Call For Proposals

You are invited to submit one or more presentation proposals for the 41st Annual IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy to be held from Monday, August 2 through Thursday, August 5, 2021, in historic Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hosted by the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) and the Jewish Genealogical and Archival Society of Greater Philadelphia (JGASGP), the conference aims to inform, instruct, and inspire attendees to explore and preserve their Jewish family history.

To begin the process for submitting a proposal, go to the Abstract Submission page.
All proposals must be submitted through this website. No exceptions.
To edit a proposal that you already submitted to the Philadelphia Conference, go to the Abstract Service Center.

Proposals may be added (using the Abstract Submission page) or modified (using the Abstract Service Center) until the submission deadline stated below under Important Dates.

It is not a reflection on the quality of your proposal if we do not accept all of your proposals. We greatly appreciate your willingness to give us a choice of proposals and your interest in sharing your expertise and knowledge. We receive about twice as many proposals as we can accept.

Important Dates
Themes
Types of Sessions
Speaker Compensation
Instructions for Submission
Notification of Acceptance
Forgotten Speaker Password

Important Dates

A timetable of the abstract submittal process is as follows:

Proposal Submissions Due: Thursday, November 19, 2020, 11:59 pm (Central Standard Time)
Notices of Acceptance Sent: On or before Sunday, December 20, 2020
Acceptance Due from Speakers to IAJGS: No later than Tuesday, January 12, 2021, 11:59 pm (Central Standard Time)
Conference Program & Schedule is estimated to be announced by March 1, 2021
Required Session Handouts are due no later than Friday, May 14, 2021

Themes

Reflecting on the location of the 2021 Conference, we are delighted to offer a series of themed tracks to link various presentations throughout the Conference. Proposed abstracts which meet one of the following theme categories are encouraged. Other broad topics in Jewish Genealogy are encouraged as well. The 2021 Conference tracks are:

Early Jewish Settlers of the Americas Track: Sessions exploring the communal contributions of Jews in the New World from Canada to South America from the earliest Colonial periods through the Civil War honor our historic location.
Methodology Track: Employing tools such as innovative organizational techniques, facial recognition, or Google location mapping enhances the next steps of genealogical research by using advanced computer technology.
Keepers of the Shoah Memory Track: With survivors dying in growing numbers and their live testimonies soon to be a thing of the past, it is up to the generations that follow to offer the guidance and research to keep the memory of the Shoah alive.
Beginners Track: For those who consider themselves new to Jewish genealogy, have never attended an IAJGS conference, or just feel a need to step up their skills in basic areas, these sessions offer guidance and a path to begin research.
DNA Insights for Genealogy Track: Becoming more knowledgeable of all that DNA understanding and analysis offers beyond paper records is a critical component for modern genealogical research.
Heritage and Cultural Material Track: Exploring the cultural context and history of family heirlooms, recipes, and objects that mean something to one's family and enhances our genealogical explorations by looking at more than vital statistics.

Please write to program@iajgs2021.org if you have an innovative idea for programming that you would like to discuss with the conference and program chairs prior to your submittal or before our deadline.

Types of Sessions

Sessions will be scheduled for 45 minutes of lecture, followed by 15 minutes of questions and answers, for a total presentation time of 60 minutes.
Panels that group speakers with varying views on a shared topic are encouraged by the Program Committee. They are typically scheduled for the same time slots as sessions but may be longer. A panel proposal should be submitted by the main presenter or moderator. When you are prompted to “Review the Submission”, there will be an icon to “Add an Additional Presenter”, which allows the additional presenters to be attached to the proposal.
Computer Labs (hands-on) will be 1½ hours in length and limited to 25 paying participants.
Poster Sessions are an informal format presenting personal research, experiences, or information using a visually static poster or a looped laptop presentation that is shared with whoever wanders by during an open time frame. These sessions are limited to 15 to 25 minutes each.

Speaker Compensation

Speakers may submit any number of proposals. Because of the limited number of scheduling slots and the large number of people applying to speak, we will give preference to speakers for whom we can schedule multiple sessions. It is not a reflection on the quality of your proposal if we do not accept all your proposals. We greatly appreciate your willingness in sharing your expertise and knowledge. We generally receive about twice as many proposals as we can accept.

Speaker financial compensation is based on the number of approved sessions. All Speaker Compensation is provided for only the primary speaker in any session, panel, or computer lab. Poster Session presenters are excluded. The following table applies:

Sessions	Honorarium	Travel & Expenses	Hotel Nights	Registration
Presenting 4 sessions	$600	$300	up to three	complimentary
Presenting 3 sessions	$450	$250	up to two	complimentary
Presenting 2 sessions	$300	$200	up to one	complimentary
Presenting 1 session	$150	$150	none	complimentary

Speakers who live within 50 miles of the Conference location will receive only $50 for the travel and expense portion of the compensation. Speaker compensation will be reduced by $75 for any speaker who does not meet designated deadlines. There are no meal requirements, such as vouchers, for speakers this year. Speakers are required to provide and set-up their own laptops and projectors to be used in the session rooms.

Speakers on the IAJGS Board of Directors and those representing sponsoring organizations are not eligible for this compensation. Speakers for JewishGen Research Divisions and SIG-sponsored meals receive compensation from other sources and are not eligible for this compensation.

Instructions for Submission

Be sure to set your spam blocker to accept email messages from speakers@iajgs2021.org in order to receive your confirmation messages.

Abstract submissions must contain all of the following:

Full name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number of presenter(s)
Brief biographical sketch (maximum 100 words)
Summary of recent presentation experience (maximum 100 words)
Title of session limited to 15 words along with a 50 character short title
Brief description of the presentation (maximum 150 words)
Session type (presentation, computer lab, panel, poster session)
Selections in topic categories, skill levels, geographic focus, and help for the intended audience

To begin the process for proposal submission, please continue to the bottom of this page and press the “Start” button. All proposals must be submitted through this website. No exceptions.

To edit a session proposal already submitted, please click the Abstract Service Center link. Proposals may be added or modified until the submission deadline stated below.

Notification of Acceptance

An invitation to submit a proposal does not constitute a guarantee of acceptance. The Program Committee will evaluate all proposals and attempt to notify all submitters by the stated deadline. As we are volunteers, we know you will be understanding. Please accept or decline no later than by Tuesday, January 12, 2021.

Speaker compensation will be reduced by $75 for any speaker who does not meet designated deadlines.

We look forward to receiving your proposals and thank you for your interest in the 41st Conference.

Forgotten Speaker Password

If you have forgotten your speaker password from a past conference or from submitting an abstract to this conference, go to the Abstract Service Center. On the right, under the “Sign In” button, there is a “Forgot Password?” link. Click on it and follow the instructions in the window that opens.

A temporary password will be sent to you at the email address you provided (assuming that the email address is in the system). Use that temporary password to log into the Abstract Service Center again. You will then be asked to provide a new permanent password.

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