CJH Guide: Ackman & Ziff Genealogy Institute

Does the Center for Jewish History have an online catalog I can use from home?

Yes! Our online catalog https://search.cjh.org integrates all the partners’ library and archival collections. You can start your search with simple terms and use the options on the left to filter the results further. From here you can request materials to view in the Reading Room or simply view digitized images from your home or office. 

What's the best way to start my family history research?

• Ask your relatives some questions about the milestones in their lives
• Gather some key places, years, vital records like births, deaths, and marriages, people's names, etc. you think might help you answer some of the questions you have
• Head to our page of research guides at https://libguides.cjh.org/genealogy
• If you are unable to gather a research plan, please email us at gi@cjh.org and we will try to provide some helpful advice
• We host many genealogy workshops for beginners, which may give you a head start on your search
• Please come to the Center! The GI is open to the public, no appointment necessary.

Can Genealogy Institute staff and volunteers research my family for me?

Because we would like to meet the needs of all our researchers, the GI staff and volunteers time is normally limited to guiding you towards the appropriate resources for your own independent research. After searching our online catalog or consulting the research guides, you are welcome to visit the Center or write us a specific inquiry.

Extended one-on-one research experiences are available through the following ways:

• Scheduled Group Tours and Instructional Sessions (scroll down to the bottom of the page for information)
• Becoming a Center for Jewish History Member at the appropriate Donor level

How do I get genealogical records from countries outside the U.S.?

• Our country-by-country fact sheets and reference books like the Avotaynu Guide to Jewish Genealogy and Jeffrey S. Malka’s Sephardic Genealogy provide information on how to obtain foreign records.
• Many international vital records, census records, and other documents useful for family history research have been microfilmed by the Church of Latter-day Saints (LDS, or Mormons). You may search the online Family History Library catalog at https://familysearch.org/ to find out which records are available. (Please keep in mind that these microfilms are copies of original records, mostly handwritten in languages other than English.)

What kinds of materials does the Center for Jewish History have about my family?

The CJH is home to millions of archival documents and hundreds of thousands of books, housed in the archives and libraries of the partner organizations. These include family histories, memoirs, correspondence, personal papers of prominent and less well-known individuals and records of communal, cultural, political and professional organizations.

What does my family name mean?

The Genealogy Institute and Reading Room open stack reference collections have a number of useful surname and given name dictionaries for you to start your search. Here you can find answers to many name-related questions. Here are a few facts you can find in these materials:

• Most Ashkenazi families adopted surnames between 1780 and 1850.
• Jews living in Frankfurt and Prague and many Sephardic families used surnames much earlier.
• Some surnames were based on patronymics, matronymics, occupations, physical characteristics, or places of origin. Others were words borrowed from the Bible or other Jewish literature.  

Can I find my family tree on the Internet?

Most family trees are not on the Internet. There are several places, however, where some family trees or connections to other researchers can be found.

• Family Tree of the Jewish People
  • This database consists of family trees that individual researchers have chosen to share with others. It is not an all-encompassing family tree of all Jews everywhere. To search this database, you must be registered with JewishGen. For security and privacy reasons, dates are not included for living people, nor is the name of the submitter provided; however, you may contact him/her by sending a message using the provided link. 
• JewishGen Family Finder
  • This is a database of genealogists with the surnames and towns they are researching. An exact spelling or soundex search may be made for a specific name, town, or both. The results give the researcher's name and contact information The most useful results will be obtained by searching both the name and town, unless the name is unusual or the town small. You must also be registered with JewishGen to search this database. 
• WorldConnect Project
  • ​Genealogists from a variety of backgrounds have posted their family trees here.

What kinds of materials does the Center for Jewish History have about my ancestral town?

Among the collections at CJH are many sources from or about Jewish communities worldwide. These include encyclopedias, yizkor books, landsmanshaft records, newspapers, memoirs, and records of communal, cultural, political and professional organizations.

How do I learn the names of the towns my ancestors came from?

• To identify the towns your ancestors were from, please see our research guides on Starting Your Family History Research, Immigration, Naturalization, Census Records, and Finding an Ancestral Town, available here: https://libguides.cjh.org/genealogy.
• JewishGen, one of our most used websites on genealogical research, has an excellent town search. You can access this site here: https://www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/faq.html#Towns.
• Besides the name, it is helpful to obtain additional identifying information about the town. What type of industry or trade took place there? What languages were spoken? Was it near any rivers, forests, or borders? What larger city was it near? Interviewing relatives is the best way to find out this information.
• For ancestors who immigrated to countries other than the United States, see our research guides on those countries to find out if there are any census, naturalization, or immigration records available.
• Geographically based Special Interest Groups are also excellent sources of information.