JewishGen is the world’s largest free online resource dedicated to Jewish family history. It offers millions of records, town information, Holocaust databases, burial data, and community-driven research groups for nearly every region where Jews lived.

This guide walks you through JewishGen’s most important tools and how to use them effectively.

1. Create a Free Account
You’ll need a free JewishGen account to access most databases.

Tips:

• Enter all known surnames and ancestral towns in your Research Interests profile — other researchers may contact you with matches.
• Add variant spellings to your profile; Jewish names often appear in multiple languages (Yiddish, Hebrew, Polish, Russian, German).

2. Start With the JewishGen Search Engine (JOWBR / Unified Search)
JewishGen offers a combined search interface called the Unified Search.
Use it to:

• Search across millions of Jewish vital records, Holocaust sources, burial records, town information, immigration lists, and more.
• Try multiple surname spellings (use Soundex options — D-M Soundex is the most useful for Ashkenazi names).

Examples:
Katz / Kac / Kacz / Kaats / Kaç / Katzke
Rivka / Rifka / Revekka / Rebecca

3. Research Ancestral Towns: JewishGen Communities Database
One of the most powerful tools.
What It Provides:

• Maps, historical jurisdictions, alternate spellings
• Pre-Holocaust Jewish population data
• Nearby towns with Jewish communities
• Available JewishGen databases for that town

Huge Tip:
If your town was tiny, search nearby towns within 20–30 miles — records were often created or stored in regional centers.

4. Use the JewishGen Family Finder (JGFF)
The JGFF is a global database of more than 600,000 researcher-submitted surnames and towns.
Why It Matters:

• Helps you find others researching the same family surnames or shtetls.
• Many breakthroughs happen by connecting with a distant cousin researching the same line.

Best Practice:
Enter every ancestral surname and shtetl you know — even uncertain ones.

5. Explore the JewishGen Databases
JewishGen hosts dozens of specialized databases. The most commonly used:

► JewishGen Hungary / Romania / Poland / Belarus / Ukraine / Latvia Databases

• Millions of birth, marriage, death, census, and community records.
• Many records now digitized from archives in Eastern Europe.

► JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR)

• 4+ million burial records.
• Photos of headstones, Hebrew names, and patronymics (father’s name) — crucial for identifying ancestors.

► Holocaust Databases
Including:

• Yizkor Books (memorial books)
• Yad Vashem Name Database links
• Concentration camp prisoner lists
• Ghetto records
• Refugee lists, DP camp lists

► Jewish Records Indexing – Poland (linked through JewishGen)

• A massive resource for Polish Jews.

6. View and Use Yizkor (Memorial) Books
Yizkor books are post-Holocaust memorial books written by survivors from destroyed towns.
They contain:

• Family lists
• Rabbi names
• Cemetery maps
• Pre-war community photos
• Historical narratives
• Many books are translated on JewishGen; others list volunteers who will translate pages for you.

7. Join the JewishGen Discussion Groups
JewishGen hosts active email groups on:

• Regions (Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Austria-Hungary, etc.)
• Topics (DNA, rabbinic genealogy, cemetery projects)
• Holocaust research
• These groups are extremely helpful for:
• Translating records
• Understanding naming traditions
• Locating hard-to-find villages
• Overcoming brick walls

8. Use the JewishGen Gazetteer
This tool helps identify:

• Every Jewish town in Central and Eastern Europe
• Historical names, spellings, maps, administrative divisions
• Perfect when your town appears with different spellings or under different empires (Russian, Austrian, German, Polish).

9. Considering Variants: Name Changes & Language Shifts
Jewish records commonly appear in:

• Yiddish
• Hebrew
• Polish
• Russian (Cyrillic)
• German
• Hungarian

Always search with:

• Soundex systems
• Multiple spellings
• Patronymic versions (e.g., “Moishe ben Avraham”)

10. Use JewishGen DNA Success Stories & Tools
JewishGen provides strategies for combining:

• Jewish endogamy DNA interpretation
• Matches for common surnames
• How to use Y-DNA and mtDNA for rabbinical lines
• This helps overcome brick walls common in Jewish genealogy.

Best Workflow to Use JewishGen Effectively

• Search your surnames & towns in Unified Search.
• Review your towns in the Communities Database.
• Add families to the JGFF to find researchers.
• Search vital records in country-specific databases.
• Check JOWBR for burials → extract Hebrew names.
• Explore Yizkor Books for history and family mentions.
• Join regional JewishGen discussion groups.
• Use town maps & Gazetteer to find surrounding record sources.
• Reach out to researchers or local archivists using the directory.
• Repeat with alternate spellings and languages.