Family history stories – we all have them! Some of us have managed to collect or develop stories tied to our research that cry to be shared. And this year the conference has added a new evening option for both Tuesday and Wednesday nights: Sleepless in Seattle. Our story-tellers will offer short (25-minute) stories about their families: stories that surprise, inspire, confirm and, sometimes, astound.

Attend some – attend all.

What follows are the list of offerings. For more information about particular speakers and talks, search in the conference program for speaker surnames.

Tuesday evening

8:00 P.M. – Mike Karsen: “My Cousin, the Gangster”

8:30 P.M. – Tony Kahane: “The Schifferes siblings from Vienna, and the fate of two of them in the Holocaust“

9:00 P.M. – Ronald Graner: “From Rags to Riches To Rags“

9:30 P.M. – Barbara Sontz: “The Koshlands of San Francisco – An American-Jewish Success Story“

10:00 P.M. – Bena Shklyanoy: “Apple Does not Fall from the Tree“

Wednesday evening

8:00 P.M. – Jeffrey Gorney: “Remembered Voices: Story-Driven Genealogy as a Vital Path to Discovering Your Jewish Roots“

8:30 P.M. – Toney Kahane: “Death in Brno: Samuel Schiller and the Brno Psychiatric Hospital, 1898-1901“

9:00 P.M. – Ken Bravo: “The Journey of One Photograph: 15,000 Miles in 90 Years“

9:30 P.M. – Robinn Magid: “Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief: The Jews of the West“

10:00 P.M. – Leora Tec: “Reading ‘Dry Tears’: A Daughter’s Discovery of a Mother’s Lost Childhood“

10:30-11:30 P.M. Andrea Massion and Jane Rollins are hosts for the Open Mic Event: A “Two Genealogists Sat in A Bar” Production. This is a reprise of a popular event offered last at the Salt Lake City IAJGS Conference in 2014. Those in attendance will have an opportunity to share for 3 minutes before being given the hook. This is an opportunity to hook your audience!