Jamboree 2011: Five free streaming sessions

Tracing the Tribe is getting ready to travel to the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree 2011, one of my favorite events. Jamboree is always on the cutting-edge of genealogy conferences and is the first conference to offer an IPad/iPhone app.

This year, several Jamboree sessions will be available free to genealogists and family historians around the globe, and made possible via sponsorship of RootsMagic. Five sessions will be streamed live on Saturday, June 11, with the first starting at 8.30am and the last ending at 4.30pm.

  

The Saturday sessions to be streamed are below. Click on each link to read more about each session and register. 

  

-- Lisa Louise Cooke - SA009 - Google Search Strategies for Genealogists - 8:30-9:30am PDT

-- Curt B. Witcher, MLS, FUGA, IGSF - SA019 - Fingerprinting Our Families - Using Ancestral Origins as a Genealogical Research Key - 10-11:00am PDT

-- David A. Lambert - SA024 - Researching Your Union Civil War Ancestors - 11:30am-12:30pm PDT

-- Kory Meyerink, AG, FUGA - SA035 - But it Ain't Really the ORIGINAL Record! - 2-3pm PDT

-- Kerry Bartels - SA043 - The Many Facets of the National Archives Website (NARA) - 3:30-5:30pm PDT

These records are an extension of the SCGS online "webinar" (web-based seminar) series.

Viewers can listen and watch a presentation by registering and then signing on to a website. The original webcast of the streamed video sessions and webinars are available to the global genealogical community at no charge. Following the original broadcast, the sessions will be archived and available to SCGS members at the SCGS website.

Other Jamboree conference sessions will be available through GoToWebinar. Watch for that announcement.

Southern California: Orange County genealogy programs to begin

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles is expanding programming south into the South Bay area to reach genealogists who don't want to drive long distances into the city.

JGSLA' programming chair Pamela Weisberger told Tracing the Tribe that the the first two meetings scheduled will be:

-- Thursday, April 14
Warren Blatt (of JewishGen) will speak on "Abram to Zlata: An Introduction to Jewish Given Names" at the Toyota Car Museum of Torrance, 19600 Van Ness Avenue, Torrence, CA 90501.

-- Tuesday, June 14
Daniel Horowitz (MyHeritage.com's chief genealogist) will speak on Tuesday, June 14 about "Planting a Family Tree Online with MyHeritage.com," at Congregation Shir Chadash, 6440 Del Amo Blvd., Ladewood 90713.

Pamela says that more programming will be offered in Orange County and South Bay to reach more Jewish genealogists during the coming year.

For more information and directions, click on the JGSLA website.

DC 2011: Proposal deadline, January 15

Planning to submit a program proposal for the 31st IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy ? If so, the deadline is January 15.

Although the conference says they've received a significant number of excellent proposals, they know that genealogists are often procrastinators!

To encourage the procrastinators, the conference plans a drawing from among all those who submit proposals. The lucky winner will receive a free five-night stay for the conference at the Grand Hyatt Washington, with a choice of king or double-double room. Only proposal submitters will be included, and each will be entered once for each program submitted for consideration.

That drawing is in addition to and separate from the Early Bird drawing for those who register for the conference during January 2011.

If you've already submitted a program proposal, you should have received an email confirmation. If you did not get that email, make sure your submission did go through.

Interested in submitting? Click here and read the guidelines.

See you in DC!

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!

JGSLA 2010: Belarus events set

As a charter member of the Belarus SIG, this group is dear to Tracing the Tribe's genealogical heart.

Belarus SIG began life as a crowded birds-of-a-feather meeting spearheaded by Daveid Fox, at the Boston 1996 conference and became a SIG at the 1998 Los Angeles event. The speaker in Boston was a then-recent Mogilev immigrant to Brooklyn, Bella Nayer, who had been very involved in community affairs.

The map (above left) is a 1916 map of Belarus. 

The graphic (below right) is a woodcut of the Mogilev synagogue.

What does the SIG have planned for its return to its birthplace?

Tracing the Tribe has already covered the Belarus luncheon (Tuesday, July 13) speaker: Moscow born, Jewish filmmaker, researcher and travel professional Michael Masterovoy.

