archives are available digitally:SAMS RootsMapping SAMS RootsArriving and Belonging: Stories from the St Albans Jewish Community For our Mapping Toolkit to help collect stories from your own community, contact SAMS at info@e-sams.org. Our Story — St. Albans Masorti 7 Jan 2022 Arriving and Belonging Stories from the St Albans Jewish Community