Philly 2009: Dinners, luncheons, workshops

Expert breakfasts, SIG luncheons and computer workshops have just been posted for the 29th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, which will run from Sunday-Friday, August 2-7, in Philadelphia.

Remember that the last day for early registration discounts is Thursday, April 30.

Go to the Philly 2009 site and click either Registration (for new registrations) or Registration Update (if you've already registered). To add breakfasts, luncheons or computer workshops, hit Optional Programs.

Breakfasts with the Experts are $29 each (kosher option):

- Philadelphia Research, Steve Schechter
- Ukraine Research, Miriam Weiner, Olga Muzychuk
- Galician Research, Suzan Wynne
- German Research, Roger Lustig
- Israeli Research, Michael Goldstein
- Polish Research, Stanley Diamond
- ITS Records, Megan Lewis, Jo-Ellyn Decker
- Lithuanian Research, Howard Margol
- New York City Research, Avrum Geller

There will be 10 special interest group luncheons ($39 each), with kosher option (JRI-Poland is all kosher). I highly recommend making speedy reservations as SIGs with major speakers quickly fill to capacity:

Sunday:
- JRI-Poland: State of Cemetery and Property Restitution in Poland Today, Monika Krawczyk CEO, Foundation for Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland

Monday:
- Belarus
- Gesher Galicia - "Tightrope: Six Centuries of a Galician Jewish Dynasty," Israeli author, Michael Karpin, discusses "Tightrope," a 650-year epic tale of the extraordinary Backenroth family.
- Latvia SIG - My Life as a Project Manager: Past Present and Future of Latvian Genealogical Research, Constance Whippman, A celebration of the Latvia SIG and of its premier achievement, the All Latvia Database, its origins, early challenges, subsequent development with a focus on how this resource can be used to help you write your family history and preserve material for future generations.

Tuesday:
- Austria-Czech SIG
- Rom-SIG

Wednesday:
- LitvakSIG - Visiting your Ancestral Shtetl in Lithuania and Belarus, Regina Kopilevich. A lively presentation on the practical aspects of planning a trip to your ancestral shtetl in Lithuania and Belarus. She's an experienced interpreter and researcher in the Lithuanian archives, and an expert guide for individuals and groups.
- Hungarian SIG

Thursday:
- Ger-SIG - "Where the hell is 'Schwinglasse' and 'Schnatta'?" The impact of local dialects, Yiddish and Hebrew on Family Names and Place Names; Bernhard Purin Director, Jewish Museum Munich, will highlight how dialects influenced the pronunciation and spelling of Jewish names of individuals and places and how a basic knowledge in German dialects can help to decode such terms.
-Ukraine SIG

Other optional meals are a pre-conference welcome dinner and get-together on Saturday night, and the Thursday night banquet.

Computer Workshops are limited to 25 participants for each two-hour session ($25 each). Time slots run 8.15-10.15am, 10.30am-12.30pm, 3-4pm or 4.15-6.15pm, and topics include:

Sunday:
Family Tree Builder 3.0 - Basic: Daniel Horowitz
JewishGen Databases: Nolan Altman

Monday:
Introduction to JewishGen: Debra Kay-Blatt
Family Tree Maker for Beginners/Intermediate Users: Duff Wilson
MyFamily, Facebook, Twitter - Social Networking: Crista Cowan
Publishing Your Own Family Book: Banai Feldstein

Tuesday:
Getting the Most from Yad Vashem Shoah Victims' Database: Gail Saini
Family Tree Maker for Advanced users: Duff Wilson
Using Word and Word Tables for Genealogy: Phyllis Kramer
Ancestry/JewishGen: The Dynamic Duo: Debra Kay-Blatt

Wednesday:
Genealogy Super Search Engine: Daniel Horowitz
JRI-Poland for Beginners: Robinn Magid
Social Networking with Facebook: Banai Feldstein
How Does a Beginner Find His/Her Way around the FamilySearch Website: Paul Smart.

Thursday:
Hands-On with Advanced Googling: Michael Marx
Family Tree Builder 3.0 - Advanced: Daniel Horowitz

Check the online program now to avoid scheduling conflicts with lectures and computer workshops.

For all registration and hotel details, go to Philly 2009.