PROGRAM SCHEDULE

12:00 – 12:30 pm – Socialize!
Eat, schmooze and view our traveling library and display of materials acquired at the conference.

12:30 – 1:30 pm - SIG (Special Interest Group) Updates including:
Belarus SIG, Gesher Galicia, Hungarian SIG, JRI-Poland, Latvia SIG, LitvakSIG, and Ukraine SIG.

1:30 – 1:40 pm – Screening film shown at Conference: “Schmatte Mazel”
What has attracted the Jewish people to the “shmatte” (rag) trade? Is it an inheritance from the European shtetl? Or, could it be that hidden among the fabulous fickle world of fashion there is the promise of a little bit of “mazel” (luck)? In this film, director Lesley Sharon Rosenthal interviews members of the Melbourne, Australia Jewish rag trade. From humble beginnings in Flinders Lane to contemporary labels in Chapel Street, she sets out to uncover the significance of that all-important ingredient for success in the “shmattes” biz - luck. 10 minutes.

1:45 – 3:15 pm – Program Highlights
Focusing on the best programs and speakers at the conference, including DNA research and genetic genealogy, cadastral maps, JewishGen update, international census records, looted art restitution, the new INS website for ordering records, historical newspaper research and more.

3:15 – 3:45 pm – Screening two more conference films:

“Buboolah Bagela” : Are bagels the mainstay of Jewish family life? Buboolah Bagela takes us on many juxtaposed journeys. The bagel is our driver, an itinerant icon paralleling the global wanderings of Jewish families over the decades. Shot around the bagel haunts of Melbourne, Australia, filmmaker Lesley Sharon Rosenthal, a self-confessed bagel addict, traces her family's bagel ritual. In a series of interviews with bagel lovers, she investigates the Jewish tradition of the Sunday bagel brunch and asks the question: are bagels the mainstay of Jewish family life? 10 minutes.

“West Bank Story” : David, an Israeli soldier, and Fatima, a Palestinian fast food cashier are an unlikely couple who fall in love amidst the animosity of their families' dueling falafel stands in the West Bank. A musical comedy take-off on West Side Story about the hope for peace. 2007 Academy Award winner for best live action short film. Directed by Ari Sandel. 20 minutes.