About Holocaust Genealogy Research
"There is no single list of victims and survivors of Nazi persecution. Instead, researching an individual's story during the Holocaust is a process of following trails and piecing together bits of information." - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Pictured: "Zelig Katz, his wife Alla, and their daughter Yokheved-Devorah". Sefer Telz (1984).
Guides
Not sure how to get started with your Holocaust genealogy research?
The following guides have practical tips and links for new researchers.
Image at left: Leon Kimkhi (center) with his students. From ʻIr u-shemah Monasṭir (1972)
Genealogy: Getting Started (New York Public Library)
Comprehensive guide to beginning your genealogy research.
Getting Started with Jewish Genealogy at New York Public Library (Online class recording)
Online course taught by NYPL librarians on conducting Jewish genealogy research.
Getting Started with Holocaust Genealogy Research (New York Public Library)
Learn about resources for Holocaust genealogy research at NYPL and beyond.
How can I learn what happened to individuals during the Holocaust? (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)
Learn more about conducting research at the USHMM
Holocaust Research Genealogy Guide (Family Tree Magazine)
Where to begin Holocaust genealogy records in online and physical archives
Holocaust Research Guide (Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute)
Guide to archival and published materials at the Center for Jewish History
Websites
Ackman and Ziff Family Genealogy Institute (Center for Jewish History)
Reference and genealogical resources for the Center’s comprehensive collections.
Vital records database with 200+ Holocaust-related collections. Ancestry Library Edition is accessible with a Library card; the Holocaust-related collections and many others are also freely available at Ancestry.com
Arolsen Archives: International Center on Nazi Persecution
Online archive and international inquiry center for victims of Nazi persecution.
Information on researching individuals in the German Federal Archives.
Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute
Research institute for Polish Jewry, specializing in genealogy.
Free search engine for Central and Eastern European directories and yizkor books.
Jewish genealogy site, with Holocaust database, yizkor book database and translations.
Joint JDC Archives (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee)
Extensive archival collections including documents and media, partially searchable by database.
Mapping the Lives (Tracing the Past)
interactive database with street maps of the persecuted in Europe 1933–1945.
The database has 400,000+ records, covering hundreds of towns and consisting of more than 300 separate projects focusing on Poland.
Records and Research on Holocaust-era Assets (U.S. National Archives)
Links to information the vast quantity of records in the collection.
Research Guide to Holocaust-related Holdings at Library and Archives Canada
Comprehensive listing of archival materials, and a selection of published books in the collection.
Comprehensive site for Sephardic genealogy, including databases by country.
List of Holocaust Survivors in Displaced Persons Camps in Germany and Austria (1945).
Testimonies of Roma and Sinti (Prague Forum for Romani Histories)
Database of printed testimonies of Roma and Sinti from the Czech lands (today's Czech Republic) and Slovakia.
Wiener Holocaust Library: Genealogy Records and Resources by Country
Links to genealogical resources, sorted alphabetically by country, including an International section.
Yad Vashem - Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names
Names and biographical details for Jews murdered by the Nazis and their accomplices.
Guide and links to 700 yizkor (Holocaust memorial) books digitized by The New York Public Library and the Yiddish Book Center.