Where to Find Jewish Birth, Marriage, and Death Records

If you’ve ever tried to trace Jewish ancestors, you already know the feeling: excitement mixed with a little overwhelm. Names change, borders move, languages shift, and records aren’t always where you expect them to be. The good news? Jewish birth, marriage, and death records do exist in many places—you just need to know where (and how) to look.

Here’s a friendly, practical guide to the most reliable places to find Jewish vital records, whether you’re researching relatives from Europe, the U.S., or beyond.

Civil Registration Records (The Gold Standard)

In many countries, governments began recording births, marriages, and deaths in the 19th century. These civil records often list parents’ names, ages, occupations, and places of origin—genealogy gold.

• Eastern Europe: Look for records from towns in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Hungary, and the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.
• Where to find them: National and regional archives, online databases, and digitized collections.
• Tip: Jewish records may be mixed in with non-Jewish ones, so don’t skip a collection just because it isn’t labeled “Jewish.”

Synagogue and Religious Records

Before civil registration—or alongside it—synagogues kept their own records. These can include birth registers (often tied to circumcision records), marriage contracts, and burial information.

• Marriage records: Ketubot (Jewish marriage contracts) sometimes survive in archives or family collections.
• Burial records: Chevra Kadisha (burial society) records may note death dates, Hebrew names, and fathers’ names.
• Cemeteries: Tombstones often provide Hebrew dates and patronymics not found elsewhere.

Jewish-Specific Genealogy Databases

Several platforms focus specifically on Jewish records, saving you hours of guesswork.

• JewishGen: A cornerstone of Jewish genealogy, offering town databases, vital record indexes, and translations.
• JRI-Poland: An essential resource for Polish Jewish birth, marriage, and death indexes.
• Yad Vashem: While best known for Holocaust records, Pages of Testimony sometimes include birth and death details.

U.S. Records and Immigration Sources

If your ancestors immigrated, American records can help fill in missing pieces.

• Vital records: State and city birth, marriage, and death certificates.
• Naturalization papers: Often list birth dates and towns.
• Passenger lists: May confirm family relationships and places of origin.

Think Creatively—and Patiently

Jewish records don’t always live in one neat place. A birth might appear in a civil ledger, a synagogue register, and later on a tombstone. Names may be spelled five different ways. Dates may disagree.

That’s normal. Jewish genealogy is part detective work, part puzzle, and part patience. Every record you find adds another thread to your family’s story—and over time, those threads start to weave together into something truly meaningful.

And remember: even a single birth, marriage, or death record can open the door to generations you never knew existed.

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.

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What Do Common Jewish Surnames Mean?

Jewish surnames carry fascinating stories that reflect history, geography, occupation, and personal traits. They are more than just names—they are windows into the lives of ancestors and the communities they lived in. Understanding what a surname means can help you feel connected to your heritage and uncover hidden stories about your family.

1. Surnames Derived from Places

Many Jewish surnames originated from towns, cities, or regions where families lived. During periods of migration, it was common to adopt the name of a hometown as a surname. These names serve as historical markers, giving clues about where your ancestors came from:

• Berliner – This name indicates a family originally from Berlin, Germany.
• Warszawski – Meaning “from Warsaw,” this surname points to Polish roots.
• Londner – Refers to someone whose family came from London, England.

By researching place-based surnames, you can often discover migration patterns, helping you trace your ancestors across Europe and beyond.

2. Surnames Based on Occupation

Many Jewish surnames were inspired by professions. They often reflect the work a family did for generations, providing insight into daily life and social roles:

• Schneider – Meaning “tailor” in German, indicating someone who made or repaired clothing.
• Goldsmith – Someone who worked with gold or precious metals, a respected trade in Jewish communities.
• Kantor – Refers to a synagogue singer or cantor, highlighting a spiritual or cultural role.

Occupational surnames can also reveal the skills and trades that were valued in Jewish society at the time.

3. Surnames Inspired by Personal Traits

Some Jewish surnames describe a physical characteristic, personality trait, or even a nickname that stuck. These names can be charming, humorous, or descriptive:

• Gross – Literally “big” or “tall,” often used for a larger person or family patriarch.
• Klein – Meaning “small” or “little,” perhaps describing a younger or smaller family member.
• Weiss – Literally “white,” possibly referring to hair color, complexion, or even purity of character.

Such names offer a small glimpse into how ancestors were perceived by their neighbors or family.

4. Surnames with Religious or Hebrew Roots

Many Jewish surnames have Hebrew or biblical origins, reflecting religious lineage, spiritual roles, or a connection to ancient history:

• Cohen – Denotes a descendant of the priestly class, historically responsible for temple duties.
• Levi – Refers to members of the Levite lineage, who assisted in temple services.
• Ben-David – Meaning “son of David,” linking the family to the biblical King David.

