Contents

Help! How Do I Use These Links?

1. The JewishGen Site

JewishGen: The Official Home of Jewish Genealogy The main site for Jewish Genealogy, having a vast amount of information. and links to just about everywhere else. https://www.jewishgen.org/new/
The JewishGen Fact Sheet Information about JewishGen, and a historical account of their activity. https://www.jewishgen.org/JewishGen/factsheet.htm
JewishGen FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions by Warren Blatt The best online guide to Jewish Genealogy there is. This file is a must-read for all Jewish genealogists. https://www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/faq.html
JewishGen InfoFile Index Hundreds of information files covering a wide variety of topics to help you in you Jewish Genealogical research. https://www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/
JewishGen Discussion Group An internet forum allowing Jewish genealogical researchers worldwide to discuss and share information. The forum software was updated and as of 2021, this page is out of date, with the actual forum now being at: https://groups.jewishgen.org/g/main https://www.jewishgen.org/Jewishgen/Discussiongroup.htm
	JewishGenDiscussion Group Archives Search Search discussion group messages from Sept 1993 to Nov 2018. http://data.jewishgen.org/wconnect/wc.dll?jg~jgsys~archpop
	JewishGenDiscussion SIG Lists Archives Search Search discussion Special Interest Group messages from July 1998 to Nov 2018. http://data.jewishgen.org/wconnect/wc.dll?jg~jgsys~sigspop
The JewishGen Communities Database and Gazetteer Pinpoint exactly where your ancestral towns in Eastern Europe are, find out how to properly spell their names, and find all the small towns nearby them. https://www.jewishgen.org/Communities/
The JewishGen Family Finder (JGFF) Contains surnames and towns being researched by thousands of Jewish researchers worldwide. You can search it, and add new entries to it online. https://www.jewishgen.org/jgff/
The Family Tree of the Jewish People (FTJP) A searchable database of a vast amount of GEDCOM data contributed by thousands of Jewish Genealogists. Submission to the JGFF is required for you to search. https://www.jewishgen.org/gedcom/
	The FTJP FAQ Frequently Asked Questions about the FTJP explain its workings. A link to the FAQ is not available on the FTJP page, so it is necessary to list it here separately. https://www.jewishgen.org/gedcom/faq/
The JewishGen KehilaLinks Project Collections of information and links for people interested in particular ancestral towns. Formerly was called "ShtetlLinks". https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/
The JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry JOWBR is a database of names and other identifying information from cemeteries and burial records worldwide, from the earliest records to the present. https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/cemetery/
Yiskor Book Project A searchable list of Yizkor (Memorial) books of Jewish shtetls in Eastern Europe destroyed during the holocaust, as well as information about where to find them. https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/
JewishGen Databases A list of, and links to the databases available on JewishGen, including those of general interest (given above) and others for more specific interests. https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/
JewishGen Learning Centre JewishGen offers online interactive courses in Jewish genealogy. https://www.jewishgen.org/education/
JOS Calculator Several tools to calculate soundex codes, convert calendar dates, and determine distances between towns. https://www.jewishgen.org/jos/

2. The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies

The IAJGS Home Page The Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies promotes Jewish genealogical research throughout the world and coordinates the efforts of individual member societies. https://www.iajgs.org/
IAJGS International Jewish Cemetery Project Here is information about all the Jewish cemeteries in the world. https://iajgscemetery.org/
Past Conferences The IAJGS hosts annual conferences. This site give info on past conferences as well as links to their web pages if they still exist. https://www.iajgs.org/conferences/past-conferences/
Future Conferences Future conferences are listed here with links to their websites. https://www.iajgs.org/conferences/future-conferences/

3. Avotaynu, Inc.

Avotaynu, Inc. Home Page Avotaynu is the main publisher of products of interest to Jewish genealogists. https://www.avotaynu.com/
Avotaynu Online The online journal of Avotaynu that reports on events and discoveries in all areas of interest to genealogists. http://avotaynuonline.com/
Nu? What's New? A bi-weekly Internet magazine published by Avotaynu providing information of interest to persons tracing their Jewish family history. https://www.avotaynu.com/nu.htm
Avotaynu Journal Page Their quarterly journal Avotaynu is the defininitive source of up-to-date information and a must-subscribe-to! https://www.avotaynu.com/journal.htm
Books Published by Avotaynu, Inc. A list of the valuable books Avotaynu publishes for genealogists, and information on how to order them. https://www.avotaynu.com/allbooks.htm
Recommended Material for a Jewish Genealogical Library I just love the way they set up this list. Use it to recommend to your society what they should order! https://www.avotaynu.com/recommend.htm
Avotaynu Index Summary This is an index to most of the past volumes of Avotaynu. https://www.avotaynu.com/indexsum.htm
Avotaynu Consolidated Jewish Surname Index A search tool to find which databases contain particular surnames. More than two million entries in dozens of databases are indexed. https://www.avotaynu.com/csi/csi-home.htm
Soundexing and Genealogy by Gary Mokotoff Here is the complete definition of how the Russell, American, and Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex Systems are defined. https://www.avotaynu.com/soundex.htm

