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Jewish Genealogy

Research your Jewish ancestry with these outstanding genealogy resources including online databases, archives, tutorials, genealogical and historical societies, family trees, genealogy conferences, Holocaust information, online museums, queries, and more.

Free Jewish Genealogy Databases Online

There are numerous genealogical and historical resources and databases online for genealogists researching their Jewish ancestors. Most of these Jewish genealogy databases are even free!

Beginner's Guide to Jewish Genealogy

Get started researching your Jewish roots with this guide to basic genealogy research, unique Jewish resources and records, and suggestions for the best Jewish genealogy Web sites and databases to search first for your Jewish ancestors.

Holocaust Genealogy

Whether you're searching for information about ancestors or relatives who disappeared or were killed during the Holocaust, or want to learn whether any relatives survived the Holocaust and may have living descendants there are a number of resources available to you.

Avotaynu

Getting started tracing your Jewish family history with resources from Avotaynu, the leading publisher of information and products for people researching Jewish genealogy and Jewish family history. Stay abreast of the latest Jewish genealogy news with their free bi-weekly Internet magazine, Nu? What's New?.

JewishGen - Home of Jewish Genealogy

Start your Jewish genealogy research at the primary Internet source connecting researchers of Jewish genealogy worldwide. Find many wonderful resources for people researching Jewish ancestry, including Jewish genealogy how-tos, databases, and discussion groups.

The American Jewish Archives

Committed to preserving a documentary heritage of American Jewry, the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives houses over 10 million pages of manuscripts, photographs and genealogical materials. The collection's catalog can be viewed online and they accept limited requests for information by fax, email, or regular mail.

American Jewish Historical Society

This association located in Boston, MA maintains an enormous archive of over 40,000,000 documents related to Jewish heritage.  The genealogical holdings are detailed in this article.

Consolidated Jewish Surname Index

Search through over 230,000 Jewish surnames in 28 different databases (over 1,000,000 entries) in one easy step.  Some of the referenced info is available online, some in published sources, and some on microfilm.

The Family Tree of the Jewish People

A database of family trees that have been submitted by Jewish genealogists with nearly 1 million individuals.

First American Jewish Families

Search or browse Jewish genealogies from Malcom Stern's First American Jewish Families: 600 Genealogies, 1654-1988 in this fully searchable digitization of the classic text. From American Jewish Archives.

GenForum Israel

A free message board devoted to Israeli queries.

GenForum Jewish

A free message board devoted to Jewish queries.

A Guide to Archives in Israel

Learn about the availability of Jewish records in Israel with this excellent overview of their system of governmental and public archives. Includes a list of archive centers with addresses and phone numbers.

International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies

The IAJGS is a non-profit organization dedicated to the coordination of activities of some 75 local national and local Jewish genealogical societies around the world.

Introduction to Jewish Genealogy

Originally written as a guide for genealogists in Manitoba, Canada, Louis Kessler's excellent tutorial can benefit any beginner to Jewish family history research.

JewishGen Family Finder

A database of ancestral towns and surnames currently being researched by more than 20,000 Jewish genealogists worldwide.

JewishGen FAQ

Warren Blatt's Jewish Genealogy FAQ is a great place to start!

Jewish Records Indexing - Poland

A searchable database of indices to 19th century Jewish vital records from current and former territories of Poland with over 600,000 records from 130 Polish towns currently available.

Museum of the Jewish People Online

An outreach of the Beth Hatefutsoth museum in Israel, the Web site is a popular and dynamic Jewish Cultural Center, offering advice and guidance in all matters related to Jewish life and heritage.

My Family's Story Family Tree Competition

The Professor Yitzhak Halbrecht International Family Tree Competition is open to Jewish schools worldwide with students aged 11-14, who are preparing a family history project in school.

Registry of Jewish Holocaust Survivors

A national registry, including over 185,000 records, which documents the lives of survivors who came to the United States after the Second World War.  A project of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

ShtetlSeeker

JewishGen's online utility for finding cities and towns in Central and Eastern Europe.

Tracing the Tribe

If you have Jewish roots, then you won't want to miss this frequently updated blog by Schelly Talalay Dardashti. She keeps up with current developments, tools and resources for tracing your Jewish family tree.
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