The luncheon description reads:

 "In 1793,the central part of Belarus, including Minsk, became a part of the Russian empire. In addition to being the capital of Belarus it was also a center of Jewish life and home of many Torah sages and Yeshivas that attracted students from all over Europe. Before World War II, Jews made up 40% of the total  population in the city. Join Moscow born, Jewish filmmaker, researcher and travel professional, Michael Masterovoy, as he takes you on a tour of a present-day Belarus, which resonates with the past. View a short video of several Belarusian shtetls, walk the streets of Movsha Shagal's (Marc Chagall's) Vitebsk with Michael (and view the museum) and learn about the positive aspects of travel to a socialist state with a human face, the land of vodka and honey that echoes with the footsteps of our ancestors."

The luncheon is a fee-added event. Belarus SIG luncheons are always well-attended - sign up early and avoid disappointment.

The Belarus SIG business meeting is set for later the same day and will feature the group's progress and achievements.

The group also plans to be part of the Sunday opening day Market Fair, from 2-4.30pm.

The Market Fair will feature experts and mavens staffing "pushcarts" and offering assistance and guidance, representing nearly every region where Jews once lived. "Wares" will include old maps, vital records, landowner records, historical photos and postcards, translation, crafts, cooking and much more.

Food (including kosher) will be available for purchase. And don't miss the great klezmer concerts (yes - two of them!) by Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi, after the Market Fair and again in the early evening.

For more information on the Belarus SIG, its treasure trove of databases and much more, click here.

New York: Three Catalan Sephardic programs, May 2-4

The American Sephardi Federation has scheduled three programs from Sunday, May 2-Tuesday, May 4.

-- A History of Jewish Catalonia
4pm, Sunday, May 2

A lecture on this book, along with a sale and signing, will feature authors Sílvia Planas and Manuel Forcano.

This beautifully illustrated book traces the rich and fertile history of the Jews in Catalonia from the time of the late Roman Empire and the Early Middle Ages, until the drastic decree of expulsion by the Catholic Monarchs.

It captures their wedding songs, the smells from their cooking pots, and reconstructs the soaring intellectual edifice they created despite the difficulties of a daily life fraught with religious persecution and social degradation.
 
The program is in collaboration with and the support of NYU's Catalan Center, an affiliate of the Institut Ramon Llull, and the European Institute of the Mediterranean

Fee: ASF members/students, free; others $5. It will take place at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, NYC. Reservations requested.

-- A Certain Identity: Crypto Jews Around the World
6.30pm, Monday, May 3

Thousands of Iberian Jews went "underground" at the time of the Inquisition and the expulsion from Spain. They dispersed across Europe, across the ocean to South America and the Caribbean, to North Africa and the Middle East. With tremendous tenacity, they preserved their heritage, married among themselves, and passed it down from generation to generation.

Gloria Mound, Director of the Casa Shalom-Institute for Anusim Studies in Israel, will illuminate their fascinating history, their presence in the Caribbean and in European countries, as well as previously unsuspected links with French Huguenots.

Fee: ASF members/students, $5; others $10. It will take place at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, NYC. Reservations requested.

-- Traces of Esther: The Jewish Presence in Contemporary Catalan Literature
6.30pm, Tuesday, May 4

Manuel Forcano, PhD (Semitic Philology), poet and essayist, will offer a Catalan perspective on Jewish culture as reflected in the writings of the great 19th and 20th century Catalan authors. Offering rich passages from the literature, Dr. Forcano will guide us from the negative stereotypes of the 19th century, through the fascination with Israel as both a religious and political inspiration, and the Bible and the Talmud as references, to the emergence of a modern, nuanced view of the place of Jewish culture in Catalonia.

The program is in collaboration with and the support of NYU's Catalan Center and the European Institute of the Mediterranean.

Fee: no charge. It will take place at the King Juan Carlos Center, 53 Washington Square South (bet. Sullivan & Thompson Streets). Reservations requested.

Israel: JFRA, IGS merge

Tracing the Tribe previously noted the merger of the Israel Genealogical Society and the Jewish Family Research Association as of January.

Here is the official announcement by IGS president Michael Goldstein and JFRA president Ingrid Rockberger:

Michael Goldstein, President of the Israel Genealogical Society (IGS) and Ingrid Rockberger, President of Jewish Family Research Association, Israel (JFRA) are delighted to announce the merger of their two societies.

The joint organization now has 10 branches throughout Israel and will be pooling all its resources to further genealogical services and activities in Israel and to create a large, vibrant and forward-looking society.

A wide range of programs is now available in both Hebrew and English - with other language groups being planned.

The annual one-day seminar is being expanded and plans are already underway for the IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy to be held in Israel in July 2014.