4. Ancestry Jewish Family Collection

Jewish Family History Collection Partnering with JewishGen and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), they've created the world's largest online collection of Jewish historical records. These collections will remain free as long as they exist on Ancestry.com https://www.ancestry.ca/cs/jewishgen-all

5. FamilySearch Jewish Genealogy Resources

FamilySearch.org - Jewish Genealogy Resources The LDS church maintains the world's largest genealogy collection. They have some material not available elsewhere. This is their Resources page for Jewish researchers. https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Jewish_Genealogy_Research
	Research Outline - Jewish Genealogy An excellent guide to everything you need to know for Jewish Genealogy research. https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/img_auth.php/2/24/Jewish_Genealogy_Research_Outline.pdf

6. The Federation of East European Family History Societies

The FEEFHS Home Page This worldwide organization concentrates on aiding Genealogical research for those with roots in Eastern Europe - no matter what their ethnicity. https://feefhs.org/
	FEEFHS's Map Library A large collection of historical maps of various regions in Eastern Europe in different years. https://feefhs.org/map/library

7. Museums and Research Facilities for Jewish Genealogy

The ANU Meuseum of the Jewish People Home Page The Museum of the Jewish People holds Israel's major collections of Jewish Genealogical Information. https://www.anumuseum.org.il/
	The Douglas E. Goldman Jewish Genealogy Center The primary Genealogical resource site in Israel. https://www.anumuseum.org.il/databases/jewish-genealogy/
The Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP) In Jerusalem, they collect and preserve the archival remnants of Jewish communities throughout the world. They are especially rich in material from Central and Eastern Europe. http://cahjp.nli.org.il/
The Israel Genealogy Research Society (IGRA) The Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) is the largest genealogy society in Israel. They work with dozens of archives to make records available online, from where they’ve added over a million records to their database. https://genealogy.org.il/
The American Jewish Archives Seeks to preserve any documents illumination the history of Jews in the Western Hemisphere. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio. https://www.americanjewisharchives.org/
The Center for Jewish History Comprised of the following four institutes of higher Jewish learning: Leo Baeck Institute, the AJHS, Yeshiva University, and YIVO https://www.cjh.org/
The Leo Baeck Institute The Leo Baeck Institute is a research, study and lecture center, a museum, a library and archives, devoted to the history of German-speaking Jewry. https://www.lbi.org/
The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) Historical societies are valuable resources for genealogists. The AJHS is the national society for the collection of materials related to American Jewish History. https://ajhs.org/
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research The preeminent repository of library and archival materials on the history and culture of Eastern European Jewry and their descendants in the United States. Located in New York City. https://www.yivo.org/
	The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe (x) The only resource of its kind, this encyclopedia provides the most complete picture of the history and culture of Jews in Eastern Europe from the beginnings of their settlement in the region to the present. This Web site makes accurate, reliable, scholarly information about East European Jewish life accessible to everyone. https://yivoencyclopedia.org/
International Institute for Jewish Genealogy and Paul Jacobi Center Opened in January 2006 in the Jewish National and University Library at Givat Ram, Jerusalem. https://www.iijg.org/
The Ellis Island Home Page Ellis Island in New York is where a great number of Jewish immigrants arrived to North America. They now have a comprehensive online searchable database of all the immigrants. https://www.statueofliberty.org/
	Searching the Ellis Island Database by Stephen Morse and others A front-end developed for the Ellis Island Search Engine that will allow you to specify all your search parameters at once and optimize the search for Jewish passengers. https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/EIDB/
	Ellis Island Database FAQ by Elise Friedman for JewishGen A comprehensive description of what is available in the Ellis Island Database and how to best access it. https://www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/eidbfaq.html
	The American Immigrant Wall of Honor Page This is a monument at Ellis Island that has inscribed on it over 500,000 names of immigrant ancestors. There is a search tool available from this page to search the names on the wall. https://www.statueofliberty.org/support/wall-of-honor/
Museum of Family History A virtual (Internet-only), multimedia, and interactive creation that was designed for those who are interested in learning more about modern Jewish history, as well as those who were a part of this history, who now grace the many branches of our family tree. They have a blog. https://www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/
	Links An excellent extensive collection of Jewish Genalogy links. https://www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/links.htm

