The conference will be held from Sunday, August 5, 2018, until noon on Friday, August 10, 2018.

The conference begins on Sunday with a couple of introductory sessions in the morning from about 8:30 until 10:45. There will be nothing scheduled after that until 3:00 pm, when we will have our traditional SHAREFair, with refreshments, from 3:00 until 5:00 pm. At 5:00 pm we will have our opening session for approximately two hours and then break until the morning, when lectures begin at 8:00 am.

Warsaw is a very interesting and navigable city filled with history, truly great museums and archives, shopping and good food. Taube Jewish Heritage Tours will be offering half and full daytime trips, some of which are geared for the non-genealogist.

Recognizing that a conference attendee may be traveling with a non-genealist family member, this conference is being scheduled to start slightly later (8:30 am), include a longer lunch time (90 minutes) and end the day by 7:30 or 8:00 pm at the latest to allow families to spend the evening together in a city that has a vibrant night life and generally takes dinner between 8 and 10 pm.

Yes. The entire hotel will be covered by WiFi, and we will be boosting its bandwidth for the conference.

Refunds will depend on when we receive a cancellation notice.

• On or before May 15, 2018: A full refund of all fees paid less a $50 administrative fee will be made if a cancellation request is received by 11:59 pm EDT, May 15, 2018.
• On or after May 16, 2018, and before July 1, 2018: A 50% refund of all fees paid less a $50 administrative fee if a cancellation request is received by 11:59 pm EDT, June 30, 2018. If you wish to substitute other Conference items for any fees paid, you may do so. This is not transferable to another person. If the substitution results in a net increase, you must pay the difference. If there is a net reduction, the difference will be refunded less a $50 administrative fee. If the difference is less than $50, it is forfeited in lieu of the administrative fee.
• On or after July 1, 2018: No refunds or substitutions will be made for requests received on or after 12:01 am EDT July 1, 2018. We regret if illness, family emergency, or other reasons prevent you from participating in some or all of the conference. However, we have incurred obligations to others based upon your registration and additional fee items.

There will be no exceptions to the cancellation/refund policy. You may want to consider buying trip cancellation insurance.

To cancel your registration, please write to registration@iajgs2018.org or send a letter (delivery confirmation recommended) to

    Harvey Kabaker, Registration Chair
    IAJGS Warsaw 2018
    1314 Midwood Place
    Silver Spring, MD 20910-1645

Yes. Those who have registered for the full Conference, or for at least two days of the event, may now reserve rooms at the Hilton Warsaw Hotel and Convention Centre, where most of the official sessions will take place. The link to Hilton’s special registration page is included with the conference registration confirmation message.

We have reserved approximately 200 rooms for the Conference period that are guaranteed at the Group Discount Rate of 480 zloty (as of March 23 about $140) for single occupancy and 520 zloty (as of March 23 about $152) for double occupancy. These rates are before an 8% tax. The Hilton Warsaw Hotel has extended an offer to us to allow this special rate for rooms during the period July 31, 2018, through and including August 15, 2018, “as available”.

These rooms include free WiFi and a hotel buffet breakfast (hence the additional charge for double or triple occupancy). The rooms are available with either ONE King or TWO twin beds. They have another category of rooms called “Executive Rooms”. These include a larger workspace area but are not covered by our contract.

In Warsaw, there are taxis, buses, and a comprehensive light rail system and subway. UBER is available using the standard smartphone app in Warsaw and Krakow.

Most taxis in Poland don’t take debit cards. And many don’t take credit cards, either. So, outside of the major airport pick-up points, arrive at the taxi prepared with cash. From Warsaw Chopin airport, people will have the best luck (and get the most honorable drivers) if they use SUPER or SAWA taxis, which are the recommended ones at the official taxi stand. Show your credit card right away to the driver before getting in to be sure he (usually it’s a he) will take it. (Avoid changing cash at the airport; rates there tend to be unfavorable.) Also, cashless Uber is available in both Warsaw and Krakow for those with smartphone access.

• Ec Chaim (Etz Chayim)
• Beit Centrum Ki Tov
• Fundacja Beit Warszawa

Beit Centrum has invited conference attendees to attend its Progressive (reform/conservative friendly) family service on Friday evenings (19:00 Kabbalat Shabbat followed by dinner) and/or Shabbat morning (10:30 Shacharit followed by lunch). Anyone planning to attend is asked to contact the synagogue by email at joe@beit.org.pl or by phone at (+48) 601 22 55 88. The synagogue is located at Nowogrodzka 12/3 just behind the Novotel Hotel.

The cost for dinner on Friday or lunch on Saturday is $20 in any currency (with a larger donation always welcome). Either pay before Shabbat or put a contribution in the Tzedakah tin discreetly. Anyone wishing to have an Aliyah (men and women), will be most welcome. The meal is Kosher as defined by the Masorti in Israel.

Beit Warszawa has also extended an invitation to conference attendees. Please see their website.

The Hilton and Westin hotels have provisions for sabbath observance.

• Mechanical keys are available on the lower floors. The lowest floor at the Westin is the fourth floor. At the Hilton, floors 5 to 8 can have mechanical keys.
• The Stairwells will be unlocked and open on Shabbat for travel between floors.
• Assistance with elevators can be provided.
• At the Hilton, half of the rooms have empty refrigerators, and others can be emptied on request. At the Westin, every refrigerator is a minibar. We are asking if they will be emptied on request and do not have an answer to this question yet.