(updated April 27, 2006)

The JGSGB keeps its resources in a special section of the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) library at the new Hebrew College campus in Newton. A few key reference resources will be brought to most monthly meetings. You can also access copies of these materials at various local libraries: Boston Public Library in Boston, Brandeis University's Goldfarb Library in Waltham, Harvard Library in Cambridge, Hebrew College in Newton, and the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston. Library call numbers for these materials at each of these libraries are noted in this bibliography. Other local libraries also have copies of these materials.

Note:  All resources listed are at AJHS unless otherwise indicated.  Note: “TE” means there is also a copy at Temple Emanuel, where most of our meetings are held.  “TE only” means that there is a copy at Temple Emanuel, but not at AJHS.

Books

Aaron, Sam,, ed.,  A Guide to Jewish Genealogy in Lithuania.  (London: Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, 2005), 130 pp. (Sources for records in Lithuanian archives.)  TE only

Armstrong, Diane. Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations.  (Sydney, Australia: Random House, 1999), 592 pp.  (The story of a family’s history from Krakow to Australia)

Auslander, Jordan.  Genealogical Gazetteer of the Kingdom of Hungary.  (Bergenfield, N.J.: Avotaynu, Inc., 2005), 510 pp.  (This reference book lists 12,000 towns in 19^th century Hungary, an area that comprises regions of today’s Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and the Slovak Republic.  It locates each town in 1877, gives alternate and current names and the population of various ethnic groups, including Jews.)  TE only

Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Kingdom of Poland. (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, Inc., 1996). 570 pp.  TE

{A compilation of more than 32,000 Jewish surnames with origins in that part of the Russian Empire known as the “Kingdom of Poland.”}

At BPL: [CS3010.B419 1996]
At Brandeis: [CS3010 .B419 1996]
At Harvard: [WID-LC CS3010.B419 1996]
At NEHGS: [REF/CS3010/B419/1996]

Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire. (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, Inc., 1993). 784 pp. TE

{A compilation of 50,000 Jewish surnames from the Russian Pale of Settlement showing etymology, variants and where within the Russian Empire the name appeared.}

At Brandeis: [CS3010 .B43 1993]
At Harvard: [WID-LC CS3010.B43 1993]
At Hebrew College: [Ref CL B4d]
At NEHGS: [Ref CS 3010 B43 1993]

Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Ashkenazic Given Names:  Their Origins, Structure, Pronunciation, and Migrations. (Bergenfield, New Jersey: Avotaynu, Inc., 2001) 682 pp. TE

{More than 15,000 given names have their origins in 735 root names. These lists include detailed description of the origin of the names and a list of variant and derivative names.}

Beider, Alexander.  A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. (Bergenfield, N.J.: Avotaynu, 2004), 600 pp.  (This book gives historial information on the Galician region from the 14^th century and on the meaning and incidence of more than 25,000 Jewish surnames there.)  TE

Medien-Verlag Schubert, 2003), 77 pp.  (A heavily illustrated story, in English and German, of this major port of emigration and the experience of those who traveled from there.)

Blatt, Warren. Resources for Jewish Genealogy in the Boston Area. (Boston: Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston, 1996). 275 pp. TE

{Combines detailed descriptions of Boston-area facilities and their holdings with the “how-to” of doing research in Boston or elsewhere. Information about libraries, government repositories and the American Jewish Historical Society (with a comprehensive list of AJHS manuscript collections); plus a merged yizkor book bibliography of 529 titles held at Boston area repositories; an appendix listing Jewish periodicals in the Brandeis Library system; and a listing of passenger ships entering the port of Boston 1891-1903.}

At BPL: [Z6374.B5B53 1996]
At Brandeis: [Z6374.B5 R469 1996]
At Harvard: [WID-LC F73.9.J5 B53 1996x]
At NEHGS: [REF/E184/J5/R36/1996]
At the National Archives in Waltham and Pittsfield and at  all Massachusetts LDS Family History Centers.

Boonin, Harry D. The Jewish Quarter of Philadelphia: A History and Guide 1881-1930. (Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Walking Tours of Philadelphia, Inc., 1999). 207 pp.

{The Story of the East European Jews who settled in the area of Society Hill and Queens Village.}

Brilliant, Richard.  Facing the New World: Jewish Portraits in Colonial and Federal America.  (New York, Jewish Museum, 1997), 112 pp.

(A beautiful art book with biographies and stories)

Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo, Carmack’s Guide to Copyright & Contracts; A Primer for Genealogiests, Writers & Researchers. (Baltimore MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2005),  120 pp.  ( A layman’s guide to copyright law as it applies to sources and photographs illlustratons and maps, including copyrighting your own work and using the work of others.)  TE only

Chew, Allen F. An Atlas of Russia History: Eleven Centuries of Changing Borders. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1970) 127 pp.

Cohen, Chester. Shtetl Finder. (Bowie, MD, Heritage Books, Inc., 1989). TE

{1,200 Jewish communities in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the Pale of Settlement of Russia and Poland, and in Lithuania, Latvia, Galicia and Bukovina, with names of residents, listed alphabetically by their Yiddish spelling.}

Cohen, Rose Lerer and Issroff, Saul. The Holocaust in Lithuania 1941-1945. (New York, Gefen Publishing House, 2002). 4 books: Vol I, IIA, IIB, III, each book 400-500 pp. TE

{A compilation of names of Lithuanian victims of the Holocaust derived from Yizkor books, NKVD lists, survivors and friends of Holocaust victims; a guide to available research resources including films, websites, atlases, and book titles. Also work camp lists, ghetto lists, and concentration camp lists; testimonies; essays pertaining to the Lithuanian Holocaust.}

Colletta, John. They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's Arrival Record (Salt Lake City, Ancestry, 1993-2nd ed ) 98 pp.