8. Holocaust Sites

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The national museum for the Holocaust - in Washington, D.C. is collecting much information of interest to researchers. https://www.ushmm.org/
	Collections and Archives Search Online queries to some of the Museum's catalogues and finding aids are available from this page. https://www.ushmm.org/collections/the-museums-collections/browse
Yad Vashem Home Page The Holocaust Memorial of the Jewish people in Jerusalem. https://www.yadvashem.org/
	The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names A searchable computerized database containing information about approximately half of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The actual Page of Testimony can also be viewed online, and you can submit new Pages of Testimony online. https://yvng.yadvashem.org/
Arolsen Archives An international centre on Nazi persecution, who work to clarify fates and look for missing persons. https://arolsen-archives.org/en/
	Arolsen Archives Search Here you can search and explore their comprehensive online archives, containing millions of administrative files from concentration camps, German companies and authorities, or created by the Allies for displaces persons. https://arolsen-archives.org/en/search-explore/
USC Shoah Foundation California The University of Southern California's site with information about Steven Spielberg's project of videotaping and archiving interviews of Holocaust survivors all over the world. http://sfi.usc.edu/
The Simon Wiesenthal Center An international center for Holocaust remembrance and the defense of human rights and the Jewish people in Los Angeles. https://www.wiesenthal.com/
Cybrary of the Holocaust A rememberance site. Lots of information of various types here. https://remember.org/
The Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust New York City's Holocaust and Jewish History Centre, and now the parent organization for JewishGen. https://mjhnyc.org/

9. Jewish DNA Research

JewishGen-ealogy by Genetics Coordinates genetic research for all Jewish Genealogists with their partner Family Tree DNA. A separate project page is organized by surname, location, society and other groupings. https://www.jewishgen.org/DNA/
The Avotaynu DNA Project A collaboration of experienced Jewish DNA experts whose mission is to develop an online knowledge base to illuminate the history of the Jewish People. http://avotaynuonline.com/avotaynu-foundation-dna-project/
Genetic Studies on Jews by Wikipedia A classification and listing of the many genetic studies on the Jewish people done as part of population genetics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_studies_on_Jews
Q&A About Jewish Genealogy by FamilyTreeDNA Basic information about specifics of DNA research for Jewish genealogy. https://learn.familytreedna.com/dna-testing-jewish-ancestry/
Jewish DNA for Genetic Genealogy and Family Research A Facebook group to discuss DNA for Jewish genealogy purposes. https://www.facebook.com/groups/DNAHelpJewishJourney/

10. Other Useful Jewish Genealogy Pages

Compendium of Jewish Genealogy by Philip Trauring Jewish Genealogy inks of online resources for all countries in the world. https://bloodandfrogs.com/compendium
Jewish Heritage Europe A web portal with news, information and resources concerning Jewish monuments and heritage sites all over Europe. In particular, there is information about Jewish cemeteries and synagogues here that you cannot get elsewhere. https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/
Webpages by Stephen P. Morse by Stephen Morse Various tools for Jewish Genealogists developed by Stephen Morse, including database searches, Jewish Calendar conversions and more. https://stevemorse.org/
The Genealogy Indexer by Logan Kleinwaks Allows searches of historical directories primarily from Central and Eastern Europe, Yizkor books, and other documents of interest to Jewish genealogists. https://genealogyindexer.org/
Tracing the Tribe - Jewish Genealogy on Facebook by Schelly Talalay Dardashti A consolidation of Facebook pages where 4,000 global talented members delight in assisting those with questions, helping with translations and brick walls and having vibrant conversations all focused on Jewish genealogy https://www.facebook.com/groups/20364215746/
Jewish Virtual Library by the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) The most comprehensive online Jewish encyclopedia in the world. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/
	The Virtual Jewish History Tour Gives excellent information about the Jewish History of every country in the world. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/virtual-jewish-history-tours
The Jewish Encyclopedia Online Contains the complete contents of the 12-volume Jewish Encyclopedia, which was originally published between 1901-1906. It is public domain, free to access and is completely searchable. https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/
Encyclopedia Judaica The 26 volume English language encyclopedia of the Jewish people and of Judaism, 2nd edition published in 2007 no longer appears to be online. It may still be possible to find physical copies or the CD-ROM version for sale. Jewish libraries may have it in their reference section. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopaedia_Judaica
Deciphering Jewish Gravestones by Philip Trauring on B&F: Jewish Genealogy and More A really nice visual article to help interpret Jewish gravestones with excellent examples. https://bloodandfrogs.com/2020/03/deciphering-jewish-gravestones.html
Lara's Jewnealogy by Lara Diamond This is the blog of Lara Diamond, a Jewish Genealogy expert and speaker https://larasgenealogy.blogspot.com/
	Finding eastern European Records - Collection of Posts Lara's excellent 7 part article on Finding Eastern European Records. It's from 2015 but it's still very relevant. https://larasgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/10/FindingEasternEuropeanRecords.html