Religious surnames often carry great pride and significance, connecting modern families to thousands of years of history.

Why Exploring Surnames Matters

Exploring the meaning behind Jewish surnames is more than a research task—it is a journey into identity, heritage, and memory. Each name tells a story about migration, profession, family relationships, or cultural significance. By understanding your ancestors’ surnames, you can piece together parts of a life that might otherwise remain forgotten.

Whether your surname reflects a town, a trade, a personal trait, or a sacred lineage, it is a link to the past. Every discovery deepens your connection to your family history and allows you to celebrate the legacy of those who came before you. Jewish surnames are not just names—they are living reminders of resilience, tradition, and the rich tapestry of Jewish life across generations.

Take time to explore your family names, ask questions, and record stories. Each surname you uncover is a key to history, giving voice to ancestors whose experiences continue to shape who you are today.

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.

How to Research Ancestors Who Perished in the Holocaust

Discovering the stories of ancestors who perished in the Holocaust is both a challenging and deeply personal journey. While the task can feel overwhelming, there are ways to uncover fragments of your family’s past and honor their memory.

1. Start With What You Know

Begin your research at home. Talk to relatives, gather documents, photographs, letters, and any family stories. Even small details—like a birth date, a town, or a distant cousin’s name—can lead to important discoveries.

2. Explore Online Databases

Several online archives specialize in Holocaust records. Some key resources include:

• Yad Vashem – Israel’s official Holocaust memorial. Their Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names contains millions of entries.
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum – Offers archives, survivor testimonies, and digitized records.
• JewishGen – Focused on Jewish genealogy, including Holocaust-related records.

3. Use Civil and Local Records

Birth, marriage, and death records, as well as census data and local registries, can provide context about your ancestor’s life before the war. Archives in the towns or regions where your family lived often hold invaluable documents.

4. Connect With Other Researchers

Genealogy forums, Jewish genealogy societies, and local history groups are full of people who share your passion. Collaboration can reveal leads that might otherwise remain hidden.

5. Preserve and Share Their Stories

As you uncover information, consider creating a digital memorial, writing a family history, or contributing to databases like Yad Vashem. Sharing helps keep their memory alive for future generations.

Remember, this journey is as much about honoring the memory of your loved ones as it is about gathering facts. Every photograph, name, and story you recover is a victory against forgetting.

Start small, be patient, and let curiosity guide you. Each discovery is a piece of a story that deserves to be remembered.

A finding aid compiled by Ellen Kowitt, Director of the JewishGen USA Research Division, that currently lists 1,517 synagogue (shul) record collections from North America and the Caribbean.

What These Synagogue Records Include?
• Records created by congregations: rabbis, administrators, educators, mohels, board members.  
• Types of records with genealogical value:
• Birth, marriage (ketubot), and death registers
• Mohel (circumcision) lists
• Eulogies
• Burial records
• Yahrzeit memorial plaques
• Other helpful materials:
• Membership lists
• Congregational bulletins or newsletters
• Board meeting minutes
• Donor lists
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah lists
• Photographs, conversion records, and more

Where Are Records Held?
• In active synagogues.
• In archives (especially for defunct congregations). These archives may be:
• Historical societies
• Museums
• University libraries
• Smaller regional archives
• JewishGen notes that archival catalogs are inconsistent: different collections may use different terms (“congregation register,” “rabbinical papers”), so they may be hard to locate via standard catalog searches.
• Some records are not described in public finding aids.
• There are often cataloging errors, and sometimes the only way to know what’s in a collection is to visit or digitize it.

Details about the Resource
• Languages of records: mostly English, but also Hebrew, German, Yiddish.
• Most collections are not digitized. When there is a digital collection, the entry links to it.
• Some congregational records are duplicated in different repositories.
• Other congregations’ records are “split” — parts are in different archives.
• The project encourages corrections: if users find errors, they’re asked to report them.
• If you know of other synagogue records not listed, JewishGen invites you to submit them so they can expand the directory.
• For yahrzeit and burial records, some are already indexed; others are not. JewishGen collaborates with:
• The Memorial Plaques Indexing Project
• The JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR)

How You Can Help or Use It
1. Help identify more collections — both online and in physical archives.
2. Encourage indexing — Jewish genealogy societies or local congregations can index records and upload them to JewishGen.
3. Advocate for record preservation — particularly for congregations whose records aren’t yet listed, users can encourage them to deposit records in formal archives (e.g., American Jewish Archives (AJA), Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), Yeshiva University (YU).