{Helps navigate researcher through various indexes to passenger arrival records and to books and articles about the immigrant experience.}

Dublin, Louis; Bureau of War Records of the National Jewish Welfare Board; American Jews in World War II; Vol Two ; 1947; (The Dial Press) 590 pp.

{An alphabetical listing by state of men and women in the war , the branch of service they were in and any medals or awards they received.}

Dubnow, Simon M. History of the Jews in Poland and Russia. (Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, Inc., 2000). 603 pp.

{History of the Jews of Eastern Europe from their earliest presence in Greek times to about 1910 including: Khazars, the rise of Polish Jewry, Cossack rebellion of 1648, rise of Hasidism, false Messiahs, creation of the Pale of Settlement and Jewish life under the laws created by the czars, and the pogroms of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.}

Edlund, Thomas Kent, compiler. The German Minority Census of 1939: An Introduction and Register. (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu Monograph Series; Avotaynu, Inc., 1996). 56 pp.

At Harvard: [HNBC7Y]

Eliach, Yaffa.  There Once Was a World: a 900-Year Chrnoicle of the Shtetl of Eishyshok.  (Boston: Little,.Brown & Co., 1998), 817 pp. (The comprehensive story of a single shtetl in Belarus that stands for life in all shtetls in the Jewish Pale of Settlement from the Middle Ages to the 20^th century.)  TE

Ellman-Kruger, Angelika and Edward David Luft.  Library Resources for German-Jewish Genealogy.  (Teaneck, N.J:  Avotaynu, Inc., 1998), 80 pp.  (A monograph about resources for German-Jewish research in present-day Germany, in areas that belonged to German-speaking rulers, and in other German-speaking countries.  Covers libraries, archives, electronic catalogues and other sources.)

Ellmann-Krüger, Angelika G., with Edward David Luft. Library Resources for German-Jewish Genealogy. (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, 1998). 88 pp.

{A translation of a 1992 work in German, on library and archival resources in Germany.}

Faiguenboim, Guilherme, Paulo Valadares and Anna Rosa Campagnano.  Dictionary of Sephardic Surnames.  (Bergenfield, N.J.: Avotaynu, 2005), 528 pp.  (A compilation of 17,000 surnames that were used by Jews who lived in Spain and Portugal for 15 centuries and later spread across the world as Sephardim, marranos and conversos.  There is also a lengthy summary of Sephardic history and a linguisitic essay about Sephardic names.)  TE only

Family Chronicle, Dating Old Photographs 1840-1929 and More Dating Old Photographs 1840-1939 (Toronto, Canada: Moorshead Magazines), 96 pp and 120 pp.  (These books help you identify the date of old family photographs from printing techniques, hair and clothing styles, etc. and shows many examples.)  TE only

Feldblyum, Boris. Russian-Jewish Given Names: Their Origins and Variants. (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, 1998). 138 pp.

{A translation of a 1911 work on Jewish first names used in the Russian Empire.}

At Brandeis: [CS3010 .F45 1998]
At Harvard: [WID-LC CS3010.F45 1998]
At NEHGS: [REF/CS3010/F45/1998]

Feldman, Steven, editor. Guide to Jewish Boston and New England. (Cambridge, Genesis 2, 1986). 195 pp.

{Short histories with pictures of towns and areas around Boston before 1985 with descriptions of congregations, rituals, education, community organizations, culture, and food of the Jewish population. An interesting view of Jewish life with some history dating back to 1649, when the first Jew landed in the Colonies. Great walk through memory lane if you lived in the Greater Boston area prior to the mid 80s.}

Fisher, Leonard Everett. Ellis Island: Gateway to the new World. (New York: Holiday House, 1986). 64 pp.

Frazin, Judith. Translation Guide to 19th Century Polish-Language Civil-Registration Documents. (Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois, 1999), 311 pp.

{Examples of birth, marriage, and death records and how to translate them. Vocabulary for occupations, dates, etc.}

Friendly, Natalie B. The Friendly Family: The Descendants of the Freundlichs of Bavaria. (Boston, MA: Newbury Street Press, 1998). 413 pp.

Glazier, Ira A. Migration from the Russian Empire: Lists of Passengers Arriving at the Port of New York, 1875-1891. (Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co.) TE

{Six-volume index, thus far, of Russian immigrants arriving at the Port of New York from January 1875-June 1891. Information extracted from original ships' passenger lists. Name, age, sex, occupation, country of origin, place of residence and destination included for each person. Project expected to extend to the year 1910. N.B. Vols. 1-2: "Port of NY," others: "U.S. Ports."}

Vol. 1, January 1875-Sept 1882 (published 1995)

Vol. 2, October 1882-April 1886 (1995)

Vol. 3, May 1886-December 1887 (1997)

Vol. 4, January 1888-May 1889 (1997)

Vol. 5, June 1889-July 1890 (1998)

Vol. 6, August 1890-June 1891 (1998)

Goberman, David.  Carved Memories: Heritage in Stone from the Russian Jewish Pale. (New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 2000).  168 pp.

Goodwin, George M. and Ellen Smith, eds, The Jews of Rhode Island. (Waltham MA: Brandeis University Press,), 268 pp. (A well illustrated and indexed story of the Rhode Island Jewish community from colonial times through the present).  TE only

Gorr, Rabbi Shmuel. Jewish Personal Names: Their Origin, Derivation and Diminutive Forms. (Bergenfield, NJ,: Avotaynu Inc., 1992). 112 pp. TE

{First (given) names and their derivations.}

Greenebaum, Linda S. Elizer’s Troupe: Scheins in America 1890-1999. (Amherst, MA: Commonwealth Printing, 1999). 192 pp.

Guzik, Estelle M., editor. Genealogical Resources in the New York Metropolitan Area. (New York: Jewish Genealogical Society, Inc., 1989). 404 pp.

