In the past few years, quite a few programs have been released to the public that help make tracing your lineage a lot easier. However, for the Jewish community at large, extra features are required that have not been addressed in these programs. That is until recently, with the release of Doro Tree. Not only does Doro tree create a family tree, it is packed with a bunch of extra goodies that I am sure you will appreciate.
Doro Tree is a most excellent program that outranks many of the secular programs that are available today. For instance, one of the most annoying and difficult things to do is keep track of a person’s Hebrew and secular name. In most of the programs out on the market, you can’t even insert Hebrew. While with Doro Tree, this is not an issue.
The program comes in several languages. They are all on one disk and integrated into the program. For instance, if you like you can use the program in English, Hebrew, French, Spanish, or Portuguese. When using the English, don’t worry about not being able to use the Hebrew – the program allows you to integrate it without difficulty.
Also, you can choose which format in which you would like the dates to appear.
O.K. You have installed the program, and you are just about to get started, but you realize that for some of your deceased relatives you only have the secular date on which they passed away. To make matters worse, it is too far back in time to find that exact Hebrew date.
Solution: Simply put the date into the program and the converter will get the Hebrew date for you. (Please note: It is important to know if the relative passed away during twilight. If in fact the relative passed away during sunset/twilight, you should consult a rabbi as to what day the Yahrtzeit should be celebrated.)
The same goes with finding a Hebrew name (although today many people do not give English names corresponding to the Hebrew name).
However, if you are sure that a relative was given an English name that is similar to the Hebrew name, the converter will give you the Hebrew name you are most probably looking for.
When entering a person’s information, you can insert their, title, first name, birth date and day of death. There is an option to check off if the time of birth or time of death occurred at sunset. (This option will figure out if the Hebrew day is that day or the following day. However, a rabbi should be consulted to make sure of the exact day.)
Also, you have the option to note the birthplace, place of death and cemetery and whether the person was male or female.
After entering the basic information, you can store the person?s information, address, telephone, fax, e-mail, comments, etc. There is an information tab where you can store general information about the person i.e. former names, aka occupation, etc.
There is also a tab where you can store the person’s medical information, notes and a picture of the person.
One of my favorite features is the option of checking off whether the person is a Kohen, Levi or Yisrael, and if they belong to a particular Chassidus. This is a definite first for genealogy programs and a great feature.
The ability to generate reports is very flexible and comes with quite a few options. The user can generate detailed ancestor, descendant, Doro Tree reports.
The options in these reports let the user decide from which generation the report should be generated and whether it should be from the current person or any of the other people that are inserted into the Doro Tree program.
The ancestor, descendant, and Doro Tree reports allow you to create the reports vertically or horizontally and with the choice of including the family members’ pictures in the report.
You can also create a family group. The family group will show you that person’s immediate relatives (i.e. wife and children with their spouses) where the person lives and his or hers contact information. Also, the family group is displayed with English and Hebrew. In addition, you can change around the settings such as the fonts, back color, the page border, and the margins.
If you want something simpler, you can generate a simple outline report that just lists all of those particular person’s descendants. To help you view the report better, you can zoom in and out of the report with the option to print.
If you are the type that likes to have everything organized in alphabetical order, this program will not disappoint you. It can generate an alphabetical list. The list shows you the person’s name, date of birth, gender, and their Doro Tree number, aligned side by side with the same information in Hebrew. The lists views can be adjusted and has the same options as the family group report.
Have you ever met someone that you know is related to you, but you are not sure how? The program comes with a kinship calculator that will make everything clear. You can also generate a kinship report which will list all the members of your family and how they are related to you.
There is a convenient feature that makes keeping track of Yahrtzeits a cinch. The Yahrtzeit table generator will generate a table listing all the Yahrtzeits in a clear organized fashion. You can also create calendars that contain birthdays, Yahrtzeits, etc. and the option of printing it out on paper or converting it to html.
Mazel Tov! It’s a boy!
Now you are trying to figure out when his Bar Mitzva will be. Very simple! Just use the Bar Mitzva calculator to find that special date. Making a Simcha? Want to send out New Year greeting cards to all your relatives? The program has the ability to make address lists and even create labels.
The program is compatible with any PC running windows 95 or higher and only takes up approximately 20 MB (megabytes) on your hard drive. The computer should also have at least 32 MB of Ram and a Pentium processor.
As you can see, this program is packed with many great features that go beyond what is expected from a family tree software program. Therefore, this is something every family should consider purchasing. The software can be purchased online at websites such as www.davka.com and the like or at your better local Jewish bookstore.
