Jewish Genealogy: 101 Resources for Finding Your Jewish Ancestors

Introduction

In May #AncestryHour featured the company Crestleaf and their veritable "linkathon"of 80 useful sites for anyone researching their African American ancestry.  Their feature proved so popular I am delighted to welcome them back, this time with links to 101 sites which may prove useful in tracing your Jewish origins.  

Crestleaf.com's comprehensive collection of Jewish genealogy resources will help you find your Jewish ancestors and build your family tree. From Jewish surname databases, to Holocaust resources and synagogue records, you're sure to find a long lost ancestor while utilizing this list of 100+ Jewish genealogy links. 

A Comprehensive Collection of Jewish Genealogy Resources

Researching your Jewish ancestry can be a much different venture than that of studying your Irish, Russian, German or African roots (to name just a few). In addition to surname research, vital records, archives and gravestones, there are a few other topics you’ll want to look into when conducting Jewish genealogy research. Because Judaism has been described as a religion, race, culture and nation, the Jewish people are like one big, extended family — making Jewish genealogy quite popular. Due to the large number of people who are studying their Jewish ancestry, there are many fantastic Jewish genealogy resources available on and offline to help you fill in your family tree with some newly discovered family stories.

Photo credit: Yossi Nevo via Wikimedia Commons

From Jewish surname databases, to Holocaust resources, synagogue records and Jewish genealogy blogs, you’re sure to find some long lost ancestors while utilizing our list of 100+ Jewish genealogy links.

Resources for Discovering your Jewish Ancestors

Jewish Libraries, Archives, Databases, Museums & Research Projects

• Yad Vasham Archives
• JewishGen – Provides a wide range of resources including databases, family finder, articles, societies, projects and discussion groups
• JewishGen Germany Database – Over 400,000 entries, referring to individuals living in Germany and former German regions
• The Houston Jewish Herald-Voice Database – Includes every life-cycle event from the Jewish Herald-Voice of Houston, Texas, including areas across Texas and beyond, from 1908 through 2014
• The Jewish Genealogy Portal – Access and collaborate with 1,000+ genealogists on the most comprehensive Jewish family trees ever created, plus hundreds of other relevant projects. Join their Facebook page (40,000 followers) and Facebook group (6,000 users) for Jewish genealogy news, information and incredibly useful discussion.
• RTR Foundation Eastern European Archival Database
• The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
• Library of Congress Online Catalogue
• YIVO Institute for Jewish Research – Library and Archives
• American Jewish Archives – Collections
• Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
• American Jewish Historical Society – Photographs & Media
• Leo Baeck Institute – Collections
• Rhodes Jewish Museum – Genealogy 
• University of Washington – Jewish Archives Collection
• The Irma and Marvin Penn Archives of the JHCWC
• Jewish Records Indexing – Poland – The largest fully searchable database of indexes to Jewish vital records accessible online.
• Hohenems Genealogy – The database records Jews in Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Liechtenstein beginning in 1617 through the 20th century – including descendants and family networks. Right now it represents 14.000 persons.

Jewish Census Records

• Cyndi’s List – Jewish Census
• The Irish Jewish Family History Database
• Litvak SIG Records Search
• The Montefiore Censuses: 1839-1875 – A comprehensive database for the Jewish population in Eretz Israel (search in Hebrew and English)

Jewish Military Records & Information

• National Museum of American Jewish Military History
• Jewish American History Foundation – Jewish Civil War Veterans Database
• Jewish Virtual Library – Statistics on Jewish American Soldier in WWII
• American Jewish Archives – Jews in the American Military

Synagogue Records

• Synagogue Scribes – Anglo-Jewish genealogy records
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette University Libraries – Jewish Synagogues Records
• Center for Jewish History – Synagogue Records
• Early New York Synagogue Archives
• Family Search – U.S. Synagogue Records

Jewish Birth, Marriage & Death Records

• Cyndi’s List – Jewish Birth, Marriage, Death Records
• New York State Department of Health – Birth, Marriage, Death & Divorce Records
• JewishData.com –  Searchable database of over 500,000 Jewish genealogy records

Jewish Immigration Records

• The U.S. National Archives – Immigration Records 
• JewishGen – The Boston HIAS Database, 1882-1929

Holocaust Resources & Registries

• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum – Holocaust Survivors and Victims Database
• JewishGen – Holocaust Database
• JewishGen – Holocaust Global Registry
• Yad Vashem – The Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names
• Digital Monument to the Jewish Community in the Netherlands
• Yizkor Book Database
• Israel Science and Technology – Global Directory of Holocaust Museums
• Holocaust Memorial Center