{A detailed guide to every agency in New York City and environs that could provide data useful to genealogical research.}

At BPL: [Z5313.U6N523 1989]
At Brandeis: [Z5313 .U6 N523 1989]
At Harvard: [WID-LC F128.25.Z99 G46 x 1989]
At Hebrew College: [WO G36] [Ref WO G9r]
At NEHGS: [Ref F128.25 G46]

Howe, Irving.  World of Our Fathers: The Journey of the Eas European Jes to America and the Life They Found and Made.( New York: Schoken Books, rev ed., 1990). 714 pp.

Howells, Cyndi. Netting Your Ancestors-Genealogical Research on the Internet. (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1998). 182 pp.

JewishGen Family Finder, 1996, 1997, and June 1998 editions. Gary Mokotoff, editor, published by JewishGen, Inc.

{Database of ancestral towns and surnames being researched by some 15,000 Jewish genealogists throughout the world. Indexed by ancestral town name and surname.}

[Available online at: http://www.jewishgen.org/jgff].

Kagan, Joram. Poland's Jewish Landmarks: A Travel Guide. (New York: Hippocrene Books, Inc., 2001) TE only

Kaplan, Mendel and Marian Robertson, eds. Founders and Followers: Johannesburg Jewry, 1887-1915.  (Capetown, South Africa: Vlaeberg Publishers, 1991), 300 pp.

(Story of the Jewish creators of a major commercial and industrial center)

Kleiman, Yaakov.  DNA and Tradition: The Genetic Link to the Ancient Hebrews. (Israel: Devora Publishing Com;pany, 2004), 204 pp.  (The case that DNA research verifies both oral and written traditions and beliefs about tribes, cohanim and the matriarchal lines of the Jewish people.)

Knaphaais, Moises and Wolf Bresler.  Album de Oro: 100 Years of Jewish Life in Argentina.  350 pp. 

(Mostly in Yiddish, some Spanish)

Kronik, Aleksander and Sack, Sallyann Amdur, Some Archival Sources for Ukrainian-Jewish Genealogy. (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu Monograph Series, 1997). 94 pp.

{Inventory, by town, of records and where they are held: Jewish community records, police records, vital records, revision lists and tax records.}

At Brandeis: [DS135.U4 K5 1997]
At Harvard: [DS135.U4 K76 1997]

Kugelmass, Jack and Boyarin, Jonathan. From a Ruined Garden: The Memorial Books of Polish Jewry. (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1998.) 353 pp.

Kurzweil, Arthur.  From Generation to Generation.(New York: Harper Perennial, 1994) 388 pp. (orig. ed. at AJHS; rev. ed. at TE)

 

 

Kurzweil, Arthur, and Weiner, Miriam, editors. Encyclopedia of Jewish Genealogy: Sources in the United States and Canada, vol 1. (Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, Inc., 1991). 226 pp.

{A summary of North American record repositories and their holdings, with some useful appendices.}

At Brandeis: [CS21 .E53 1991]
At Harvard: [WID-LC CS21.E53 1991]
At Hebrew College: [Ref WO E5]
At NEHGS: [Ref CS21 E53 1991]

Landman, Isaac, editor. The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia. ( New York, Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Inc., 1941). 10 volumes (missing one volume).

Laszuk, Opracowatqa Anna. Ksiegi Metrykalne i Stanu Cywilnego : w Archiwach Panstwowych w Polsce (Warsaw, 1998). 469 pp.

Levin, Don. The Litvaks: A Short History of the Jews in Lithuania.  (Jerusalem: KeterPress Enterprises, 2000.) 284 pp. TE

{A history of Lithuanian Jewry with a lexicon of towns including Yiddish and modern spellings and photographs of Jewish life in Lithuania.}

Luft, Edward David.  The Naturalized Jews of the Grand Duchy of Posen in 1834 and 1835. (Bergenfield, N.J.: Avotaynu, Inc, rev. ed., 2004)  (A list of the original 5, 173 persons living in the Grand Duchy of Posen, with information on their names, towns of residence and occupations.)

Magosci, Paul Robert.  Historical Atlas of Central Europe. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, rev. ed., 2002), 274 pp.  (This reference book shows the political boundaries, ethnic populations, industrial activity, geographic features and religious distribution of population in Central Europe in the period from 400 to 2000.) TE only

Menk, Lars.  A Dictionary of German-Jewish Surnames. (Bergenfield, N.J.: Avotaynu, Inc., 2005), 796 pp.  (This is the equivalent for German names of the Alexander Beider books on Russia, Poland and Galicia.  It gives more than 13,000 surnames from the area that was pre-World War I Germany, including for each the etymology, alternative names and geographical incidence.)  TE

Malka, Jeffrey S.  Sephardic Genealogy: Discovering Your Sephardic Ancestors and Their World.  (Teaneck, NJ.: Avotaynu, Inc., 2003), 384 pp.  TE

(A major new resource for those with Sephardic ancestors, with thorough documentation and detailed information on sources for records.)

Mills, Elizabeth.  Evidence: Citation and Analysis for the Family History. (Baltimore; General Publishing Co., Inc., 1997) 124 pp.

Mohrer, Fruma and Web, Marek. Guide to the YIVO Archives. (New York, NY: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research:1998.)

Mokotoff, Gary, How to Document Victims and Locate Survivors of the Holocaust. (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, Inc., 1994). 194 pp.

{Identifies the principal sources of information about Holocaust victims and survivors, identifies the major repositories in the world that have this information, and tells how to contact them. A step-by-step process.}

At BPL: [D804.3.M65 1995]
At Brandeis: [D804.3 .M65 1995]
At Harvard: [D804.3.M65 1995]
At NEHGS: [REF/D804.3/M65/1995]

Mokotoff, Gary, and Blatt, Warren. Getting Started in Jewish Genealogy, Avotaynu, Inc. Bergenfield, NJ, 1999.

