Jewish genealogists from around the world will be heading to Salt Lake City, Utah, to attend the 27th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy from July 15–20, 2007. Co-chairs Hal Bookbinder (Los Angeles, California) and Michael Brenner (Las Vegas, Nevada) say this year there will be a wide range of programs complementing the outstanding research opportunities at the Family History Library.
Bookbinder concentrates on the richness of the program and this year’s focus on special interest group programming, while adding that many of the programs will be new. “We should also mention,” adds Brenner, “that, for the first time, Special Interest Groups (SIG) will receive a focused time block for general meetings and presentations, allowing them to concentrate on the experience of their members.” Many SIGs and at least 20 Birds of a Feather (BOF) groups had arranged annual meetings, luncheons and lectures by press time.
IAJGS president Anne Feder Lee (Honolulu, Hawaii) reports that a generous contribution from E. Randol and Pamela Schoenberg has enabled the Austria-Czech SIG to bring two speakers from Vienna who will address various aspects of Jewish archival materials of genealogical relevance in that city. Some materials were recently filmed by the Family History Library.
More than 160 sessions are scheduled, including lectures, workshops and computer presentations, making it the largest Jewish genealogy conference to take place in Salt Lake City, which has hosted previous IAJGS events in 1986, 1991 and 2000.
From more than 180 program submissions, 120 have been selected. Some are favorites, but many will be offered for the first time. In addition, there will be at least 50 other events, including SIG and BOF meetings, film festival showings, computer labs, SIG lunches and breakfasts with Family History Library experts.
From Sunday afternoon to Friday noon, the Salt Lake City Hilton Center will be buzzing with activity for participants of all experience levels, from beginners to advanced researchers. Weekday breakfasts with regional resource experts from the Family History Library are set for 7:00 a.m., with first presentations beginning at 8:15 a.m.
Each day features one or more SIG luncheons, meetings and special programming: Sunday, JRI-Poland; Monday, GerSIG and Gesher Galicia; Tuesday, Early American, ROM SIG, LitvakSIG, Sephardic SIG, Ukraine SIG; Wednesday, Austria-Czech SIG, Belarus SIG, South Africa; and Thursday, Hungarian SIG and Latvia SIG.
Each day will also have one or more themes; for example, Wednesday is DNA and Genetics (with an additional program on Friday morning). Kosher options are available for all SIG luncheons and the banquet, and a daily minyan is also scheduled. Sign up for lunches, the banquet and computer classes at the website (www.slc2007.org)
Researchers will be able to access the world’s largest genealogical library—the LDS (Mormon) Family History Library—located near the hotel, via free tram and bus.
Keynote Speakers
The conference’s opening session, on July 15, will feature Paul A. Shapiro, director of the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Shapiro will discuss the history of efforts to open the International Tracing Services’ archives at Bad Arolsen to researchers, the archive’s holdings, digitization of its records and the current state of access. The archives hold millions of documents on Holocaust victims which have been relatively inaccessible to researchers until now.
The banquet, on July 19, will feature Dan Rottenberg speaking on his book, Finding Our Fathers: A Guidebook to Jewish Genealogy, on the 30th anniversary of its 1977 publication. The book appeared following the “Roots” series on U.S. television, enabling Jewish readers to realize that they too could trace their families, thereby launching the modern Jewish genealogy movement.
Learning to Lead
For groups that want to start programming and other activities or to expand these activities, but have no idea of how to pay for them, the IAJGS Management Seminar this year will focus on fundraising and grant-writing with leaders Ron Arons (San Francisco, California) and Shelly Weiner (Henderson, Nevada). Although the session is for leaders of JGSs and other non-profit organizations, all are welcome. Arons and Weiner have had much experience in these fields and will share tips, strategies and other important information about how to plan and conduct group efforts. They will address preparing a group to raise funds, researching potential donors, writing and submission of proposals and more.