The society will be pleased to welcome guests from abroad at our meetings, which are posted on our website.

We also invite speakers visiting Israel to give a lecture or presentation at one of our branches. Please contact us in advance so we can coordinate date and location.

The organization will continue to be known as the Israel Genealogical Society (IGS) in English. [NOTE: The merger is reflected in the organization's Hebrew name]

Wishing everyone a Happy Pesach,
Michael Goldstein
Ingrid Rockberger

Tracing the Tribe looks forward to this new endeavor.

Webinar: Make the most of a gen conference, March 27

Are you a first-timer planning to attend a genealogy conference? If so, don't miss this free expert webinar on Saturday, March 27.

Participating in a large-scale event can be overwhelming if you don't know what to expect or what to do.

Whether you'll be attending the Southern California Jamboree, the IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, or any other gen conference, learn how to get the most out of such an event.

After all, you're making an investment of your time and money!

George C. Morgan of The Genealogy Guys Podcast will present a free webinar to help you get the most out of any genealogy conference - one of the best ways to enhance your research skills, learn new techniques, resources and strategies for finding ancestors.

It may even provide new ideas to those who have attended conferences in the past.

George will cover the folowing:

-- Registering for the conference

-- Planning your conference schedule

-- Planning your attack on the exhibit hall (from preliminary research on company websites to a shopping list)

-- Utilizing the program and syllabus in the best use

-- Networking and socializing to make connections

-- Encouraging cousins to attend.

-- Travel arrangements

George will also provide activity suggestions once your at the conference: meeting other attendees, arranging one-on-one time with favorite speakers, and how to work exhibit hal vendors to gather new information.

The original broadcast of the March 27 webinar is limited to 100 "live" attendees, but the program will be available for download or viewing anytime at the Southern California Genealogical Society.

"How to Get the Most out of a Genealogy Conference" is set for Saturday, March 27, from 10-11am PDT. Register here. After registration, you'll receive a confirmation email with detailed information on how to participate.

JGSLA 2010: Program highlights

The JGSLA 2010 program committee is releasing names and topics of some speakers.

Acceptances have been received by presenters.

As Tracing the Tribe has previously posted, author Daniel Mendelsohn is the keynote speaker while the first-ever scholar-in-residence will be pioneer Jewish genealogist Arthur Kurzweil.

Among the speakers:

-- New York University geneticist Dr. Harry Ostrer: "The Jewish HapMap: What Genetics Has Given to Jews and What Jews Have Given to Genetics."

-- The American Joint Distribution Committee's Linda Levi will demonstrate how the AJDC archive is organized and how to research.

-- USHMM Registry of Holocaust Survivors director Lisa Yavnai will speak on that registry. Other USHMM repeat speakers Megan Lewis and Jo-Ellyn Decker: "Improving Your Research Experience."

-- The Lucille Gudis Memorial Lecture will be presented by University of Massachusetts Professor Vincent Cannato on his book, "American Passage: The History of Ellis Island."

-- Yad Vashem Hall of Names director Zvi Bernhardt: “Using the Yad Vashem Database (of Shoah Victims’ Names) for Beginners.”

-- Genealogy's well-known "Photo Detective" - Maureen Taylor - will offer her expert forensic advice on photograph interpretation and preservation.

There will be international experts from Vienna (Wolf-Erich Eckstein, Israelitische Kultusgemeinde); Prague (Julius Muller, Toledot Jewish Family History Center); Vilnius (Dr. Egle Bendikaite, Vilnius Institute associate professor); and Warsaw (Yale Reisner, The Jewish Historical Institute's Jewish Genealogy and Family Heritage Learning Center).

Tracing the Tribe will present three programs: an update with new information on the IberianAshkenaz DNA Project, as well as "The Wonderful World of Genealogy Blogging" and "Sephardic Genealogy: Trends and Resources."

Stay tuned for more!

Jamboree 2010: Program now online

Talk about jet-setting.

Tracing the Tribe is in Hong Kong - and loving every minute - on the way to Australia for the 2nd Australian Jewish Genealogy Conference. In just a few months, I'll be in California for the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree 2010 (June 11-13) and JGSLA 2010 (July 11-16).

Jamboree 2010's program is now online, ready to download.

Read the list of sponsors and exhibitors, as well as:

-- Class schedules and descriptions.
-- Speaker bios.
-- Details on Friday morning JamboFREE events.
-- Hotel and restaurant information.-- Special Jamboree meals (breakfasts, banquets) and tours.

