JGSLA 2010: Jewish Journal's cover story!

As more than 1,000 researchers prepare to attend the 30th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, in Los Angeles, from July 11-16, the event graced the Jewish Journal's cover, and offered three Jewish genealogy-focused stories.

The JGSLA 2010 conference story, by Julie Gruenbaum Fax, provided information about this much-anticipated event which will provide resources, information and research opportunities to attendees of all skill levels, from absolute beginners through professionals.

There were also two related stories, both of which mentioned the conference:

-- Journey of a Lifetime, by Elizabeth Ruderman Miller, author of “How Will I Know Where I’m Going, If I Don’t Know Where I’ve Been? A Genealogical Journey” (AuthorHouse, 2009). Miller provided information on how she researched her book, listing such topics as find a muse, become a detective and research the time periods; and

-- Capturing Your Family’s History, by architectural historian and preservationist Barbara Hoff Delvac, the granddaughter of 19th-century Hungarian immigrants. Delvac discussed how important recording oral histories are to one's family history, as well as Ancestry.com, "Who Do You Think You Are?," the Mormon Family History Library, Jewish geography and online research.

The idea of the conference, according to co-chair Pamela Weisberger, is to "entice, and then enable" everyone in all segments of the Los Angeles Jewish community - no matter their age, origin or level of observance -- to discover their legacy and heritage in diverse ways.

For all information on the six-day event (from Sunday morning through mid-day Friday, click here).

“Most Jews mistakenly believe that they cannot research their family trees because ‘our name was changed at Ellis Island’ or ‘my grandfather’s shtetl no longer exists’ or ‘all the records were destroyed,’ ” said Pamela Weisberger, co-chair for the conference and a professional genealogical researcher. “These are all false concepts, but without instruction on how to do family research, most Jews will never attempt to document their family history or gather the precious stories of elderly family members, and their histories will be lost to time.”

Information was provided on the comprehensive Sunday program on the event's first day. Los Angeles residents can purchase day passes for Sunday or the other days of the conference.

On Sunday, diverse programs focus on how-sessions, beginners and multi-generational workshops. The Market Square Fair will offer expert photo analysts, who can pull clues from the clothes, background and hairstyles in old family photos. The professionally-staffed resource room will help attendees decipher cryptic documents or tangled family stories.

Some topic highlights include culinary history, medical genealogy and DNA genetic genealogy, Jewish surnames in non-Jewish families, Persian and Sephardic Jews, Conversos, genealogist-in-residence Arthur Kurzweil, archivists, technology workshops, writing family history, technology workshops, social networking and blogging, the keynote speaker, Film Festival, guided tours and evening entertainment.

Of course, frequent attendees of the conferences know that the networking at the events is most important and people researching the same geographical areas, technologies or techniques get together to collaborate, share and increase their collective knowledge.

The conference site is the JW Marriott at LA Live, July 11-16. Registration for the entire event is $310 (student/senior rates available). Day passes: $105, Sunday; $85, other days. For more information or to or register, visit jgsla2010.com.

For more, read the story links above.

See you in Los Angeles!