DNA and Genetics
Wednesday, July 18, is the day for those fascinated by DNA and/or genetics. From morning to evening, programs will include Syd Mandelbaum’s “Helping to Find Those Who Were Lost, The DNA Shoah Project,” Bennett Greenspan’s “Genetic Genealogy 2007,” Jon Entine’s “Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity, and the DNA of The Chosen People” and Gary Frohlich’s “Our Heritage and Our Health–Genetic Conditions Among the Ashkenazim.” Extensive question and answer sessions and a DNA collection will take place. This day ends on a sweet note as Frohlich’s company Genzyme is sponsoring a dessert reception. Still not enough DNA? Discover more on Friday morning with Herbert Huebscher’s “DNA and Classic Genealogy Join to Solve Genealogical Puzzle.”
Technology and the Internet
As contemporary genealogy relies more heavily on technical advances and Internet resources, this year’s event will provide many sessions on essential skills. Included will be understanding today’s impact of technology on family history and genealogy; protecting digital genealogical information online and off; and learning how to use major online databases or software, such as Ancestry and Family Tree Maker, whose staff members will be present.
Learn to organize genealogical information using Excel for database and spreadsheet applications, Word, PowerPoint and other resources, while experts teach how to scan, restore, repair and care for old photographs, and how to work with digital images, including maps and map resources.
Connect and stay connected with far-flung family as these savvy experts illustrate how to build genealogical websites, create family newsletters and market ancestors using message boards and mailing lists.
Wondering about software? There’s a session on free or inexpensive family history programs and PhpGedView and Jewish Genealogy. Family Tree Maker and Ancestry experts will also be on hand in the resource room.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an IAJGS conference without Jewish genealogy’s very own guru and One-Step expert Dr. Stephen Morse, who will provide six programs, each of which is likely to be standing room only.
Sephardic Topics
Sephardic programs include the history of Sephardic surnames with Sephardic pioneer researcher and author Dr. Jeffrey Malka; Algerian Jews serving in the French army with Mathilde Tagger, who will also present new Sephardic genealogical sources in Israel; and Dr. Neil Rosenstein’s saga of a Sephardic family in New Jersey from the 1492 Expulsion to contemporary times.
Film Festival
The Second Genealogical Film Festival will offer a slate of educational, entertaining and enlightening films, coordinated by Pamela Weisberger (Los Angeles, California), who organized the very successful 2006 inaugural festival. The line-up will include documentaries with genealogical and historical themes; personal stories; fiction films reflecting historical events; the Jewish experience in a historical or sociological context; television specials focusing on genealogical research; classic, restored films, testimonies or videos focusing on a town or region; those commemorating or dedicated to Holocaust memorials; and films reflecting the Yiddish theatre experience.
Chicago, Chicago, That Wonderful City
Three sessions will focus on Chicago and its Jewish resources because the 2008 IAJGS conference will take place there from August 17–22, 2008. This will be a first-ever event and is sure to attract both local and international researchers. Presenting the 2008 overview will be IAJGS officers Anne Feder Lee, Michael Posnick and Joel Spector, who will cover research and repositories, online resources, Jewish and general sights and conference programming, while Mike Karsen will offer more Jewish genealogy resources in Chicago and a murder mystery set in that city.
A Final Word
The conference hotel in Salt Lake City offers spacious rooms easily accommodating three participants, and there are numerous good restaurants within walking distance. Special rates are available before, during and after the conference, but rooms are limited and conference-goers should reserve rooms as soon as possible. The conference area will feature free Internet access; guest room Internet access will cost less than $5 per day.
To learn more about conference programming, research at the Family History Library, the conference film festival, the photographic exhibit, sights to see in Utah, etc., check out the www.slc2007.org conference site. Register online and reserve rooms. Sign up for the Salt Lake City 2007 Discussion Group to learn about breaking news, up-to-the-minute conference plans, and to share thoughts, questions and answers (http://www.lyris.jewishgen.org/listmanager/).