{Shows techniques and resources for doing Jewish genealogical research from pre-beginners to intermediate with a 70-book bibliography for use in Jewish genealogy.}

 

 

 

Mokotoff, Gary, and Sack, Sallyann Amdur. Where Once We Walked-A Guide to the Jewish Communities Destroyed in the Holocaust. (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu Press, 1991). 514 pp. TE

{A gazetteer of over 21,000 Central and Eastern European localities, arranged alphabetically and phonetically, with references for each locality.}

At BPL: [DS135.E83M65 1991]
At Brandeis: [DS135 .E83 M65 1991]
At Harvard: [MAP-LC DS135.E83 M65 1991]
At Hebrew College: [Ref XKC M7w]
At NEHGS: [Ref DS 135 E83 M65 1990]

Mokotoff, Gary and Sack, Sallyann Amdur. Where Once We Walked (revised edition)-A guide to the Jewish Communities Destroyed in the Holocaust. (Bergenfield, NJ, Avotaynu, 2002). 704 pp.

{Identifies 23,500 towns in Central and Eastern Europe where Jews lived before the Holocaust with alternate names, latitude/longitude, and Jewish population before the Holocaust.}

Morris, Norm.  Ghetto Memories: Growing Up in Dorchester/Roxbury/Mattapan.  (self-published, 1999) TE only

Morris, Norm. Ghetto Memories Revisited: Dorchester/Roxbury/Mattapan. (self-published, 2001) TE only

Morton Allan Directory of European Passenger Steamship Arrivals (for the years 1890 to 1930 at the Port of New York and for the years 1904 to 1926 at the ports of Philadelphia, Boston, and Baltimore). (Baltimore, MD:

Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980. Reprint of 1931). 268 pp.

{A complete list of passenger ships and their arrival dates at major American ports during the peak period of Jewish immigration. Useful for locating passenger lists.}

At BPL: [HE945.A2D5 1987x]
At Brandeis: [HE945 .A2 D5 1979]
At Harvard: [WID-LC HE945.A2 D5 1979]
At NEHGS: [CS 68 U542] [CS 68 M67 1931]

Noble, John. Baltic States & Kaliningrad: A Travel Survival Kit. (Hawthorn, Australia: Lonely Planet, 1994). 447 pp.

Nusinoff, Sylvia Furshman, ed. Beginners and Intermediate Genealogical Workbook. Jewish Genealogy Society of Palm Beach, Inc.  Rev. ed., January 2003.

Pierce, Alan S. and Avrom J. Herbster, The Jewish Community of the North Shore (Charleston SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2003), 128 pp.  (Lavishly illustrated story of Jews in Lynn, Salem, Peabody, Marblehead, Swampscott, Beverly and Saugus in the 20^th century, from the Images of America series.)  TE only

Pfeiffer, Laura S. Hidden Sources-Family History in Unlikely Places. (Orem, UT: Ancestry Publishing, 2000). 292 pp.       TE only

Rhode, Harold and Sack, Sallyann Amdur, compilers. Jewish Vital Records, Revision Lists and Other Jewish Holdings in the Lithuanian Archives. (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu Monograph Series; Avotaynu, Inc., 1996). 149 pp.

At Brandeis: [CS856.J4 R53 1996]
At Harvard: [CS879.6.R48 1996]

Rosenstein, Neil. The Unbroken Chain: Vol I. (Elizabeth, NJ: The Computer Center for Jewish Genealogy, 1990). 712 pp.

{Biographical Sketches and Genealogy of Illustrious Jewish Families from the 15th-20th Century.}

Rosenstein, Neil. The Unbroken Chain: Vol II. (Elizabeth, NJ: The Computer Center for Jewish Genealogy, 1990). 712 pp.

{Biographical Sketches and Genealogy of Illustrious Jewish Families from the 15th-20^th Century.}

Rosenstein, Neil.  The Lurie Legacy: The House of Davidic Royal Descent. (Bergenfield, N.J.: Avotaynu, 2004), 400 pp.  (This documents the continuous history of an ancient and distinguished Ahkenazi family that claims descent from King David and traces its origin back to medieval France.)

Rosin, Josef.  ed. Joel Alpert. Preserving Our Litvak Heritage: A History of 31 Jewish Communities in Lithuania. (League City TX: JewishGen Inc., 2005), 703 pp.  (Detailed information about 31 towns, including many surnames and many pictures.)  TE only

Ross, Michael.  Boston Walks' Jewish Friendship Trail. (Belmont: Boston Walks, 2003) 199 pp.

Rottenberg, Dan. Finding Our Fathers: A Guidebook to Jewish Genealogy. (New York: Random House, 1977). 401 pp.

{One of the pioneering “how-to” works of modern Jewish genealogy.}

At BPL: [CS21.R58]
At Brandeis: [CS21 .R58 1986]
At NEHGS: [Ref CS 21 R58]
At Harvard: [WID-LC CS21.R58]
At Hebrew College: [WO R6f]

Sack, Sallyann Amdur, and Wynne, Suzan Fishl. The Russian Consular Records Index and Catalog. (New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1987).

At Brandeis: [CS856 .J4 S23 1987], At BPL: [CS856.J4S23 1987]
At Harvard: [WID-LC CS856.J4 S23 1987]
At National Archives in Waltham
[Also available on microfiche, as part of the AJGS microfiche cllection]

Sack, Sallyann Amdur. A Guide to the Jewish Genealogical Research in Israel. (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, Inc. 1995). 229 pp.

Sack, Sallyann and Gary Mokotoff, eds. Avotaynu Guide to Jewish Genealogy. (Bergenfeld, NY: Avotaynu, 2004). 608 pp.

Sallis, Dorit, and Web, Marek, editors. Jewish Documentary Sources in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus: A Preliminary List. (New York: The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1996). 164 pp.

At BPL: [Z6373.R9J49 1996]
At Brandeis: [Z6373.R9 J49 1996]
At Harvard: [Judaica]

Schaefer, Christina. Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States (Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997) 406 pp.

