This bibliography only contains a portion of the Newberry’s resources on Jewish history and genealogy. To locate additional resources, please check our catalog or consult a reference librarian.

The following subject headings may be helpful:

• Jews [locality]
• Jews [in locality]
• Jews Genealogy
• Jews [locality] Genealogy

The web site JewishGen may also be of help in your research.

General Guides and Bibliographies

Avotaynu Guide to Jewish Genealogy. Ed. Sallyann Amdur Sack and Gary Mokotoff. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2004. Call# Local History Ref CS21 .A98 2004 (2nd floor open shelf).

David, Jo. How to Trace Your Jewish Roots: Discovering Your Unique History. New York: Kensington Pub., 2000. Call # CS21.D38 2000 (2nd floor open shelf).

Jewish Genealogy Yearbook 2000. International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, 2000. Call # folio E184.312 .I77 2000. Handouts from the 20th International Conference on Jewish Genealogy.

Joseph, Anthony. My Ancestors Were Jewish. 4th ed. London: Society of Genealogists, 2005. Call# Local History Ref DS135.E5 J67 2005 (2nd floor open shelf).

Kurzweil, Arthur. From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 2001. Call # CS21.K87 2001 (2nd floor open shelf).

Menachemson, Nolan. A Practical Guide to Jewish Cemeteries. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2007. Call# Local History Ref BM712 .M48 2007 (2nd floor open shelf).

Regenstein, Janice Mendenhall. Jewish Genealogy Worldwide: An Annotated Bibliography of Books on Jewish Local History and Other Subjects of Use to Genealogists. Wichita, KS: Family Heritage Institute, 1981. Call # folio Z6366.R44.

Rottenberg, Dan. Finding Our Fathers: A Guidebook to Jewish Genealogy. New York: Random House, 1977. Call # CS3010.R57 (2nd floor open shelf).

Schwartzberg, Jenny. A Catalog of Judaica in the Newberry Library. Newberry Library, 1998. Call no. Ref Z6621.N662 J49 1998 (3rd floor, checklist table.)

Segal, Joshua L. A Field Guide to Visiting a Jewish Cemetery: A Spiritual Journey to the Past, Present and Future. Nashua, NH: Jewish Cemetery Publishing, c2005. Call# Local History Ref CS21 .S45 2005 (2nd floor open shelf).

Singerman, Robert. Judaica Americana: A Bibliography of Publications to 1900. 2 vols. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990. Call # Ref Z6373.U5 S58 1990 (3rd floor open shelf).

Wenzerul, Rosemary. Genealogical Resources within the Jewish Home and Family. Bury, Lancashire: Federation of Family History Societies, 2002. Call# CS21 .W455 2002.

Zubatsky, David S. Jewish Genealogy: A Sourcebook of Family Histories and Genealogies. New York: Garland Pub., 1984-1990. Call # Z6374.B5 Z79 1984 (2nd floor open shelf).

Guides for Specific Areas and Countries

United States

Blatt, Warren. Resources for Jewish Genealogy in the Boston Area. Boston: Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston, 1996. Call # folio Z6374.B5 B53 1996.

Genealogical Resources in New York. Ed. Estelle M. Guzik. New York, NY: Jewish Genealogical Society, 2003. Call# Local History Ref Z5313.U6 N524 2003 (2nd floor open shelf).

Genealogical Resources in the New York Metropolitan Area. Ed. Estelle M. Guzik. New York: Jewish Genealogical Society, 1989. Call # Z5313.U6 N523 1989 (2nd floor open shelf).

Other Countries

Aaron, Sam. A Guide to Jewish Genealogy in Lithuania. London: Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, 2005. Call# Local History Ref CS879.6 .A37 2005 (2nd floor open shelf).

Beare, Arlene. A Guide to Jewish Genealogy in Latvia and Estonia. London: Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, 2001. Call # DS135.L3 B43 2001.

Guide to Jewish Genealogy in Germany & Austria. Ed. Thea Skyte et al. London: Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, 2001. Call # DS135.G3 G854 2001.

A Guide to Jewish Genealogy in the United Kingdom. Contributing ed. Rosemary Wenzerul. England: Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, 2006. Call# CS432.J4 G85 2006.

Jewish Vital Records, Revision Lists and Other Jewish Holdings in the Lithuanian Archives. Comp. Harold Rhode and Sallyann Amdur Sack. Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, 1996. Call # folio CS879.6 .R48 1996.

Leivers, Dorothy. Jews of Kopcheve. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2006. Call# DS135.L52 K375 2006.

Malka, Jeffrey S. Sephardic Genealogy: Discovering Your Sephardic Ancestors and Their World. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2002. Call# Local History Ref CS66.J4 M35 2002 (2nd floor open shelf).

Sack, Sallyann Amdur. A Guide to Jewish Genealogical Research in Israel. Rev. ed. Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, 1995. Call # Z6374.B5 S23 1995 (2nd floor open shelf).

Sources on Polish Jewry at the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People. Ed. Hanna Volovici et al. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2004. Call# Z6373.P7 S68 2004.

