The 44th Annual International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Conference

Earlier this month, I was honored to represent DAR at the 44th annual International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) Conference. Held between August 18th to 22nd, the event was hosted by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia. This was the IAJGS’s first in-person conference in the United States since the pandemic and the first in Philadelphia since 2009. Last year’s was in-person in London, and next year’s is scheduled for Fort Wayne, Indiana.

DAR was a first-time sponsor, and I was joined by fellow DAR representatives; Sara Sukol, Director of Genealogy for NSDAR, Ellen Kowitt, National Vice Chair Jewish Research, and Karen Pogoloff, Long Range Planning Committee.

One of the largest Jewish genealogy resources for researchers is the website JewishGen. It houses millions of records from around the world and is the genealogy division of the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Some of the largest research divisions within JewishGen represented at the conference cover what are today Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Bessarabia, Germany, the Netherlands and the Balkan states of Eastern Europe. These platforms are all staffed by volunteers, and most were represented at the conference.

Ellen Kowitt helped establish the American Research Division of Jewish Gen just before the pandemic. The JewishGen USA Research Division (USA-RD) is a group of volunteer genealogists exploring the lives of Jews in America from 1654 to the present with goals to educate, and identify, index, and share Jewish historical records that have genealogical value.

One of the highlights during the conference was meeting Dr. Dana Herman, Associate Director, The Jacob Rader Marcus Center at the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati.  The AJA in Cincinnati is one of the two preeminent national repositories that preserve the history of American Jewry. Many holdings are genealogical and offer opportunities for individual research and group indexing projects. Dr. Herman gave the keynote address at the inaugural luncheon for the American Research Division of JewishGen.

Arthur Kurzweil, the well-known author on Jewish genealogy gave the gala banquet address and presented a moving talk on the importance of preserving the stories of the Holocaust for the next generation and all future generations.

Having the Jewish Genealogical Community see the support of DAR and having the opportunity to share who we are and what we do, laid a foundation of collaboration and support for our common interest.

At its heart, the convention provided a way for all who attended to experience an opportunity to honor the past while informing the present, and preserve stories about Jewish families for the future. I highly encourage all members to get involved in specialty research and attend conferences like IAJGS!