German Jewish Records: Difference between revisions

Jewish records [Jüdische Urkunden] include records of Jews or Jewish congregations. The Family History Library has over 2,000 microfilms of German Jewish vital records that list births, marriages, and deaths. These vital records are an excellent source for accurate information about Jewish ancestors.  

The Family History Library also has other types of Jewish records, including synagogue records, records of Jewish taxpayers, Holocaust victims, and censuses.  

A gazetteer of places, sources and indexes can be found at:  

 

=== General Historical Background ===

The earliest German Jewish records are synagogue records, but these were not kept by all congregations.  

The German Jews did not usually keep registers of births, marriages, and deaths unless required to do so by law.  

In the early nineteenth century, Jews in many parts of Germany were required by law either to register with Catholic or Lutheran parishes or to prepare their own civil transcripts of births, marriages, and deaths. These types of records, whether kept by a Christian parish or civil authorities, are called Jewish records.  

With the introduction of nationwide civil registration by 1876, Jewish births, marriages, and deaths were recorded by German civil authorities. In most cases, the records for Jews were kept in a separate Jewish register. Jewish synagogue records and separate civil registers of Jews are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under:  

JEWISH RECORDS  

Mixed civil registration records are listed in the catalog under  

CIVIL REGISTRATION. See the “Civil Registration” section of this outline for information about civil registration records.  

Censuses were taken from time to time to identify Jews and other minorities, especially during the Nazi era (1938-1939). Many records of Jews who died in the Holocaust are now available.  

Understanding the history of the Jewish people in Germany can help you in your research. The following are two good reference books:  

*Adler, H. G.''The Jews in Germany: From the Enlightenment to National Socialism.'' Great Bend, Indiana, USA: University of Notre Dame Press, 1969. (FHL book 943 F2a.)

*Lowenthal, Marvin. ''The Jews of Germany: A Story of Sixteen Centuries.'' Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1939. (FHL book 943 F2lm.)

Below are listed a useful genealogical handbook and a bibliography of Jewish family histories:  

*Kurzweil, Arthur. ''From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Personal History.'' New York, NY, USA: William Morrow, 1980. (FHL book 929.1 K967f; film 1,059,468 item 4.)

*Zubatsky, David S., and Irwin M. Berent. ''Jewish Genealogy: A Sourcebook of Family Histories and Genealogies.'' Two Volumes. New York, NY, USA: Garland, 1984. (FHL book 929.1 Z81j.)

Information Recorded in Synagogue Records Synagogue records may include the following:  

*'''Financial accounting records.''' These records sometimes list the names of contributors.  

*'''Circumcision registers (“Mohel” books).''' These registers include the Hebrew given name for the male child, the date of circumcision (Hebrew calendar), the father's given Hebrew name, and sometimes the father's surname.  

*'''Marriage contracts.''' These contractual agreements include the names of the bride and groom. They may also give the marriage date and the parents' names. In cases of second or later marriages, names of previous marriage partners and their death dates may be included.  

*'''Lists of deceased persons.''' These lists give the name of the deceased person and the death date.

=== Information Recorded in Jewish Civil Registration Records ===

Jewish civil registration records contain the same birth, marriage, and death information as civil registration records for Christians. They are used in the same way as church records or other civil registration records. See the search strategies included in the “Church Records” and “Civil Registration” sections.  

'''Other Records.''' From 1809 to 1812, Jews made lists of surnames that show each person's residence, old name, new name, and birth date. The Nazi census of minorities in 1938 lists given names and surnames, birth dates, birthplaces, education levels, and which grandparents were Jewish.  

<br>  

&nbsp;  

<br>  

GERMANY, [STATE], [TOWN] - JEWISH  

=== Records ===

Information about Jews may also be found in the Place Search under:  

GERMANY - JEWISH HISTORY  

GERMANY - MINORITIES  

Additional information may be found in the Subject Search under:  

JEWS - GERMANY  

HOLOCAUST, JEWISH (1939-1945)  

[[Category:Germany]][[Category:Jews]]