Examples of Repositories
Some of the 182 listed sources include:
• American Jewish Archives
• American Jewish Historical Society
• University special collections (e.g., University of Denver)
• Public libraries (e.g., Birmingham Public Library)
• Historical societies (e.g., Georgia Historical Society)
They also list specific synagogues whose records are part of the finding aid, such as:
• Bialystoker Synagogue (Manhattan, NY)
• Temple Emanu-El (San Francisco)
• Temple Israel (Leadville, CO)

Status
• This is a work in progress. JewishGen continuously updates it as they discover more collections.

Why It’s Useful for Genealogy?
• Because synagogue records include key life events (birth, marriage, death) and community involvement, they’re incredibly valuable for genealogists.
• Even when records are not digitized, knowing where they are gives you a starting point for requesting access, visiting, or hiring a researcher.
• By contributing (reporting missing records or helping index), you can help make this resource stronger for everyone.

More Jewish cuisine - have you and your family enjoyed these dishes today and if so, which ones? Let us know below in the comment section.

Foods like bagels, bialys, knishes, pickles, and kugel began as inexpensive survival staples but grew into cultural symbols of comfort and identity.

Street foods — bagels, knishes, and kosher dill pickles — were sold from pushcarts and fed workers heading to factories and sweatshops.

Dishes such as kasha, cholent, brisket, and matzo ball soup stretched tight budgets while preserving religious customs and Sabbath traditions.

Many recipes came from poverty: gefilte fish, herring, corned beef, and pastrami were created to maximize inexpensive cuts or scraps.

Community ovens, shared kitchens, and neighborhood bakeries played a vital role in sustaining families and reinforcing cultural continuity.

Sweet baked goods — rugelach, babka, and challah — provided emotional comfort and turned limited ingredients into celebrations of resilience.

Foods like latkes, blintzes, and matzah brie blended holiday symbolism with practicality in cramped tenement kitchens.

Delis and soda shops became social hubs where dishes like pastrami on rye, whitefish salad, and egg creams shaped a uniquely New York identity.

Collectively, these foods reflect a story of survival, memory, adaptation, and the transformation of immigrant hardship into beloved Jewish New York culinary classics.

What of these 25 Old World dishes have you and your family eaten? Let us know in the comment section below.

The video explores how Jewish immigrants on New York’s Lower East Side in the early 1900s preserved identity and survived poverty through traditional Old World cooking.

Twenty-five “forgotten” dishes are highlighted as the culinary backbone of Jewish American life during this era.

Many foods—like patcha, helzel, kishke, and gribenes—reflect extreme resourcefulness, using every scrap of the animal to stretch limited budgets.

Staple comfort dishes such as kasha varnishkes, cholent, and borscht provided warmth, sustenance, and a taste of home in cramped tenements.

Desserts and sweets like teiglach, ingberlach, and lekach signified holiday joy and emotional resilience despite hardship.

Everyday breads and starches—biales, boles, knishes, and latkes—served as affordable, portable, and filling street foods.

Several dishes carried strong ritual or symbolic meaning, including schlissel challah, zimmes, and gefilte fish, linking tradition to hope and religious observance.

Fermented and preserved items such as beet kvass and cold borscht reflected the immigrants’ practical Old World foodways adapted to New York life.

The tenement kitchen is portrayed as a central cultural hub where smells, sounds, and flavors bound communities together.

Collectively, these dishes not only sustained physical survival but also shaped the emerging Jewish American identity and influenced New York’s culinary history.

Here is a comprehensive, detailed research strategy for tracing deceased Jewish ancestors, whether they lived in Europe, the Americas, Israel, or elsewhere. It’s designed for serious genealogical work — step-by-step, with key repositories, record types, and techniques specific to Jewish genealogy.

1. Define Your Research Goal
Before searching, clarify what you want to learn:

• Identify who you’re researching (full Hebrew and secular names, if known).
• Specify what you’re seeking — e.g., birthplace, parents’ names, burial location, Holocaust fate, or immigration path.
• Set geographic focus (town, district, or region — knowing the historical borders and jurisdictions is critical).

2. Start with What You Know

• Build your foundation using modern family data:
• Collect all family documents: death certificates, old letters, photos, obituaries, yahrzeit (memorial) notices, synagogue membership records.
• Interview relatives — especially older ones. Ask for Hebrew names, ancestral towns, Yiddish nicknames, and immigration stories.
• Create a timeline for the ancestor’s life with approximate dates and locations.

Tip: Record Hebrew or Yiddish names. Example: “Moishe (Moses) ben Yosef” can help identify burial records or synagogue memorial plaques.