{Rigorous analysis of wide variety of naturalization documents. Identifies all repositories of naturalization records state by state, county by county, city by city, systematically indicating types of records held there, such as declarations of intention, petitions for naturalization, case files, indexes, etc. Information on dates of coverage and the location of original and microfilm records.}

Schwartzman, Arnold.  Graven Images: Graphic Motifs of the Jewish Gravestone. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1993).  240 color plates.

Scroggin, Linda Golubchin, History of the Descendants of Mickel Moshe Golubchin &Related Families.  (Privately printed), 226 pp.   (The story of one family, with Boston roots, that includes many indexed surnames, with special emphasis on Golubchin, Gollub/Golub, Perlin, Schumitzky, Turetsky and Zlatnikov), TE only

Shea, Jonathan D. & Hoffman, William F. Following the Paper Trail: A Multilingual Translation Guide (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, Inc., 1994). 256 pp.

{A guide to translating vital statistic records in 13 languages--Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latin, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish.}

Shea, Jonathan D. & William F. Hoffman. In Their Words: A Genealogists Translation Guide-Vol. 1: Polish (New Britain, CT, Language and Lineage Press, 2000) 400 pp.

{Written by the authors of Avotaynu's Following the Paper Trail, provides an in-depth discussion of translating Polish documents. Sections on Polish grammar, phonetics, spelling, relevant vocabulary.}

Skyte, Thea, Randol Schoenberg and Rosemary Wenzerul, eds, A Guide to Jewish Genealogy in Germany & Austria.  (London: Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, 2001), 76 pp. (Sources for vital records immigration records Holocaust records, and other materials of interest to Jewish researchers.)  TE only

Spector, Shmuel. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust Vol. I. (A-J). (New York, NY: New York University Press, 2001.) 580 pp. TE

{An alphabetical listing of Jewish communities that thrived during the early part of the 20th century and synopsis of its history and people.}

Spector, Shmuel. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust Vol. II. (K-Sered). (New York, NY: New York University Press, 2001.) 555 pp. TE

{An alphabetical listing of Jewish communities that thrived during the early part of the 20th century and synopsis of its history and people.}

Spector, Shmuel. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust Vol. III. (Seredina-Buda-Z). (New York, NY: New York University Press, 2001.) 600 pp. TE

{An alphabetical listing of Jewish communities that thrived during the early part of the 20th century and synopsis of its history and people.}

 

Streit, Leon, Dzieje Wielkiej Miejskiej Synagogi w Stanislawowkie  (reprint of rare book on synagogues of Stanislaw, Poland, in Polish and Yiddish, along with two letters in English written from the town in 1936).

Tapper, Lawrence F. Archival Source for the Study of Canadian Jewry: Second Edition (National Archives of Canada, 1978). 96 pp [French and English texts]

The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia; an Authoritative and Popular Presentation of Jews and Judaism Since the Earliest Times. (New York, 1941). 10-volume set (missing one volume).

{Not the “latest” in Jewish knowledge but contains depth of information, especially historical.}

At BPL: [DS102.8.U5 1948x]
At Brandeis: [DS102.8 .U5]
At Harvard: [DS102.8.U5]
At Hebrew College: [Ref BZ U58]

Volovici, Hanna, Witold Medykowskii, Hadassah Assouline and Benyamin Lukin.  Polish Sources at the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People. (Bergenfield, N.J.: Avotaynu Foundation, 1004), 300 pp.  (Information on Jews as a whole in Poland, follwed by regional and then community entries, as it exists in more than 1000 places in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.)

Weiner, Miriam, in cooperation with the Polish State Archives. Jewish Roots in Poland: Pages from the Past and Archival Inventories. (Routes to Roots Foundation and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, 1998). 446 pp. TE

{A lavishly-produced book, with over 500 black & white and color photographs, many of pre-war scenes of Jewish Poland. Reports on 28 cities which had a 1939 Jewish population of 10,000 or more. Archival holdings, listed alphabetically, for over 1200 towns.}

At BPL: [CS877.J4W45 1997x]
At Brandeis: [CS877.J4 W45 1997]
At Harvard: [WID-LC CS877 W45 1997x]
At NEHGS: [REF/CS877/J4/W45/1997]

Weiner, Miriam, in cooperation with the Ukrainian State Archives and Moldovan National Archives. Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova: Pages from the Past and Archival Inventories. (Roots to Roots Foundation and YIVO Institute for Jewish Records, 1999). 600 pp. TE

Weinstein, Lewis H. Masa: Odyssey of an American Jew. (Boston: Quinlan Press, 1989) 314 pp.

Wenzerul, Rosemary, A Guide to Jewish Genealogy in the United Kingdom.  (London: Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, 2006), 144 pp. (Sources for vital records, hospital records, cemeteries and other materials of Jewish interest).  TE only

Wynne, Suzan F. Finding Your Jewish Roots in Galicia: A Resource Guide. (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, 1998). 220 pp. TE

{An excellent source for researching Austrian Poland.}

At Brandeis: [CS878.G35 W96 1998]
At Harvard: [WID-LC CS878.G35 W96 1998]
At NEHGS: [REF/CS878/G35/W96/1998]

Zubatsky, David S. and Irwin M. Berent, Sourcebook for Jewish Genealogies and Family Histories (Bergenfield N.J.: Avotaynu, 2005), 378 pp. (A comprehensive list of available materials on more than 10,000 family names and where to find them) TE only

 

 

Zubatsky, David S., and Berent, Irwin M. Sourcebook for Jewish Genealogies and Family Histories. (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, Inc. 1996). 480 pp.

{Lists Jewish genealogies and family histories, both published and unpublished, for over 10,000 family names. This bibliography include materials available in Jewish collections in archives and libraries worldwide.}

At BPL: [Z6374.B5Z83 1996]
At Brandeis: [On Order]
At Harvard: [WID-LC CS31.Z99 Z823 1996x]
At NEHGS: [REF/CS31/Z83/1996]

Brochures, Binders, Pamphlets, Etc.

