Jewish genealogy: follow the family, place and record.
Begin with a documented person and an ancestral community. Choose sources by place, period and migration route, then follow each index entry back to its evidence.
By Jeremy VanMeter · Public resource descriptions checked October 25, 2026. Access notes distinguish published instructions from tested services. No records ordered, private groups joined or personal family documents published.
01Document a person and place
02Choose the community and period
03Read and cite the underlying record
Before you open another search
Gather family documents, civil records, migration papers, burial details and every recorded name and place spelling. Write down what each source actually says. Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Mizrahi histories overlap but are not interchangeable; a surname alone does not establish ancestry, identity or a family relationship. This starting guide offers selected routes, not comprehensive worldwide coverage.
PLACE BEFORE SURNAME
Identify the ancestral town
JewishGen’s Communities Database provides historical place names, jurisdictions and locality resources. Its database directory also links to burial records and tools for Hebrew/Gregorian date conversion.
How to use it
Search every recorded place spelling and compare nearby towns and historical jurisdictions. Use migration and civil records to distinguish places with similar names. Preserve the original date and calendar beside any conversion.
Limits and costs to confirm
Town coverage is selective. A modern country name may differ from the jurisdiction when a record was created. A similarly named town is a candidate until other evidence connects the family.
JewishGen organizes sources by region and topic. Its Sephardic collection covers multiple countries; its directory also includes routes for Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco and other communities.
How to use it
For Eastern and Central European research, start with the appropriate historical region. For Sephardi or Mizrahi families, begin with the actual town, community and migration route, then inspect country-specific collection descriptions. Do not assume the Sephardic label encompasses every Middle Eastern or North African family.
Limits and costs to confirm
Coverage and digitization vary sharply by country and period. Read each collection’s source notes and account requirements. Preserve Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, Arabic or other original spellings where available alongside a separately labeled transliteration or translation.
JRI-Poland: when the ancestral place is in its coverage
JRI-Poland searches indexed Jewish vital records from towns in the current and former territories of Poland. It is a regional resource, not a universal starting point for Jewish genealogy. Use it when your documented ancestral locality falls within its coverage; otherwise choose the appropriate region or community through the directories above.
How to use it
Use the search page and register or sign in when required. Search surname variants and the town, then note event, year, entry number and any archival reference. Follow an image link if supplied; otherwise use the record’s repository information to ask how to obtain it.
Limits and costs to confirm
An index entry is not the full certificate. Towns and years have uneven coverage, and an absent result does not prove an event did not occur. Confirm copying charges and access conditions with the custodian. No record order was tested.
The genealogy collections portal indexes selected American Jewish Historical Society and YIVO collections. Examples include Baron de Hirsch Trade School students, 1897–1928, and Hebrew Orphan Asylum admission and related records.
How to use it
Search a name, place or organization. Open the linked archival folder and browse for the cited entry; a result may lead to a folder rather than directly to the correct page. Use the Genealogy Institute’s current page to arrange help or a research visit.
Limits and costs to confirm
These are selected institutional records, not a complete census of Jewish residents. Check access and reproduction conditions for the particular collection. Appointment arrangements and available services should be confirmed before travel.
Yad Vashem’s names resources include Pages of Testimony. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum provides name records connected to underlying lists and documents for victims and survivors.
How to use it
Search spelling variants, places and relatives. At Yad Vashem, record the source type and the submitter’s relationship when given. At USHMM, open the source behind a name result and use its reference to request further access. Compare testimony with other records without erasing disagreements.
Limits and costs to confirm
These sources are relevant when the family’s history calls for them; Jewish family history is much broader than persecution. Testimony may have been recorded years later. USHMM says some resources require reading-room access. A missing name is not proof of survival or death.
National Library of Israel: a focused next-step inquiry
The library describes a free genealogy guidance service for Jewish communities, offering recommendations rather than a complete family history.
How to use it
Read Finding Family – First Steps on the service page. Use its inquiry form with a narrow question, known places and dates, and a short list of sources already checked. Ask for the relevant collection or next repository.
Limits and costs to confirm
Do not expect exhaustive research or a guaranteed match. The published service description was verified; no inquiry or appointment was submitted. Follow the library’s current instructions for any consultation.
Checked October 25, 2026. Verification here means the identity, link and stated scope were checked, not that every post or family claim is proven. Sign-in and membership rules can change.
VERIFIED ORGANIZATIONAL DIRECTORY
IAJGS member societies
The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies lists national, local, topical and virtual member societies. Local societies also offer resource pages and educational programs that can help you identify relevant collections and develop research skills.
Practical access: Choose a society relevant to the family’s location or your research problem. Follow its official contact route and look for resource pages, educational programs and recorded talks, then ask about meetings, remote participation and local expertise. Availability varies by society. Membership fees and services vary; listing here is not an endorsement of every member’s research claim.
JewishGen’s four-part How to JewishGen guide covers groundwork, a first search, deeper research and connecting with others. It encourages researchers to follow index entries back to original records. Its research FAQ offers further help.
Practical access: Start with the FAQ and the relevant geographic collection. When seeking community help, provide a place, period, exact question and sources already checked. Ask contributors for citations and permission before republishing their material.
Turn a lead into evidence: Ask who created an item, where the original is held and how it can be cited. Keep private-group material private unless its owner permits reuse. A family tree, recollection or photograph caption needs checking against other evidence.
Ask a question a repository can answer
Adapt this example. Send only the personal information required through the repository’s own channel.
I am researching [person] in [town, jurisdiction] around [years]. The source connecting this person to the place is [citation]. I have checked [collections and coverage]. Which register, community collection or finding aid should I consult next, and how can I view or request the original?
Keep the evidence and the uncertainty
Keep the original name and date beside each translation or conversion. Compare relatives, addresses and chronology before merging similar names. Treat submitted trees and shared recollections as leads. Do not infer Jewish ancestry from a surname or use this guide to determine religious status. Obtain permission before sharing information about living people.
Save the custodian, collection, locality, date range, volume, page or image, URL and access date. Record an unsuccessful search with its actual coverage. Community recollections can supply leads; they do not replace the source behind a claim.
Suggest a correction, an overlooked collection or an updated access detail. An official link or source helps us check it before making a change. Please leave out private family documents and sensitive personal information.