Frequently Asked Questions

I'm taking the liberty of assuming that these are the questions that will be frequently asked, just for starters.

Table of Contents

1. What is this site about?
2. Where and when did the Goldfarb name come about? What does the name mean?
3. How long has the site been in existence?
4. Who runs it?
5. How do I get my information included in the listing?
6. Why is the date of my last update January 1, 1970?
7. Why doesn't my information appear immediately?
8. How do I use the BBS?
9. Why do I need to register separately for the BBS and the listing?
10. How do I communicate with the site administrator?
11. How can I get involved?
12. How do I get more information?

1. What is this site about?
   The theme of the site should be pretty obvious: Goldfarbs! Only a small fraction of the world's Goldfarbs are represented here. The object here is to increase that representation and facilitate communications among us all. There are also a lot of unanswered questions about the history of the family name and the origins of the family. This site hopes to find some answers!
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2. Where and when did the Goldfarb name come about? What does the name mean?
   I'll qualify the answers to these questions by saying that they're based on very cursory research. It is well known that Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (1741-1790), who was one of the so-called "enlightened monarchs", ordered Jews in Galicia to adopt fixed, hereditary surnames. Prior to that time, Ashkenazic Jews other than Kohanim, Levites, and certain rabbinical families used patronymic surnames, which would obviously change from generation to generation. The adoption of traceable family names enabled the taxation and military conscription of the Jews. Surnames were assigned by local administrators, many of whom were corrupt. The greedy ones would assign unpleasant names to families in hopes of obtaining a bribe to be given a better name. "Nice" names containing trees, flowers, valued metals, and colors, for example Kirschenbaum (cherry tree), Rosenberg (city of roses), Kupfer (copper), and, of course, Goldfarb (gold color). One source I have perused gives an alternate meaning for Goldfarb: golden-haired one. I wonder how many of us have blonde anscestors!
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3. How long has the site been in existence?
   This site was initially developed by Ben Goldfarb in 1995. At the time, the Internet was just emerging from its origins in the academic and research communities. Search engines such as Alta Vista and Lycos were starting to appear, which became the "killer app" that made the Worldwide Web a valuable information resource. The initial All-Goldfarb Site was a listing of Internet users that was put together from various searches on the Web that yielded positive results for the name Goldfarb. The listing started with a dozen names. It was edited by hand. Later, a submission form was added to allow users to request addition of their name. As the site grew, the hand-edited listing gave way to an SQL database. As this FAQ is being written, there are several hundred Goldfarbs in the listing.
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4. Who runs it?
   The site is run by Benjamin I. Goldfarb of Longwood, Florida, USA (not to be confused with Benjamin P. Goldfarb, who has a site called www.goldfarb.com).
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5. How do I get my information included in the listing?
   Click on any of the links to "Additions/Updates" or click right here, and fill out the form.
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6. Why is the date of my last update January 1, 1970?
   Dates were not originally part of the database records. Dates were reconstructed as much as possible, but many old (and not so old) entries wound up with no dates associated with them. The date January 1, 1970 was chosen as a "don't know" indication. (For those with a knowledge of UNIX, this is "the epoch" date.) As people update their records in the listing, these bogus dates will slowly disappear.
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7. Why doesn't my information appear immediately?
   Because it has to be passed over by a human being before going into the database. This is necessary to keep the database from being polluted with the obscenities and facetious names that tend to show up when things like this are left open.
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8. How do I use the BBS?
   You'll find a thorough and detailed FAQ in the BBS itself. To get to the BBS, click on any of the "Bulletin Board" links or click here. Also, here is a direct link to the BBS's FAQ.
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9. Why do I need to register separately for the BBS and the listing?
   This was a difficult decision. It might change as time goes on, but in the initial days of the new site, it would have been a complicated production to make too many changes. Furthermore, some people might want to use the bulletin board but not be listed, and vice-versa. The combinations were making my head swim, and in the final hours leading up to getting this site on line at the committed time, there just was not enough time to deal with all the issues.
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10. How do I communicate with the site administrator?
    Leave a message on the bulletin board, or send mail to webmaster@allgoldfarbs.com.
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11. How can I get involved?
    At the very least, add your name to the list of Goldfarbs. Read the bulletin board and become active in communicating about things of interest to Goldfarbs. As time goes on, and if this site grows, it will be necessary to have volunteers who will moderate the forums, particularly the genealogy forum. But first things first. Just visit the site often and please enjoy!
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12. What does the future hold for the site?
    Please feel free to express your ideas in the appropriate forum on the BBS or with an email to me.
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