American Jewish Historical Society, American Jewish History, Vol. 89 No. 3, September 2001.

Ancestry; Vol.20 Number 1 January/February 2002 (Main articles in this issue deal with the Pony Express and American Indian Ancestors) 66 pages

Arbeiter, Nancy, and Blatt, Warren, compilers. “Holocaust Research: A Collection of Articles on Genealogical Research and the Holocaust”. (1992).

{Various articles and printed matter.

[Available at Hebrew College; Superceded by Gary Mokotoff's How to Document Victims and Locate Survivors of the Holocaust]

Atlas Historyczny od Starosytnosci do Wspolczesnosci

Avotaynu, Index to the First Ten Volumes (1985-1996), 14 pages. [Updated version available online: http://www.avotaynu.com/subindex/indexsum.html]

The complete set of Avotaynu are available:
At Brandeis: [CS3010 .A96]
At Harvard: [WID-LC DS101.A87]
At Hebrew College: [BD Avotaynu]
At NEHGS: [CS 31 A9]

Bechar, Avraham. Hartuv Memories. (Baltimore, The Afikomen Company, 1989). TE

{A story of the founders of Hartuv, the first Jewish Agricultural Settlement on the Judean Hills of Israel and its valiant struggle for survival until its final destruction in 1948 during the War of Independence.}

Bierman, Brock. Collection of cemetery photographs taken in April 1999, contributed by Brock Bierman

Bourrie, Doris. Finding Your Canadian Ancestors. (Toronto, Heritage Productions, Heritage Book Series, 2002) TE

Bussgang, Fay. Researching Family History in Eastern Europe; (This is a 3-ring binder of articles written by Fay Bussgang, Past President of the JGSGB); January 2002.

FEEFHS Journal, Vol. 8, 2000, Kearney, NE: Morris Publishing

FGS Forum, Vol. 11, No. 4, Winter 1999

Galvin, William. Researching Your Family’s History at the Massachusetts Archives; April 2001 TE

{21 page brochure describing what the Archives at Columbia Point in Dorchester has available for research.}

Gesher Galicia. Gesher Galicia Family Finder: (6th edition, January 1998, at AJHS; 11th edition, April 2003, at TE).

Genealogical Computing: A Quarterly Journal; Fall 2001, Vol. 21.2, 50 pages; Winter 2000, Vol. 19.3

{Main articles are “Family History Software Directory,” which is a description of various genealogy software programs, not a review; and “Ellis Island Records Online.”}

Heritage Quest Product Catalog, 230 pages.

{Catalog  of Books, Magazines, CD-ROMs, Software, Maps, Charts, Forms and Preservation Products to purchase.}

Hirshfeld, Alan. Translation of the Prenumeraten List from: Arye D'vey Iloay by Arye Leib Lifshitz, published 1874, Przemysl. 1996.

{Names from Galician area towns.}

Jewish Vienna and Austria, Vienna Tourist Board. Collection of cemetery photographs taken in April 1999, contributed by Brock Bierman.

Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts, Guide to Jewish Cemetaries: Restoration, Preservation, Continuity. (1997 - 5757 at AJHS; 2003 at TE). 68 pages.

At NEHGS: [REF/E184/J5/G85]
Available free from JCAM.

Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts, Index of 65,000 Burials in 60+ Boston area Cemeteries.

{Database printout of May 1996. Includes name, date of death, cemetery name, plot location. In nine loose-leaf volumes.}

[This data is available at JCAM, and is also incorporated into the IAJGS Cemetery Project.]

JewishGen Family Finder. 1996, 1997, 1998 ( Surname Sequence, Town Sequence, Contributors)

The Kielce Radom Special Interest Group Journal, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Winter 2000) through Vol. 5 No. 4 (Autumn 2001)

Polish-Jewish Records at the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah (list of 735 microfilms). 17 pages

ROM-SIG Family Finder-Romania, Bessarabia (Moldova), Bokovina (Southern Ukraine). ROM-SIG News, 1996.

[Available online at: http://www.jewishgen.org/romsig]

St. Denis, Louise. Protect Your Precious Documents. (Toronto, Heritage Productions, Heritage Book Series, 2000-2002). 85 pages. TE

{Suggestions on how to take care of certificates, photos, documents, etc.}

 “Survey of Historic Jewish Monuments in Poland: A Report to the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad”. Revised Report. (New York: World Monuments Fund, March 1993). Samuel Gruber and Phyllis Myers.

[Available on the web at: http://www.qualityoflife.net/plrep.html]

The 1920 Federal Population Census: Catalog of National Archives Microfilm. (Washington, DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, 1991). 88 pages.

At NEHGS, At Hebrew College, At National Archives in Waltham.
[Available online at: http://www.nara.gov/genealogy].

Conference Proceedings

Syllabus of 15th Annual Summer Seminar on Jewish Genealogy, Boston: Beacon of Heritage, July 14-19, 1996, Boston, Massachusetts, edited by Sharla Levine. (Boston: Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston, 1996).

{Over 300 pages, includes: biographical sketches of speakers, brief summaries of talks, speaker handouts and reference materials, lists of registrants by name, surnames researched, towns researched.}  TE

At NEHGS: [E184/J5/B67/1996]

Syllabus of 18th Annual Summer Seminar on Jewish Genealogy, Los Angeles, July 12-17, 1998. 

Syllabus of 19th Annual Summer Seminar on Jewish Genealogy, New York City, August 8-13, 1999.

Syllabus of the 20th International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. Salt Lake City, Utah. July 9-14, 2000. (International Association of Genealogical Societies, Atlanta, GA) TE

Syllabus of the 21st International Conference on Jewish Genealogy.  London, England. July 8-13, 2001.  3 vols: Syllabus, Family Finder, Resource Book.