Jewish Cemeteries, Gravestones & Obituaries

• JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry – Over 2 million Jewish burial records from around the world
• Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts 
• International Jewish Cemetery Project
• The Database of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland
• Nieberg Midwood Chapel – Brooklyn Jewish Funeral Home
• Danish-Jewish Funerals and Tombstones until 1886
• Gura Humorului Jewish Cemetery
• Southern Jewish Databases and Cemetery Listings – Contains over 25,000 listings
• Heritage Foundation for Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries
• Mount Ararat Cemetery
• Mount Judah Cemetery
• Mount Hebron Cemetery
• Montefiore Cemetery
• Mount Lebanon Cemetery
• Mount Zion Cemetery
• Mount Carmel Cemetery
• Mount Moriah Cemetery 
• Riverside Cemetery
• Cedar Park Cemetery – Beth El Cemetery – Sanctuary of Abraham & Sarah Mausoleum
• Find A Grave
• Billion Graves
• Jewish Journal – Obituaries
• Jewish Exponent – Obituaries
• Cleveland Jewish News – Obituaries
• Jewish Press – Obituaries

Jewish Name Search & Surnames

• Avotaynu – Consolidated Jewish Surname Index
• Jewish Surnames in Ireland – 1901 and Earlier
• Israel GenWeb – Surname Search
• The Israel Genealogical Society – EIRI Search Engine

Jewish Newspapers, Newsletters & Publications

• Avotaynu Online
• Jewish Press
• Jewish Journal
• Jewish Exponent
• The Jewish Advocate

Jewish Genealogical Societies & Organizations

• International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies
• IAJGS Member Societies – Current and updated list of official IAGS member societies
• Jewish Genealogical Society, Inc.
• Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain
• Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal
• Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto
• Australian Jewish Genealogical Society
• Jewish Genealogical Society of Tulsa
• Utah Jewish Genealogical Society
• Illiana Jewish Genealogical Society
• Triangle Jewish Genealogical Society
• Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon
• Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia
• Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington
• Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State
• Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois
• Jewish Genealogical Society of Michigan
• The Jewish Genealogical Society of Southwest Florida
• The Israel Genealogical Society
• The Israel Genealogy Research Association –  Contains over 440,000 online records from 215 databases starting in the mid 19th century (search in Hebrew and English)
• American Jewish Historical Society
• The Genealogical Institute of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada
• Jewish Family History Foundation

Jewish Genealogy Blogs & Additional Resources

• ManyRoads Jewish (Shoah) Mega-Search Engine – ManyRoads utilizes Google Technologies to scour the Internet for new and interesting Genealogical clues and hints.
• Living Museum: Museum of Jewish Heritage
• A Jewish Genealogy Journey
• The Ginger Jewish Genealogist
• Sherlock Cohn: The Photo Genealogist – A leader in exploring and analyzing Jewish photographs. An expert in clothing styles and other objects found in your Jewish family photos.
• Jewish Gem’s Genealogy: Mining for Your Elusive Ancestors 
• B&F: Jewish Genealogy and More 
• JewishGen: German Jewish Special Interest Group – Presents and preserves genealogical information about the Jewish communities in German-speaking regions
• Sephardim.com – Research tool for Sephardic-Jewish genealogy
• The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation Inc.
• Jewish Web Index
• Louis Kessler’s Jewish Genealogy Links
• The French Genealogy Blog: French Jewish Genealogy
• The Lookstein Center – Annotated Guide to Jewish Genealogy & Oral History
• GenealogyBlog.com – Jewish Genealogy
• Genealogy Resources on the Internet – Jewish Mailing Lists – Connect with other Jewish genealogy researchers via email
• Reading Hebrew Tombstones
• Jewish / Israel History – A collection of links to Jewish/Israel history and genealogy resources
• Sephardicgen – The creation of award-winning Sephardic genealogist and author Dr. Jeffrey Malka – it is continually updated (and new databases added), providing comprehensive information on many countries where Sephardim settled, including its Consolidated Surname Index
• Gesher Galicia – An organization that promotes and conducts Jewish genealogical and historical research for Galicia, a province of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, which is today part of eastern Poland and southwestern Ukraine

Are there additional Jewish genealogy resources missing from our list? Let us know in the comments!

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