From the opening ceremony to the closing banquet, the 28th International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) International Conference on Jewish Genealogy offered more than 200 events, lectures, workshops, films, meetings, luncheons, trips, and research opportunities that required the 800 attendees to make hard choices. The conference, co-hosted by the IAJGS, the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois, and the Illiana Jewish Genealogical Society, took place in Chicago August 17–22, 2008, and, like all the previous annual IAJGS conferences, was a big success.
Attendees and speakers came from around the globe to learn new information, gain knowledge about research techniques, share their expertise, make contacts, and shmooze with new and long-time friends. Coming long distances were 25 from Canada, 20 from Israel, 11 from the United Kingdom, 5 from Germany, 4 from Australia, 3 from France, 2 from Austria, 2 from Jamaica, and 1 each from Belarus, Czech Republic, Latvia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Venezuela. The largest contingent from the United States came from Illinois (193) with California coming in second (104). Thirty-six states (plus the District of Columbia) were represented. A whopping 30 percent attended a conference for the first time; they left eager to move forward with their research and appreciative of the friendliness of all who were present.
Two comments made after the conference illustrate the high energy level and excitement that everyone could not help but feel during the week:
Although I came primarily to locate my ancestors like almost everybody else in attendance, I sort of resigned myself to the apparent hopelessness of actually connecting up with any authentic Eastern European records on the other side. Imagine what I felt at the discovery that my ancestors were not only out there, but were actually within my grasp all this time, thanks to the JRI-Poland database.
It is a great pleasure to associate with those who have the same passion and to share information and expertise that mutually edifies and enriches our shared knowledge.
Some Highlights
What a thrill it was for all to hear Randy Schoenberg in the keynote address at the opening session describe the sequence of events that led to his success in recovering Nazi-looted art for the rightful owners. Also, at the opening session, Harvey Krueger spoke eloquently of the extraordinary contribution made by Susan King, founder of JewishGen; all were delighted to see her and attend the opening reception held in her honor (co-sponsored by the IAJGS and the Museum of Jewish Heritage–A Living Memorial to the Holocaust). It was hard to ignore the buzz among the attendees upon the announcement of a cooperative agreement between JewishGen, the premier resource for Jewish genealogy, and Ancestry.com, the largest online resource for family history information—an agreement that will benefit all genealogists.
Lenka Matusikova, from the Czech National Archives in Prague, and Hubert Steiner, from the Austrian National Archives in Vienna, made presentations on Jewish records in their respective institutions. This was the first time representatives from those two important archives have attended an annual conference. Other experts from Europe included Natalia Alhazov, speaking on Jewish roots in Moldova; Friedrich R. Wollmershauser of Germany, on various aspects of German Jewish research; and Ruth Leiserowitz, on the consequences of Litvak migratory decisions. Alexander Dunai of Ukraine reported on the existence of a full run of the 1897 Russian Imperial Census for Kiev guberniya—something new and exciting for those who were listening and doing research in that area.
Among the many other sessions that attendees specifically praised were: “Advanced Googling,” by Michael Marx; Matthew Bielawa’s talk on learning the Cyrillic alphabet; Gary Mokotoff’s session on the International Tracing Service; Zvi Gitelman’s presentation on the “Litvak-Galitzianer Wars; The Cultural Geography of East European Jewry” (a Lucille Gudis Memorial Lecture); Warren Blatt on Jewish given names; the workshops on the Family Tree Maker genealogy software program; Diane Freilich on city directories; and Zack Wilske on immigration records. Mention must be made as well of the ever-popular presenter Steve Morse, who once again wowed attendees with his presentations covering his one-step research tools, to how to search census records and Ellis Island records, and the basics of DNA and genetic genealogy.
The Illinois Cook County Clerk’s Office officially unveiled its new website, <www.CookCountyGenealogy. com>, with a presentation and question and answer session at the conference. This was a noteworthy session for all who attended.
Thanks to the Genzyme Corporation, a special mini-seminar was offered where the attentive audience learned a great deal about Jewish genetic diseases and how genealogists can play a role in identifying family medical history. Among other presentations on DNA and genetics were the sessions by Bennett Greenspan and Jon Entine. The Ancestry.com Learning Center (resource room) was used heavily as attendees took advantage of the computers (with various databases available) and the many books and resources so well organized by Trudy Barch, president of the Illiana Jewish Genealogy Society.
Several attendees took advantage of the location to visit area Jewish cemeteries with successful results in locating family graves. The tour of Jewish Chicago, led by local expert Irving Cutler, received high marks from those who participated. The conference hospitality desk, managed by Judy Frazin and Harriet Rudnit of the JGS of Illinois, helped many attendees with information about the Chicago area and made quite a number of people happy with a wide variety of door prizes. More smiles could be seen after Ron Arons and Mike Karsen gave their presentation on the real lives and genealogy of the two women immortalized in the movie “Chicago.”
Representatives of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw presented exciting plans for the new museum, which will be a center for education and culture dedicated to preserving the lasting legacy of Jewish life in Poland. It is expected to open in 2011. Special Interest Group (SIG) luncheons featured delicious food based on recipes from the geographical area. SIG meetings and many Birds of a Feather (BOF) sessions brought together those researching particular areas to share and learn from each other. Thanks to Pamela Weisberger, many attendees again enjoyed a successful film festival.
Awards
The banquet on the final evening was a festive affair with, as one attendee commented, “the best banquet food I have ever had” and fun entertainment provided by storyteller Lisa Lipkin. As always, the highlight of the banquet was the announcement of the IAJGS Achievement Award winners. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Howard Margol for his many years of pioneering work in Lithuanian Jewish Genealogy research. Outstanding Contribution to Jewish Genealogy Award was presented to Steven Lasky in recognition of his original contribution to the Jewish genealogical community by the creation of an online virtual museum, “The Museum of Family History.” The Outstanding Project Award was presented to Petra Laidlaw for creating “The Jewish Community in Mid-19th Century Britain” database. The Outstanding Publication Award was presented to the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain for its collection of guidebooks comprising the Jewish Ancestors series focusing on Jewish genealogical research in Europe, understanding Hebrew inscriptions and documents, and organizing family history records. [See book review this issue for another in the guidebook series—Ed.]
IAJGS Business
The IAJGS held its annual meeting on Wednesday during which the delegates elected Directors for the 2008–10 term. Elected to the board were Jan Meisels Allen (Agoura Hills, California), Daniel Horowitz (Kfar Saba, Israel), William Israel (St. Petersburg, Florida), Kahlile Mehr (Salt Lake City, Utah), Paul Silverstone (New York, New York), and Jackye Sullins (Carlsbad, California). They join officers: President, Anne Feder Lee (Honolulu, Hawaii); Vice-President, Michael Brenner (Las Vegas, Nevada); Treasurer, Mike Posnick (Minneapolis, Minnesota); and Secretary, Joel Spector (Cherry Hill, New Jersey) who were elected in 2007; and Immediate Past-President, Hal Bookbinder of Oak Park, California. Also approved at the annual meeting was the 2008 Stern Grant of $2,500 to the Italian Genealogy Group, which will use the funds to create a Brooklyn brides’ index (1910–30) from original records on 268 rolls of microfilm held at the LDS (Mormon) Family History Library. When completed, the index will be posted on the group’s website at <www. Italiangen.org>.
Work is moving full speed ahead on the next conference, to be held in Philadelphia, August 2–7, 2009. It will be another conference no one will want to miss.
Ann Feder Lee, a resident of Honolulu, Hawaii, is president of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.