Syllabus of the 22nd IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, Toronto, Canada, August 4-9, 2002.

{Over 400 pages , includes: biographical sketches of speakers, brief summaries of talks, speaker handouts, and reference materials.}

Syllabus of 23rd Annual Summer Seminar on Jewish Genealogy, Washington, D.C., July 20-25, 2003.

Syllabus of the 2000 NGS Conference in the States New England, Providence, RI, 31 May-3 June 2000 (Arlington Virginia National Genealogical Society). Over 300 pages.

Syllabus of the 1998 New England Regional Genealogical Conference: Connecting to your cousins. Portland, Maine, 22-25 October 1998 ( 2 copies in 3-ring binders)

Microfiche Collection

Various indexes, databases and publications containing information of Jewish genealogical interest. Published on microfiche by Avotaynu, and distributed by the Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (AJGS) to member societies. There are instructions on the content and use of each series on the first few frames of the first microfiche of each set.

[These microfiche are available for sale by Avotaynu, and are also available locally at: BPL, Brandeis, Harvard, Hebrew College, and NEHGS. For call numbers, check their respective card catalogs under the title or author].

Birth Index for Buda Jewry 1820-1852, 1868. (2 fiches).

{Index to certain Jewish birth records of Buda section of Budapest.}

Black Book of Localities Whose Jewish Population Was Exterminated by the Nazis. (2 fiches)

{Alphabetical list, independent of country, of 32,000 communities in Eastern Europe where Jews lived prior to the Holocaust. Compiled by Yad Vashem (Jerusalem, 1965). Shows pre-war town name, province, country, and Jewish population.}

Consolidated Jewish Sumame Index, Avotaynu. (3 fiches)

{List of over 100,000 unique surnames, showing in which of 10 different databases each appear. Indexed using the Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex System. Updated 1996}

[Updated version available online at: http://www.avotaynu.com].

Family History Library Catalog™, March, 1996. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

{Locality catalog microfiche covering parts of North America: U.S. (19 fiches), CT (4), DC (1), IL (10), MA (7), ME (3), NH (3), NJ (6), NY (15), OH (9), PA (15), RI (2), VT (2); Canada (2), Alberta (2), British Columbia (6), Manitoba (1), New Brunswick (1), Newfoundland (1), Northwest Territories (1), Nova Scotia (2), Ontario (9), Prince Edward Island (1), Quebec (7), Saskatchewan (1), Yukon (1).}

Family History Library Catalog™, February, 1995. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

{Locality catalog microfiche covering selected countries (1 fiche each unless otherwise noted. Underline denotes countries not covered in 1996 fiche held): Hungary (8), Poland (15), Belarus, Russian Empire (4), Russia Republic (2), Slovakia, Slovenia, Moldova, Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Germany (69), Ukraine (2), Georgia.}

Also available at Hebrew College
NEHGS and all LDS Family History Centers (including Weston, Foxboro, Lynnfield, Worcester, Tyngsboro) have the complete set of FHLC microfiche.

Gazetteer of Central and Eastern Europe. Consolidated listing of U.S. Board on Geographic Names

{Names for 350,000 place names in Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, USSR (Jewish Pale of Settlement Republics only: Byelorussia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia, Ukraine), West Germany, Yugoslavia. Shows place name, country code, latitude, and longitude. Three sequences: Alphabetical Sequence (8 fiches), Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex Sequence (7 fiches), Grid Location Sequence (6 fiches).}

[Available online at: http://www.jewishgen.org/ShtetlSeeker].

Index to “Memorial to the Jews Deported From France”. (1 fiche, 2 copies).

{Alphabetic list of 50,000 surnames that appear in Klarsfeld's Memorial to the Jews Deported From France. Shows surname and convoy number. 1996.}

 

Index to Russian Consular Records. (7 fiches).

{Lists over 70,000 persons who transacted business with the Russian Czarist consulates in the United States from about 1849-1926. Shows surname, given name, place of residence and locator reference to microfilm in the U.S. National Archives that contains the original documents. Indexed using the Daitch Mokotoff Soundex System.}

Jewish Cemeteries Throughout the World. 1995, AJGS. (2 fiches).

{Information on more than 7500 cemeteries in 79 countries.}

[Updated version available online at: http://www.jewishgen.org/cemetery]

Jewish Genealogical People Finder. First Edition, June 1992. (22 fiches).

{Latest Edition, June 1995. Contains over 150,000 entries submitted by 100 Jewish genealogists. Contains name, date and place of birth and death, parents' names, spouse's name. Indexed using the Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex system.}

[Supplanted by the Family Tree of the Jewish People]

Jewish Residents of Greater Quebec Province in the 1871-1901 Censuses of Canada. Glen Eker, 1994. (1 fiche).

Jewish Residents of the Maritime Provinces in the 1871-1901 Censuses of Canada. Glen Eker, 1995. (1 fiche).

Jewish Residents of Montreal and Quebec City in the 1861-1901 Censuses of Canada. Glen Eker, 1993. (2 fiches).

Jewish Residents of Toronto in the 1871-1901 Censuses of Canada. Glen Eker, 1993. (1 fiche).

Jewish Residents of Western Canada in the 1870-1901 Censuses of Canada. Glen Eker, 1994. (1 fiche).

List of 56,000 Jewish Burials. Initial submission to AJGS Cemetery Project, 1995. (3 fiches).

Noms de Juifs du Maroc-Moroccan Jewish Surnames. (1 fiche).

Obuda Census of 1850: Index and Complete Census. Distributed by Avotaynu, 1996. (3 copies).

Palestine Gazette. (6 fiches).

{List of about 28,000 persons (mostly Jews) who legally changed their name while living in Palestine during the British Mandate from 1921-1948. Shows original surname and given name, new surname and given name, nationality, city of residence, and date and page reference to the Palestine Gazette. Indexed by original surname, new surname. Combined surname index using the Daitch-Mokotoff Souridex System.}

Publications of the Jewish Genealogical Societies, 1977-1990. A complete set of all the newsletters and journals of member societies of the Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (AJGS), 1977-1990. Includes Avotaynu, Toledot, Search (Chicago), Dorot (New York), Mishpacha (Washington), and many others. (24 fiches).

