The Best Websites for Jewish Genealogy Records (And How to Use Them)

If you’re researching Jewish ancestors, you’ve probably already discovered one simple truth: Jewish genealogy is incredibly rewarding—and occasionally a little maddening. Names change, borders shift, languages multiply, and records don’t always live where you expect them to. Thankfully, a handful of excellent websites specialize in Jewish genealogy and can save you years of frustration.

Below is a practical, human-friendly guide to the best websites for Jewish genealogy records, what each one does best, and why you’ll want them bookmarked.

JewishGen.org: The Cornerstone of Jewish Genealogy

If Jewish genealogy had a front door, JewishGen would be it. This free website is often the first stop—and the one researchers return to again and again.

JewishGen offers:

• Vital record indexes for births, marriages, and deaths
• Town-specific databases and historical context
• Holocaust-related resources and memorial books
• Translation tools and research guides

What makes JewishGen special is its focus on towns. Once you identify an ancestral town, JewishGen helps you understand how records were kept, where they might be today, and what spellings to expect.

FamilySearch.org: A Free Powerhouse

FamilySearch is not Jewish-specific, but it’s one of the most powerful free genealogy websites available—and surprisingly strong for Jewish records.

You’ll find:

• Digitized birth, marriage, and death records
• Naturalization papers and census records
• User-submitted family trees with potential clues

One major bonus: many records are images of original documents. Even when indexes are incomplete, browsing by town or district can uncover relatives hiding in plain sight.

Ancestry.com: Broad Coverage with Jewish Gems

Ancestry is a subscription site, but its depth makes it worthwhile for many Jewish researchers—especially those tracing families who immigrated.

Key strengths include:

• Passenger lists and immigration records
• U.S. birth, marriage, and death certificates
• Census records that help reconstruct families

Ancestry also hosts user family trees. While these should always be verified, they can provide valuable hints and connect you with distant cousins researching the same lines.

JRI-Poland: Essential for Polish Jewish Research

If your ancestors came from Poland (or regions that were once Polish), JRI-Poland is absolutely essential.

This database focuses on indexed Jewish birth, marriage, and death records from Polish archives. Many entries include parents’ names, ages, and towns—details that help push your research back another generation.

Even when images aren’t online, the index tells you exactly which archive holds the original record.

Yad Vashem: More Than Holocaust Records

Yad Vashem is best known for its Holocaust documentation, but it also contains vital genealogical information.

Pages of Testimony often include:

• Birth dates and places
• Parents’ names
• Marital status and family relationships

For families affected by the Holocaust, these pages may be the only surviving record of an individual’s life.

Find a Grave and Jewish Cemetery Databases

Cemeteries are an often-overlooked genealogy resource. Websites like Find a Grave—and Jewish cemetery-specific databases—can provide Hebrew names, patronymics, and death dates.

Photos of tombstones frequently include information that never made it into civil records, especially Hebrew dates and fathers’ names.

Use Them Together (That’s the Secret)

No single website has everything. The real magic happens when you use these sites together—cross-checking dates, confirming towns, and following small clues from one source to the next.

Jewish genealogy isn’t about instant answers. It’s about slowly rebuilding lives, families, and communities—one record at a time. With these websites at your fingertips, you’re never researching alone.

Preserve Jewish Heritage — Join and Support Our Mission

As technology advances, so does our ability to trace Jewish ancestry across generations and continents. Our nonprofit Jewish genealogy organization in Colorado is dedicated to helping individuals explore, document, and preserve their family stories — stories that might otherwise be lost.

Your membership and donations make this work possible. Together, we can connect families, honor our ancestors, and strengthen our shared heritage.

Join us today or make a tax-deductible contribution to help continue this vital mission of Jewish genealogical discovery.