11. Jewish Research of Romania (for my own research)

Jewish Ancestry in Romanian Moldova Facebook group for Jewish genealogy in the province of Moldova that was part of the old Kingdom of Romania. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1465078043774333/
The JewishGen Romania SIG Special interest group for Romania at JewishGen. https://romania.jewishgen.org/

12. Jewish Research of Turkey (for my own research)

A World Beyond: Jewish Cemeteries in Turkey 1583-1990 by the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center, Tel Aviv University A computerized database containing over 60,000 Jewish tombstones from across Turkey, to aid scholars to paint a broader and richer picture of the past, and enable interested laypersons to search for their roots. https://jewishturkstones.tau.ac.il/#
	Data of over 61,000 Turkish Jewish gravestones online in new database by Alex Winstone, The Jerusalem Post Info about the project being launched online. https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/new-online-database-holds-data-of-over-61000-turkish-jewish-gravestones-633741

13. Jewish Research of the Russian Empire - areas that are now Ukraine (for my own research)

Routes to Roots Foundation by Miriam Weiner A genealogical and family history guide to Jewish and civil records in Eastern Europe. Select "Begins With" and enter the first 3 letters of the Town to see what records are available in their archives. https://www.rtrfoundation.org/index.shtml
	OCR Search by Miriam Weiner A search of some Russian records. Best part is you enter the surname in English and it gets translated to Russian for you. https://www.rtrfoundation.org/ocrsearch.php
Jewish Genealogy in Ukraine Provides family tree building, FSU archives, a genealogical database, and excursions. https://jewua.info/
The Tsal Kaplun Foundation Various resources with genealogical information from former Soviet Republics including translations of many Russian and Ukrainian documents https://www.tkfgen.org/
	Alphabetical Indexes of Surnames from the archives collection This is what they have indexed, which is just a small proportion of their collection. https://www.tkfgen.org/names_from_archives.html
	Jewish Documents Kept by Ukrainian Archives This is the list in English, of the holdings available as well as links directly to the scans. https://www.tkfgen.org/open_sources_ak_p01.html
Alex Krakovsky on Facebook Alex has been digitizing records in Ukrainian Archives, including Jewish metrical books and other vital records, school records, revision lists, poll tax censuses, and more. He then posts the records online to a wiki page which yields a massive amount of raw data for those interested in Ukrainian research. Alex uses high resolution scanning equipment to scan virtually all records in an archive. https://www.facebook.com/alex.krakovsky
	Archive: Jewish Town This is the index of Alex's resources of Jewish-specific records that have been made available by Province, County and Town. In Russian. https://uk.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%90%D1%80%D1%85%D1%96%D0%B2:%D0%84%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B5_%D0%BC%D1%96%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%87%D0%BA%D0%BE
Jewish Ancestry in Volhynia / Wolyn District, Ukraine Facebook group for Jews with ancestry in Wolyn district, also called Vohynia. https://www.facebook.com/groups/583607605110480/
Mezerich - Descendants of the Jewish Community of Mezhirichi Facebook group to trace and share the Jewish history, customs, records and news of descendants of the town of Mezerich in the Korets Raion of the Rivne Oblast, Ukraine. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1419424225036363/
The JewishGen Ukraine SIG Special interest group for Ukraine at JewishGen. https://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/
Expert guide to using Google Translate in Russian and Ukrainian genealogy by Vera Miller Best aid I've seen for help in translating Russian or Ukrainian text. https://lostrussianfamily.wordpress.com/2020/01/11/expert-guide-to-using-google-translate-in-russian-and-ukrainian-genealogy/
Genealogical map of Volhynia province 1897 Drill down any marker to find websites connected to a particular shtetl https://map4us.com/MapViewer/1585096864420?fbclid=IwAR1uIcJgH5A8Mx8MWXggY6I169jnbwVcv4t25qlYWpx6uyDzn4ixXKecCbM
FamilySearch Wiki Section with links to FamilySearch records and other information for the region of what is Ukraine today. https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Ukraine_Jewish_Records
pra.in.ua Database of the Ukrainian residents born between 1650 and 1920. In Russian (Ukrainian?). Includes some records and links. https://pra.in.ua/
Genealogy Indexer A free genealogical search engine with millions of indexed records mostly from Central and Eastern Europe. https://genealogyindexer.org/
FamilySearch on its way to make many more Ukrainian archive records digital by Vera Miller June 6, 2020 blog post at the blog: Lost Russian Family, reporting on this deal. https://lostrussianfamily.wordpress.com/2020/06/06/familysearch-on-its-way-to-make-many-more-ukrainian-archive-records-digital/
How to use the online inventories of the regional state archives in Ukraine. by Sergij Batogowski, experienced Ukrainian genealogist, Presentation showing step by step how to use online inventories of regional state archives in Lutsk, Rivne and Zhytomyr. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=rFTPqHOdXm8&fbclid=IwAR0phfc-Y_fHgXMC4xenVzHt0aHEwdaVe6yyngMiTCR1ujWffRtmSTKTZsc
Reading Revision Lists by FamilySearch A very nice visual guide that includes the Russian alphabet. https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/img_auth.php/2/2c/Russian_Revision_Lists_-_Instruction_E_Vance_2020-270229_Jan_2020_JMR_.pdf
	What are Revision Lists by Ronald Doctor, Ukraine SIG, JewishGen Lots of info on some of the Family History Library holdings of Revision Lists. This was printed in 2012, so the FHL likely has most than what's specified here. https://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/files/infosheets/_R_What%20are%20Russian%20Revision%20Lists,%2024%20Mar%202012.pdf
The Jewish Surname Process in the Russian Empire by Jeffrey Briskman for Avotaynu Online ... and its effect on Jewish Genealogy. https://avotaynuonline.com/2015/08/the-jewish-surname-process-in-the-russian-empire-and-its-effect-on-jewish-genealogy/
Volyn Archives The website for the province's website, in Ukrainian. https://volyn.archives.gov.ua/elekt_archives/
Toldot Cemetery Search Search for Jewish gravestones in Russia (sort of like Find A Grave for Jewish Russia). As of 2021 it includes 110 thousand burials in 44 cemeteries in 27 cities of Russia, which is about 73% of information about graves in these regions. https://toldot.ru/life/cemetery/
The All Odessa Database Indexes of different collections of documents related to Odessa individuals. http://thefamilytree.info/odessa/RES_AODB_Home.asp