Romanian Census Records. Index to the census of Jews in 1824-25, plus the 1852 census of Jews of Monesti. (1 fiche).

Burials in Adas Israel Congregation Cemetery in Washington, D.C., 1870-1919. (26 pp, 1 fiche).

Burials in the Old Section of the Washington Hebrew Congregation Cemetery, Washington, D.C. (16 pp, 1 fiche).

Four Indices to the 1784 Census of Alsatian Jews. Daniel Leeson, 1993. (1 fiche).

Index of Jewish Applicants for Emergency U.S. Passports, 1915-1924. Index to U.S. Department of State Records in the National Archives. Passport applications by U.S. citizens and derivative citizens. (100 pp, 2 fiches).

Index of Jewish Names from the U.S. Department of State Decimal File (RG 59) Series on Protection of Interests of U.S. Citizens in Germany, Poland and Romania, 1910-1929. U.S. State Department “Protection of Interests” files of correspondence and requests for assistance by U.S. citizens. (128 pp, 2 fiches).

Index of Jewish Names from the U.S. Department of State Decimal File (RG 59) Series on Protection of Interests of U.S. Citizens in Austria-Hungary, 1910-1939. U.S. State Department “Protection of Interests” files of correspondence and requests for assistance by U.S. citizens. (83 pp, 1 fiche).

 

Index of Jewish Names from the U.S. Department of State Decimal File (RG 59) Series on Protection of Interests of U.S. Citizens in Russia, 1910-1929. U.S. State Department “Protection of Interests” files of correspondence and requests for assistance by U.S. citizens. (180 pp, 1 fiche).

Index of Jewish Names from the U.S. Department of State Decimal File (RG 59) Series on Protection of Interests of U.S. Citizens-Part II. U.S. State Department “Protection of Interests” files of correspondence and requests for assistance by U.S. citizens. (1 fiche).

Index of Jewish Names from the U.S. Department of State Decimal File (RG 59) Series on Protection of Interests of U.S. Citizens, Part III-Palestine. U.S. State Department “Protection of Interests” files of correspondence and requests for assistance by U.S. citizens. (1 fiche).

Index of U.S. Citizens Registering at the Consular Post in Jerusalem, 1914-1918. U.S. Department of State Consular Post Records of U.S. citizens visiting or living in Palestine. (54 pp, 1 fiche).

Index to the Jewish Vital Statistic Records of Slovakia. Jordan Auslander, 1993. (2 fiches).

Towns and Administrative Districts in Galicia, 1877. (119 pp, 2 fiches).

{Alphabetical index of 6,000 towns in the province of Galicia (Austrian Poland), showing the administrative districts to which they belong, where vital records were collected.}

Audio Tape Collection

Cassette Tapes of the 15th Annual Summer Seminar of Jewish Genealogy, July 14-19, 1996, Boston, Massachusetts, Sponsored by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston. (Hobart, IN: Repeat Performance, 1996). Complete set of 63 audio cassette tapes of presentations in six albums.

CD Rom Collection

Avotaynu on CD ROM (Sixteen years of Avotaynu back issues--57 issues published between 1985 and 1999.

{More than 2,500 pages. Full-word indexing of every word. Available in Windows and Macintosh versions.}

City Directories: New England States1881-1902. (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2000).

City Directories: Massachusetts 1885-1897. (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2000).

City Directories: New York 1886-1894. (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2000).

City Directories: Pennsylvania 1887-1893. (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2000).

City Directories: Northern Mid-West 1884-1898. (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2000).

City Directories: Southern Mid-West 1882-1898. (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2000).

Family Heritage Resource Catalog. (Heritage Quest, 2000).

Family History Library Catalog. March 2000.

Family Tree of the Jewish People

Generations Family Tree-Grand Suite 8.0 [Demo CD]. (Sierra-Online, 2000).

US Federal Census Index: New York City 1910. (Heritage Quest, 2001).

US Federal Census Index: New York Upstate 1910. (Heritage Quest, 2001).

 

 

Microfilm Collection

City Directories:

Donated by JGSGB to the National Archives, New England Region, Waltham, MA, December 1993. For use with the unindexed 1910 US Federal Census (11 microfilms, 5 cities). For details, see Mass-Pocha III:1 (Winter 1993/94), page 8; and Resources for Jewish Genealogy in the Boston Area (Boston: JGSGB, 1996), page 13.

Boston, MA        1909        FHL #1,605,879
        1910        FHL #1,605,880
        1911        FHL #1,605,881

Fall River, MA        1906-09        FHL #1,611,558
        1910-13        FHL #1,611,559

Lowell, MA        1907-09        FHL #1,611,717
        1910-12        FHL #1,611,718

Worcester, MA        1909        FHL #1,612,172
        1910-11        FHL #1,612,173

New York, NY        1909/10        FHL #1,606,129
        1910/11        FHL #1,606,130

New York City - Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes:

Over 100 microfilm reels, placed on indefinite loan at the LDS Family History Center in Weston, 1993-97. For details, see Mass-Pocha II:3 (Summer 1993), pages 1 and 6. [For information on how to use these records, see the JewishGen InfoFile: http://www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/nycbmd.txt].

Birth and death indexes, 1880s to 1965.

Marriage indexes, 1880s to 1930s.

Video Tape Collection

Five Cities: Jewish Life in Cracow, Vilna, Lwów, Bialystok, Warsaw, 1939. (National Center for Jewish Film, Waltham, MA. Restored between 1989-1991). Black and white film, Yiddish with English subtitles, short translations made by Shaul and Yitzhak Goskind about Jewish communities in Poland.