Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland

STARTING YOUR GENEALOGY

What is Genealogy?

Genealogy is the study of family ancestral lines. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship or pedigrees of its members. The results are often displayed in charts or written as narratives. Some scholars differentiate between genealogy and family history by limiting genealogy to direct descendants and applying family history to all ancestors with broader life details and historical context.

Introductory Guides and Genealogy Forms

Terminology

GETTING TO KNOW "OLD" JEWISH CLEVELAND

Jewish Cleveland Immigration and History

Encyclopedia of Jewish Cleveland: Jews & Judaism
Cleveland Jewish History
Cleveland Jewish News Digital Archive - 130 years of Jewish history in Cleveland, OH, as reported by the Cleveland Jewish News and its predecessor newspapers
"Haymarket to the Heights: The Movement of Cleveland's Orthodox Synagogues From Their Initial Meeting Places to the Heights" by Jeffrey S. Morris (2014).
Western Reserve Historical Society Cleveland Jewish Archives
JGSC Library Collection - JGSC maintains a research collection at The Temple-Tifereth Israel Hartzmark Library located at 26000 Shaker Blvd, Beachwood, OH 44122. Use TTTI's Library catalog to access the collection. The Library is open based on policy set by The Temple.
Holocaust Oral Histories: A Project of the National Council of Jewish Women, Cleveland Section
Map of Early Jewish Cleveland … coming soon

Landmarks and Resources

Cemeteries and Obituaries

Jewish Cemeteries in Cleveland
Cleveland Jewish News Digital Archive - search 130 years of Cleveland Jewish obituaries and history as reported by the Cleveland Jewish News and its predecessor newspapers
Find A Grave – online source of burial and other final disposition information with over 400,000 cemeteries in more than 200 countries
Guide for Reading Hebrew Tombstones

JEWISH CLEVELAND TODAY

Access Jewish Cleveland - a "go to" resource for Jewish life and programs in Cleveland
Cleveland Jewish News - weekly newspaper (online and print) with an excellent calendar, archive, and obituary database
Cleveland Schmooze - podcast about the people who make up Jewish Cleveland
Case Western Reserve University Siegal Lifelong Learning - Jewish Program
Mandel Jewish Community Center - a fitness, wellness and community center that is welcoming to all people in the community

CLEVELAND AND CUYAHOGA COUNTY

Cuyahoga County Ohio GenWeb - portal for online and offline resources
Cuyahoga County Archives - public repository for historical records
Cleveland Public Library
Cuyahoga County Public Library

Ohio - Cuyahoga County & Beyond

National and International Resources

USA Government Sites

Center for Jewish History - an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, with the biggest repository of Jewish history in the United States
- Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute provides access to a wealth of genealogical resources through the Center for Jewish History's partner collections and the Institute's extensive reference collection, online databases, and a variety of research guides
Library of Congress Local History and Genealogy Reference Services
National Archives Resources for Genealogists
State Archives and Libraries
USA.gov Genealogy and Family History
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Additional Resources

American Jewish Archives - Preserving American Jewish history with an online catalog containing bibliographic records from the AJA's collections of manuscripts, microfilm, video and audio materials, nearprint, genealogy files, and photographs.
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet: Jewish websites - comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links
Familysearch – free, nonprofit family history organization dedicated to connecting families across generations
International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) – organization of organizations to advance genealogical avocation
Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) - largest genealogy society in Israel
JewishGen - a non-profit organization affiliated with the Museum of Jewish Heritage whose mission is to preserve Jewish family history (enhanced functions with paid membership)
- Burial Registry (JOWBR)
- Research
- Databases
- External databases - JewishGen also provides links to some external databases, including:
Joint Distribution Committee Archives (JDC)
Mapster – provides scans of historical maps and town plans of Poland and Central & Eastern Europe
NumberstoNames.org - Provides a new way to explore Holocaust photo and video archives through AI.
One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse - Features one-step tools for searching census, immigration, vital records and more
Practicing Safe Computing - online articles and index by Hal Bookbinder
Tsal Kaplun Foundation – records from archives of the former Soviet Union and other countries
Yad Vashem

Commercial Genealogy Sites

These resources offer both free and enhanced subscription services. Some may also be freely accessible from a library. Visit a listing’s home page or ask about genealogical resources at your local library for more information.

Ancestry - the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical record and genetic genealogy websites
Avotaynu – though it closed its doors in 2022, the once leading publisher of works for Jewish genealogy still has materials available
- Jewish websites
- Jewish surnames Index
Geni – empowers users to build a single world family tree
MyHeritage - a unique place where families meet online, communicate, share, explore and preserve their heritage with private family trees

Print Material

JGSC Authors

Books by JGSC Members - a bibliography of books written and/or edited by members of JGSC
Vigil, Vicki Blum, Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio: Stones, Symbols, and Stories, Gray & Co, 2007.
Vigil, Vicki Blum, Finding Your Family History in Northeast Ohio, Gray & Co, 2003.

JGSC Speakers and Books

Copeland, Libby, The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are, Harry N. Abrams, 2020.
Gross, Rachel B, Beyond the Synagogue: Jewish Nostalgia as Religious Practice, NYU Press, 2021.
Klam, Julie, The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters: A True Story of Family Fiction, Riverhead Books, 2021.
Neumark, Heidi, Hidden Inheritance: Family Secrets, Memory, and Faith, Abingdon Press, 2015.

Other Book Recommendations

Rabinowitz, Richard, Objects of Love and Regret: A Brooklyn Story, Belknap Press, 2022.
Shapiro, Dani, Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2019.

Magazines

American Ancestors
Family Tree Magazine
Internet Genealogy
National Genealogical Societal Quarterly
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine
Your Family History
Your Genealogy Today

Jewish Genealogy Societyof Cleveland

Public Resources for Genealogy research