Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois Conference - June 9, 2013

Those planning to attend The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois' daylong Jewish genealogy conference, “Digging Deeper: Researching Our Ancestors With Technology,” on Sunday, June 9, 2013, have until May 15 to save $10 in the fee for early registration. Also, for out-of-town attendees, the special room rate at a nearby motel is guaranteed until May 9 (it may be extended if the reserved block of rooms is not filled).

The early registration fees for the conference are $50 for JGSI and IAJGS members and $65 for non-members paid by May 15. After May 15, the fees are $60 for members and $75 for non-members. Members of any IAJGS-affiliated society can attend the conference at the member rate.

For youths who plan to attend just the mini-conference, it's free; but if they want to attend all day, it’s $25 for early registration and $35 for late registration.

The conference registration form can be found athttp://www.jgsi.org/Conference2013.

Attendees from out of town are invited to stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites Chicago-North Shore/Skokie at the special conference rate of $119/night, which includes a complimentary hot and cold breakfast buffet, free Wi-Fi, and a free shuttle service within three miles of the hotel. Temple Beth Israel, the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, and Westfield Old Orchard mall are within this radius.

Rooms may be reserved at the Hampton Inn at http://bit.ly/14zseDW. The special room rate is guaranteed until May 9.

The conference will be held at Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster St., Skokie, Illinois. Conference attendees will register beginning at 8:15 a.m. June 9 at Temple Beth Israel, and the conference will be held from 9:15 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. Lunch and snacks will be provided.

The featured speakers will include Warren Blatt, managing director of JewishGen, the major Jewish genealogy website; and Duff Wilson, senior product manager of Family Tree Maker, the genealogy database software. Warren Blatt will deliver a keynote address on advanced searching with JewishGen and will also conduct separate sessions on Jewish given names and Jewish surnames.

Duff Wilson will lead two instructive Family Tree Maker sessions, one for beginners and one for advanced users of the family tree software.

A unique aspect of this conference will be a free mini-conference for youths from sixth grade through high school. Two consecutive programs introducing Jewish genealogy with beginning methodology will be held from 1:25 to 3:40 p.m. Robin Seidenberg and Harriet Rudnit, experienced genealogists and JGSI board members, will be the mini-conference speakers.

“Digging Deeper: Researching Our Ancestors With Technology” will also include presentations on DNA, translating Polish records, the Pale of Settlement, familysearch.org, naturalization and cemetery records, and much more. For additional information, see http://jgsi.org/Conference2013.