Tagger, Mathilde A. and Yitzchak Kerem. Guidebook for Sephardic and Oriental Genealogical Sources in Israel. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2006. Call# CS21 .T34 2006.

Weiner, Miriam. Jewish Roots in Poland: Pages from the Past and Archival Inventories. Secaucus, NJ: Miriam Weiner, 1997. Call # folio DS135.P6 W37 1997.

Weiner, Miriam. Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova: Pages from the Past and Archival Inventories. Secaucus, NJ: Miriam Weiner, 1999. Call # folio DS135.U4 W46 1999.

Wenzerul, Rosemary. A Beginner’s Guide to Jewish Genealogy in Great Britain. London: Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, 2000. Call # DS135.E5 B43 2000 (2nd floor open shelf).

Wynne, Suzan F. Finding Your Jewish Roots in Galicia: A Resource Guide. Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, 1998. Call # CS878.G35 W96 1998 (2nd floor open shelf).

Surnames

Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2004. Call# Local History Ref CS3010.Z9 G353 2004 (2nd floor open shelf).

Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Kingdom of Poland. Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, 1996. Call # CS3010.B419 1996 (2nd floor open shelf).

Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire. Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, 1993. Call # CS3010.B43 1993 (2nd floor open shelf).

Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German-Jewish Surnames. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2005. Call# CS3010.Z9 G476 2005.

Biographical Resources

Also see Jewish Encyclopedia for biographical entries circa 1900.

Cohn-Sherbok, Dan. The Blackwell Dictionary of Judaica. Oxford: Blackwell Reference, 1992. Call # Ref BM50.C615 1992 (3rd floor open shelf). Includes some biographical entries.

A Directory of Distinguished British Jews, 1830-1930, with selected compilations extending from 1830-2000. Comp. Michael Jolles. London: Jolles Publications, 2000. Call # folio DS135.E55 J65 1999.

Distinguished Jews of America. Vol. 2. Toledo, OH: Distinguished Jews of America Pub. Co., 1918. Call # E461.237.

Rosenbloom, Joseph R. A Biographical Dictionary of Early American Jews: Colonial Times Through 1900. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1960. Call # Ref E184.J5 R63 (3rd floor open shelf).

Stern, Malcolm H. First American Jewish Families: 600 Genealogies, 1654-1988. Baltimore, MD: Ottenheimer Pub., 1991. Call # CS59.S76 1991 (2nd floor open shelf).

Who’s Who in American Jewry, 1938-1939. Ed. John Simons. New York: National News Association, 1939. Call # E461.965.

Who’s Who in the State of Israel. Ed. Alex M. Aurel- Ariely. Tel Aviv: Near and Middle East Who’s Who Pub. Co., 1949. Call # E461.616.

Wigoder, Geoffrey. Dictionary of Jewish Biography. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1991. Call # Ref DS115.W49 1991 (3rd floor open shelf).

Wininger, Salomon. Grosse Judische National- Biographie. Cernauti: Druck “Orient”, 1925-1932. 6 vols. Call # E461.97. In German. Please specify surname on call slip.

Maps and Gazetteers

Also see the Newberry's guide to Map Bibliographies.

Genealogical Gazetteer for the Kingdom of Hungary. Comp. Jordan Auslander. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2005. Call# Local History Ref DB904 .G387 2005 (2nd floor open shelf).

JewishGen also has an online gazetteer.

LC G&M Austria-Hungary 1:75,000. Vienna: K.u.K. Militargeographisches Institut, 1873-1918. Call # Microfiche 1179. Please specify fiche number. Fiche number can be determined by using the index map (2nd floor, on top of bookcase near computers). Central and Eastern European Maps Selected from the Andrees Allgemeiner Handatlas of 1913. Call # Microfiche 2818. Search by town name in indexes.

Cohen, Chester G. Shtetl Finder: 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, and with names of residents. Los Angeles: Periday Co., 1980. Call # folio DS135.R9 C58.

Mapa Polska. Warsaw: Wojskowy Instytut Geograficzny, 1915-1939. Call # Microfiche 1195. Please specify fiche number and number of editions. Fiche number and editions can be determined by using the index map (2nd floor, on top of bookcase near computers).

Mokotoff, Gary. Where Once We Walked: A Guide to the Jewish Communities Destroyed in the Holocaust. Rev. ed. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2002. Call # DS135.E83 M65 2002 (2nd floor open shelf). Contemporary towns are listed alphabetically and by Soundex. Note: See also WOWW Companion, Call # DJK6.M65 1995 (2nd floor open shelf).

Immigration

Also see Passenger List guide.

Germans to America, 1850-1897 (ongoing). Ed. Ira A. Glazier et al. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1988-. Call # E184.G3 G38 1988 (2nd floor open shelf).

Index (Soundex) to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, July 1, 1902-Dec. 31, 1943. Call # Microfilm 1042. Ask at the 2nd floor reference desk for the reel number for your Soundex code and for the guide to using this source. Note: The print on this microfilm is extremely small and very hard to read.

