✡️ Jüdische Familienforschung (Jewish Genealogy)
When conducting Jewish Genealogical efforts most people tend to focus a few large well-known sites. And... when they run out of luck, they don’t know where to turn. In keeping with ManyRoads effort to point out lesser known resources, this page has been developed to highlight largely German-Jewish (Ashkenazi) resources.
These links include key primary and secondary resources for those researching family history in Germany and Eastern Europe.
🏛️ Key Institutional Archives and Collections
These institutions provide digital and physical collections with a specific focus on the history of German-speaking Jews.
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The Library of the Leo Baeck Institute, New York (LBI)
To quote from the Internet Archive (archive.org): The Library of the Leo Baeck Institute, New York (LBI) is the leading library and archive dedicated to the history of German-speaking Jews, and it holds more than 1,600 periodical titles in its collections. The LBI Library is digitizing periodicals unique to its holdings with special emphasis on periodic publications of German-Jewish organizations that highlight the rich cultural life of German-speaking community.
- LBI Library Periodical Collection: https://archive.org/details/lbiperiodicals
- Jewish-German History Resources: https://www.lbi.org/collections/jewish-history-resources/
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Zentralarchiv zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland (Central Archive for Research on the History of Jews in Germany): https://zentralarchiv-juden.de/
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Hamburger Gesellschaft für jüdische Genealogie e.V.
- This society offers a regular periodical with histories, stories, etc., focusing mainly on individuals and families from the region surrounding and including Hamburg.
- Website: https://www.jghh.org/de/judentum/genealogie
📜 Historical Publications & Databases
These materials are invaluable primary and secondary sources that capture the genealogical efforts and history of the German-Jewish community before the Holocaust.
Jüdische Familienforschung Publication (Berlin, Germany: 1924-1938)
- Summary: Founded in 1924, the “Gesellschaft für die Jüdische Familien-Forschung” (Society for Jewish Family Research) published this newsletter to connect genealogists. Its editor, Arthur Czellitzer, stressed the importance of family lineage for Jewish identity. Although the collected archive was destroyed during the Holocaust after Czellitzer fled to the Netherlands (he was later murdered in Sobibor in 1943), the digitized publication itself survives.
- Note: A second series was continued in 1992 by K.W. Apfelbaum. Digitization support provided by the German Jewish Special Interest Group of JewishGen.
- Direct Access (Internet Archive): https://archive.org/details/judischefamilien
- Publication Index (Index of the first ten years, issues 1-37): https://archive.org/details/jdischefamilienf1111gese?view=theater#page/n334/mode/1up
- Publication Index (Index for issues 38 to 50 inclusively): https://archive.org/details/jdischefamilienf1111gese?view=theater#page/n529/mode/1up
Regional Genealogical Databases
- Jüdische Familien im Südwesten (Jewish Families in South-West [Germany])
- A genealogical knowledge database for family research in the South West of German.
- Website: https://www.juedische-familien.de/
- Familiendatenbank Juden im Deutschen Reich (Database of Jews in the German Empire): https://ofb.genealogy.net/juden_nw/
🗺️ Regional & Contextual Resources
These websites offer specific regional historical context and clues that can be vital for genealogical research.
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Juden in Ostpreußen (Jews in East Prussia)
- A site found helpful in providing context and clues for researchers in this region.
- Website: http://www.judeninostpreussen.de/
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Jüdisches Leben in Sachsen-Anhalt. Eine archivische Spurensuche (Jewish Life in Saxony-Anhalt. An archival search for traces)
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Judengasse Frankfurt Main (Jewish Lane Frankfurt Main)
- A museum website focused on the history of the Frankfurt Jewish community.
- Website: http://www.judengasse.de/index.htm
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Vanished World (Blog)
A most intriguing blog: “Nearly 70 years after the holocaust Eastern Europe is still covered by neglected Jewish cemeteries, ruins of synagogues and other remains of Jewish institutions – stranded ships at the shores of time. The traces of Jewish life are still there, but they vanish day by day. It’s only a matter of time until they are gone forever.”
- Website: https://vanishedworld.blog/
🌐 Complete List of Sources and Links
- Internet Archive (archive.org): https://archive.org/
- The Library of the Leo Baeck Institute, New York (LBI): https://www.lbi.org/
- LBI Library Periodical Collection (Internet Archive): https://archive.org/details/lbiperiodicals
- Jewish-German History Resources (LBI): https://www.lbi.org/collections/jewish-history-resources/
- Jüdische Familienforschung (Direct Access, Internet Archive): https://archive.org/details/judischefamilien
- Jüdische Familienforschung Index (1-37): https://archive.org/details/jdischefamilienf1111gese?view=theater#page/n334/mode/1up
- Jüdische Familienforschung Index (38-50): https://archive.org/details/jdischefamilienf1111gese?view=theater#page/n529/mode/1up
- Vanished World (Blog): https://vanishedworld.blog/
- Hamburger Gesellschaft für jüdische Genealogie e.V.: https://www.jghh.org/de/judentum/genealogie
- Zentralarchiv zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland: https://zentralarchiv-juden.de/
- Judengasse Frankfurt Main: http://www.judengasse.de/index.htm
- Juden in Ostpreußen: http://www.judeninostpreussen.de/
- Jüdisches Leben in Sachsen-Anhalt. Eine archivische Spurensuche: https://landesarchiv.sachsen-anhalt.de/onlineangebote/juedisches-leben-in-sachsen-anhalt-eine-archivische-spurensuche/uebersicht/
- Jüdische Familien im Südwesten: https://www.juedische-familien.de/
- Familiendatenbank Juden im Deutschen Reich: https://ofb.genealogy.net/juden_nw/
- ManyRoads Contact Page (for submissions): https://www.many-roads.com/contact/
Credits
Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.