Here is the announcement:
IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy
Set for Virtual and In-person in Philadelphia Aug. 2-5, 2021Registration now open
The 41st Annual IAJGS (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies) International Conference on Jewish Genealogy will take place in historic Philadelphia, PA, Aug. 2- 5, 2021, with a virtual component as well.
The conference will feature more than 100 speakers, with more than 250 sessions covering virtually every aspect of Jewish genealogy.
“Based on the successful full virtual format last year, there will again be a virtual component,” said Judi Missel, lead co-chair. “We are also planning our usual in-person conference with all its benefits, dependent on the situation with COVID.” Judi is a long-standing IAJGS Conference Administrative Manager and its 2019 Volunteer of the Year.
“We are excited to host this year’s Conference in Philadelphia, a city with a vibrant Jewish community and an abundance of historical attractions and genealogical resources,” said local co-chair Fred Blum, a past president of the Jewish Genealogical and Archival Society of Greater Philadelphia, the local co-host with IAJGS.
Early Bird registration is now open and will continue until May 31. Due to social distancing restrictions, attendance to the Conference will be limited; therefore, a Wait List will be created. Registration for all meals and computer labs is expected to open soon. Registration and conference program details are posted on the conference website: www.iajgs2021.org. Ongoing information and questions will also be posted on the IAJGS Conference Discussion Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/IAJGS.
The special Conference tracks are: Early Jewish Settlers of the Americas, Innovative Methodology, Keepers of the Shoah Memory, Beginners, DNA Insights for Genealogy, and Heritage and Cultural Material.
Programs at the Conference will be geared from first-timers to conference veterans, and will include lectures, lunches, computer labs, and networking through Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and Birds of a Feather (BOFs). An Exhibitor Hall and Resource Library will include genealogy experts, mentors and archivists for a one-stop research experience at the conference site.
Keynote speaker will be Michael Hoberman, professor of American Literature at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts and author of the books New Israel/New England: Jews and Puritans in Early America and A Hundred Acres of America: The Geography of Jewish American Literature.
The IAJGS is an umbrella organization of more than 93 Jewish genealogical societies worldwide. It coordinates and organizes activities such as its annual International Conference on Jewish Genealogy and provides a unified voice as the spokesperson on behalf of its members.
The IAJGS’s vision is of a worldwide network of Jewish genealogical research organizations and partners working together as one coherent, effective and respected community, enabling people to succeed in researching Jewish ancestry and heritage. Find the IAJGS at: www.iajgs.org and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iajgsjewishgenealogy.
