In the weeks following the launch of the 2010 IAJGS Conference website your co-chairs have been actively working on programs and plans for this July event.  The Call for Papers begins on November 15th, but we’ve already been recruiting key speakers and planning programs “firsts.”

Leading our line-up will be the first ever IAJGS Conference “Genealogist in Residence” — Arthur Kurzweil — author of  “From Generation to Generation,” and one of America’s foremost experts in Jewish genealogy.   In addition to giving lectures and classes the entire week, Arthur will also be available for kibitzing, kvetching and commentary on the fly.  In honor of the memorable and magical moments that infuse the conference experience, he will be performing his show “Searching for God in a Magic Shop, ” a unique exploration of the world of illusions, offering profound ideas of Jewish thought.  How many times during your family tree meanderings have you slapped your forehead and exclaimed:  “It was there all the time…I just didn’t see it!”  Kurzweil’s performance will demonstrate how often we miss what is right in front of us, how little we truly “see” at first glance.  An enlightening lesson for genealogists.

He’ll also offer two hands-on workshops, “Climbing Your Jewish Family Tree” and “Holocaust Research: How and Why To Locate Information About What Happened to Your Family During the Holocaust, ” along with discussing the spiritual nature of genealogy.

This year — 2009 — the Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles celebrates our 30th year of existence and Arthur was there at the start.  It was following his 1979 lecture that a few budding genealogists got together and founded our society. Next year, 2010, the IAJGS celebrates 30 years of conferences, so it’s fitting that he be invited back to where it all began.

The world of Jewish genealogy has radically changed since those fledgling years.  Many of us do our most productive research at home, making breakthroughs while sitting in front of our computers at 2 AM.  Researchers wonder about the value of leaving these comforts just to interact with others.  Is it worth traveling thousands of miles to spend hard-earned dollars on a lengthy conference?  The JGSLA believes that the answer is a resounding yes, and over the next eight months we plan to offer you countless reasons why.

For those of you already planning to attend, the conference will officially start at 10:00AM on Sunday, July 11^th and conclude on Friday, July 16^th at 12:30PM.  Programming and activities will run non-stop for almost six days. Our keynote speaker and dessert reception will take place on Sunday evening, our banquet on Thursday, July 15th, with complete details available soon.

If your schedule includes arriving early to banish jet lag, there will be Shabbat-friendly, pre-conference learning  on Friday, July 9^th and Saturday, July 10^th including tours and classes.  Did you ever wonder what your ancestors were studying when they entered the cheder in their shtetls?   Why so many of them, as adults, devoted a lifetime to studying sacred texts?  You’ll be able to discover the wonders, wisdom and insights in the Talmud in a special afternoon study session.  We’ll also offer Jewish-themed tours and Friday and Saturday dinners, with compelling speakers, in the days leading up to the conference.  Classes will be free, but tours and special meals will have added fees all detailed when registration opens in January.

On Sunday, July 11th,  you’ll be able to plunge into a variety of beginners’ workshops, films, classes and an afternoon SIG “Market Square” where you can sample the “wares” of  various regional special interest groups.  In this informal, friendly setting, you’ll meet the foreign archivists and experts in overseas research who will be lecturing later in the week.  Our SIG committee chair, Vivian Kahn, will be reaching out to SIG and BOF leaders soon via email. to begin this planning.

On Monday we toured the JW Marriott Hotel and construction is ahead of schedule. The “hardhat” photo on the left was taken in the spring of 2009 when the hotel was mainly steel, drywall and dust, but we were all smiles because we had faith that the space would be perfect for our needs.  This last visit proved us right.  Yes…there are still almost 2,500 workers going at it daily, but chandeliers are being raised, wallpaper being applied, and walking the halls and public spaces we began to visualize conference-goers bustling about, running off to lectures, making discoveries in the resource room, trolling through the vendor and exhibit area, and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

The conference space is going to be beautiful and convenient — everything on one floor, with plenty of public space to meet, greet, network and nosh.  Opening for business in February 2010, this gleaming, modern 879-room hotel (right next to the new Ritz Carlton) will offer luxurious, zen-like accommodations,  a rooftop pool, spa, and fitness center, so even if you never leave the building, you’ll feel like you’ve been on vacation!

If you do venture forth, know that the area surrounding the hotel — the L.A. Live complex — offers restaurants, museums and entertainment venues for all tastes and we’ll preview those in this blog in weeks to come.

If you want to venture further afield, we’ll be offering opportunities to see the Jewish and cultural sites of Los Angeles, including a special preview tour of Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust in its new home,  built into a hill adjacent to Pan Pacific Park’s Holocaust memorial, which was erected in 1991 by survivors.  This will be the city’s first world-class, multi-cultural museum dedicated exclusively to remembering the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis.  It won’t open officially until the fall of 2010, but IAJGS conference registrants will be able to attend a special reception there during the conference week.

We realize that attending a six-day conference is a huge commitment of time and money and we promise to keep the level of interest high for both first-timers and long-time conference-goers.  Remember that the opportunity to network in person with up to 1,000 other colleagues and Internet acquaintances as passionate as you are about Jewish genealogy only comes once a year. Chance encounters — a conversation continued after a lecture has ended or getting to discuss the material in a lecture with the expert who just presented it — can lead to unanticipated connections that could advance your research by light years.

Whether this is your first-time putting your toe in genealogical waters or you’re vying for the “most conferences attended” award, the JGSLA cordially invites you to join us in the City of Angels for what promises to be an extraordinary experience of living intensely for six action-packed days of learning and sharing.  Come celebrate turning 30 with all of us in July 2010!

Watch this space for more firsts and additional conference updates.  And don’t forget to sign up for our conference newsletter!