Migration from the Russian Empire: Lists of Passengers Arriving at the Port of New York, 1875- 1891. Ed. Ira A. Glazier. Call # E184.R9 M54 1995 (2nd floor open shelf).

Moser, Geraldine. Hamburg Passengers from the Kingdom of Poland and the Russian Empire: Indirect Passage to New York, 1855-June 1873. Landsmen Press, 1996. Call # folio E184.J5 M667 1996. Names are listed alphabetically and by date.

Sack, Sallyann Amdur. The Russian Consular Records Index and Catalog. New York: Garland, 1987. Call # CS856.J4 S23 1987 (2nd floor open shelf). Indexes immigration, passport, visa, and related consular records of Russian citizens, primarily between 1917-1926.

Holocaust Resources

Cohen, Rose Lerer and Saul Issroff. The Holocaust in Lithuania, 1941-1945: A Book of Remembrance. 4 vols. Hewlett, NY: Gefen Publishing House, 2002. Call # folio DS135.L5 C55 2002. Vol. 1 contains a name index. Includes lists of victims, work camp lists, ghetto lists, and concentration camp lists.

From a Ruined Garden: The Memorial Books of Polish Jewry. Ed. Jack Kugelmass et al. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1998. Call # DS135.P6 F77 1998.

Mokotoff, Gary. How to Document Victims and Locate Survivors of the Holocaust. Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, 1995. Call # D804.3 M65 1995 (2nd floor open shelf).

Mokotoff, Gary, et al. Where Once We Walked: A Guide to the Jewish Communities Destroyed in the Holocaust. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2002. Call# Local History Ref DS135.E83 M65 2002 (2nd floor open shelf).

Chicago Resources

Bregstone, Philip P. Chicago and Its Jews: A Cultural History. Philip P. Bregstone, 1933. Call # F89621.J512.

The Chicago Jewish Community Blue Book. Chicago: Sentinel Pub. Co., ca. 1918. Call # F548.9 J5 C54.

Chicago Jewish History. Chicago: Chicago Jewish Historical Society, 1977-. Call # folio F548.9 J5 C57. Holdings: Vol. 1 (1977) currently received.

Cutler, Irving. The Jews of Chicago: From Shtetl to Suburb. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1996. Call # folio F548.9 .J5 C87 1996.

Eliassof, Herman. The Jews of Illinois. Chicago: 1901. Call # F896.258.

History of the Jews in Chicago. Ed. Hyman L. Meites. Reprint of 1924 ed. Chicago: Chicago Jewish Historical Society, 1990. Call # folio F548.9 .J5 H57 1990. Includes biographical sketches and index.

Lane, George. Chicago Churches and Synagogues: An Architectural Pilgrimage. Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1981. Call # Ref NA5235.C4 L3 (3rd floor open shelf). Includes some photographs.

The Sentinel’s History of Chicago Jewry, 1911-1986. Chicago: Sentinel Pub. Co., 1986. Call # folio F548.9 J5 S3 1986.

Sorkin, Sidney. Bridges to an American City: A Guide to Chicago’s Landsmanshaften, 1870-1990. New York: P. Lang, 1993. Call # F548.9 J5 S67 1993.

The Standard Club’s First Hundred Years. Chicago: Standard Club, 1969. Call # folio HS2725.C4 S68.

Synagogues of Chicago. Chicago: Chicago Jewish Historical Society, 1991. Call # folio BM225.C4 S9 1991. Historical information about synagogues extracted from Chicago city directories and telephone directories.

Periodicals

Avotaynu: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy. Teaneck, NJ: Gary Mokotoff, 1985-. Call # CS3010.A86 (2nd floor open shelf).

Search. Niles, IL: Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois, 1981-1991. Call # CS3010.S43 (2nd floor open shelf). See Index in Vol. 11, No. 4.

Toledot: Journal of Jewish Genealogy. Flushing, NY: Toledot Press, 1977-1982. Call # folio CS1.T65. Holdings: Vol. 1 (1977) Vol. 4, No. 3 (1982).

Translation Resources

Frazin, Judith R. A Translation Guide to 19th-Century Polish-Language Civil-Registration Documents. Northbrook, IL: Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois, 1989. Call # CS871.F73 1984 (2nd floor open shelf).

Shea, Jonathan D. and William F. Hoffman. Following the Paper Trail: A Multilingual Translation Guide. Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, 1994. Call # CS14.S54 1994 (2nd floor open shelf).

Wenzerul, Rosemary. A Guide to Reading Hebrew Inscriptions and Documents. London: Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, 2005. Call# Local History Ref CS21 .W46 2005 (2nd floor open shelf).

Resources Elsewhere in Chicago

The Asher Library of the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, 618 S. Michigan Avenue (312-322-1749) has one of the best collections of Judaica in the Midwest. It also holds the Chicago Jewish Archives, a collection of papers from individuals, families, Jewish organizations, and synagogues.

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois has a small non-circulating research library. Call (847) 679-1995 for additional information.  The 2000 edition of the Society’s library catalog is available at the Newberry: Call # folio Z6374.B5 J47.