-- Registration form and other details

-- Info on the hands-on computer labs and mini-courses

-- AND George C. Morgan's free webinar (Saturday, March 27) on "How to Get theMost Out of Jamboree."

Watch the Jamboree blog for webinar announcements.

Tracing the Tribe will participate in a blogger panel and present a DNA talk.

-- Saturday, June 12, 11:30am-12:30pm:
Blogger Summit Part 2: Now that You’re a Genealogy Blogger. (Cooke, Dardashti, Doyle, MacEntee, Manson).
So you have a blog? Now what? Learn how to make blogging fun with tips from our panel of expert genealogy bloggers. You’ll learn about keeping posts fresh, making blogging beneficial to your genealogy research and possibly profitable as well, with tips on marketing your blog.

-- Saturday, June 12, 2-3pm:
The Iberian Ashkenaz DNA Project: The Administrator's Viewpoint.
Learn how to develop and build a DNA project. This session covers the nuts and bolts from initial concept, project goal, criteria, encouraging participation, results and what they mean.

See you in Burbank!

JGSLA 2010: Program deadline January 15

This is for those procrastinators out there!

Tracing the Tribe knows there are many people thinking about submitting great program proposals for JGSLA 2010, but the deadline of January 15 is fast approaching.

The program committee welcomes imaginative submissions to interest genealogists of all skill levels, from beginners through advanced.

Less than two weeks remain to submit presentation proposals for the 30th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy (July 11-16, Los Angeles), hosted by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles.

January 15 is the deadline to submit proposals. For a complete list - a guide - of suggested topics, running from films to technology to geographic focus and much more, click here.

Head's up: Conference registration is scheduled to open on Friday, January 15, so mark your calendars now! Be the first on your block to register!

For all breaking news, subscribe to both the Conference Blog and Newsletter, with information at the link above.

See you in Los Angeles!

JGSLA 2010: Breaking news!

The news is flowing from the JGSLA 2010 committee.

The 30th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy takes place July 11-16, 2010 at the new JW Marriott at LA Live, in Los Angeles.

The opening day - Sunday, July 11 - will feature a Market Square Fair. All special interest groups (SIG) and birds-of-a-feather (BOF) groups will display information, and these marvelous mavens will provide one-on-one help to conference-goers.

The Fair will include booths manned by genealogically-related non-profit and educational groups, along with craft guilds, historical map info, book signings and more.

Sunday will also feature beginners' workshops, the vendor/exhibit room will be open, book signings and more to be announced later.

The resource room will have Family History Library (LDS) microfilms, along with Shoah Foundation and USHMM databases.

Because Sunday will be such an action-packed day from the morning on, you'll want to be there for the entire day, so think about checking in early to the hotel.

Those who arrive early will enjoy a Shabbat-friendly pre-conference learning experience on Saturday, July 10 and, for services, there's a Chabad House within walking distance.

Evening programs are a big part of the conference program. This year, attendees will enjoy two theatrical presentations - "literary cabarets," as the committee calls them - including an adaptation of Mimi Sheraton's book, "The Bialy Eaters: The Story of a Bread and a Lost World."

"The Bialy Eaters" is a tribute to the endurance and power of memory and how the search for a perfect "chewy crusty roll"represents a deeper longing for a vanished way of life. Don't know what a bialy is? You'll have to come to the conference to find out.

If you're a SIG or BOF leader, watch for information from Vivian Kahn, the SIG/BOF coordinator, who will be providing information on how SIGs can co-sponsor a professor, archivist or recognized expert to speak at the event, with JGSLA 2010's support.

As always, there are options for these geographic and topic-focused groups to meet during the conference - such as a luncheon, business meeting or other format -, so if Vivian hasn't contacted you in the next 10 days, write to her with questions or requests.

So many BOFs are created on an ongoing basis, and if you want your group to included at this year's event, let Vivian know.

JGSLA 2010 will have a special free PowerPoint presentation on CD available in January 2010, offering conference news, previews and film clips, for any JGS or Jewish community group requesting one. It even comes with a great JGSLA2010 T-shirt to give away as a doorprize.

The Call for Papers is open until January 15, and registration for the conference opens on that date as well.

Go to the JGSLA 2010 site and sign up for the announcements, newsletter and blog, so you won't miss any of the exciting news.

Tracing the Tribe will see you in Los Angeles!