3. Use FamilySearch and JewishGen Together

These are your two most powerful free databases.

FamilySearch.org

• Search global vital records, censuses, and probate files.
• Use the Family Tree function to collaborate with distant relatives.
• Try variant spellings and phonetic matches (Katz / Kac / Kaats / Kacowicz).

JewishGen.org

• Use the JewishGen Communities Database to locate towns (shtetls) and identify historical regions (Russian Empire vs. Poland, etc.).
• Search the JewishGen Family Finder (JGFF) to find others researching your ancestral surname or town.
• Explore:

• JewishGen’s Holocaust Database
• Yizkor Book Project (memorial books from destroyed communities)
• All Country Databases (Poland, Lithuania, Galicia, etc.)
• Jewish Records Indexing–Poland (JRI-Poland)

4. Search Death, Burial, and Cemetery Records
For deceased ancestors, this is the heart of your work.

A. Burial Records

• Use JewishGen Burial Registry (JOWBR) — lists over 3 million burials worldwide.
• Check FindAGrave and BillionGraves (many Jewish cemeteries are digitized).
• Hebrew gravestones (matzevot) are essential — they usually list:
• The deceased’s Hebrew name
• Their father’s Hebrew name (“ben” or “bat”)
• Date of death in the Hebrew calendar

Tip: Use HebrewForChristians.com or Hebcal.com to convert Hebrew dates to Gregorian.

B. Synagogue Memorial Plaques

• Contact local synagogues — many maintain memorial (Yahrzeit) plaques and burial society (chevra kadisha) records.

5. Vital Records (Birth, Marriage, Death)
Depending on the region:

Eastern Europe (Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus)

• Check JRI-Poland and Polish State Archives (szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl).
• For Russian Empire: FamilySearch catalog and JewishGen’s All-Russia Database.

Western Europe

• Use Centrale des Archives du Judaïsme Français, Arolsen Archives, and local municipal archives.

United States & Canada

• State and city vital records offices, Ellis Island, and Ancestry.com immigration databases.

Israel

• Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) hosts searchable burial and immigration data.

6. Immigration and Naturalization Records
For those who emigrated before death:

• Ellis Island / Castle Garden databases
• U.S. National Archives (NARA) for passenger manifests and naturalization papers
• Canadian Jewish Heritage Network for arrivals to Canada
• HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) records may include refugee case files

Tip: Compare naturalization petitions to ship manifests — birthplace often differs in spelling or language.

7. Holocaust Research (if applicable)
For ancestors who perished or disappeared during WWII:

• Yad Vashem Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names
• Search by surname, maiden name, or town.
• Arolsen Archives – Displaced Persons and camp records.
• USHMM (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) – digitized transport and camp lists.
• JewishGen Holocaust Database – includes Yizkor book translations and deportation lists.

Consider contributing a Page of Testimony to Yad Vashem if one does not yet exist.

8. Community and Shtetl Records

• Landsmanshaftn (mutual aid society) records in U.S. city archives often list deceased members and their burial plots.
• Yizkor books (memorial books) written after the Holocaust list victims and surviving families.
• Local archives in Eastern Europe often hold tax lists, residence permits, or ghetto registers.

Tip: JewishGen’s Yizkor Book Database has English translations and indexes by surname and town.

9. DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy

• Use DNA to identify living relatives or confirm family branches:
• AncestryDNA, MyHeritageDNA, and FamilyTreeDNA have strong Jewish databases.
• Use GEDmatch for cross-platform comparison.
• For deceased ancestors, test living descendants and analyze matches to infer lineage.
• Caution: Endogamy (intermarriage within Jewish populations) can complicate results — use segment analysis tools and triangulation.

10. Document, Cite, and Share

• Record each discovery with source citations (archive name, microfilm, URL, date).
• Create a research log noting searches performed, spellings tried, and gaps remaining.

Add findings to:

• FamilySearch Family Tree
• Ancestry Public Trees
• JewishGen Family Finder
• Share results with local genealogical societies or family associations.

11. Collaborate with Experts and Societies
Join or contact:

• Jewish Genealogical Society of Colorado (JGSC)
• Offers mentorship, local cemetery databases, and webinars.
• International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS)
• Coordinates global Jewish genealogy conferences.
• Local archives in your ancestors’ towns — many archivists speak English and respond to email queries.

12. Preserve and Memorialize
Once you’ve located your ancestor’s records:

• Create a digital memorial or family website.
• Submit records to JewishGen Memorial Databases or FindAGrave.
• Share your findings with younger generations to preserve Jewish memory.

“To remember is to give them life again.”

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.