14. Jewish Research of Manitoba and Saskatchewan (for my own research)

Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada Archives Search Searches index of Articles, Artefacts, Books, Cemetery Burials, Manuscripts, Media, Photos and Clippings. Many photos are accessible. https://www.jhcwc.org/search-the-archives/
Jewish Post and News Archive Search Goes back to at least 1950. Includes obituary search. PDFs of the articles are downloadable. http://www.jewishpostandnews.ca/searchpdf
Winnipeg Free Press Obituary Search Goes back to about 1999. https://passages.winnipegfreepress.com/
Chesed Shel Emes (Winnipeg) Records of the Deceased This is the site of the Jewish Funeral home in Winnipeg. Digital records are from 1995 to present. Older paper records back to 1946 are scanned and available online but not indexed. https://chesedshelemes.org/funerals-and-records/records-of-the-deceased/

Help! How Do I Use These Links?

1. I link to individual pages, not just to home pages of sites. My links will identify good pages that are buried deep in a site.
2. I have organized my links by site, and sub-site. This way you can see at a glance what a particular site has to offer.
3. I set up a "Contents" and have navigation hot-links to make it easier to get between sections.
4. I display the web addresses (also known as URLs). It is nice to know where you are going.
5. I give a brief description of what I think is generally useful on each page.

These are home pages of a web site or sub-site. Generally they act as a table-of-contents, containing mostly local links to the rest of the site.

Up-to-date information about current activities and events. These pages are changed quite often, so check them regularly.

These pages give instructions on how to go on in your information quest, where to look next, and increase your level of overall expertise.

A web page that is designed to help you find or do something. It may be an index, guide, or even an online program.

The pages most researchers get really excited about. This is real data that has been made available online.

Collections of files, not designed to be looked at online, but made for downloading (using FTP) to your own computer. May often contain useful software.

Pages with the best collections of links to the multitude of other web sites. If you want to, you can follow all these until the wee hours of the morning.

Finally, you may see the following codes:

• (x) - Link did not work last time I checked.
• (xx) - Link did not work last 2 times I checked.
• Three strikes and they are out. (If I cannot find where they moved to.)