Two major events shaped Jewish life of the past two hundred years: migration and the Holocaust. Plus, few people today live where their ancestors lived a century or two ago. As a result, many Jews believe they cannot trace their family roots because: ...names changed at Ellis Island ...they have no information about their past ...records were destroyed during the Holocaust ...towns were destroyed Don't let these reasons keep you from researching your Jewish roots. There are many resources available to help trace Jewish family heritage. The following links should provide a good start! Jewish Genealogy Links Avotaynu, Inc. is the leading publisher of information and products of interest to persons who are researching Jewish genealogy and Jewish family history. This includes the journal, Avotaynu, books and microfiche. In addition, Avotaynu offers books, video tapes and maps published by other companies. Avotaynu, Inc. JewishGen., Inc. is the primary internet source connecting researchers of Jewish genealogy worldwide. Its most popular components are the JewishGen Discussion Group, the JewishGen Family Finder (a database of over 200,000 surnames and towns), the comprehensive directory of InfoFiles, ShtetLinks for over 200 communities, and a variety of databases such as the ShtetlSeeker and Jewish Records Indexing-Poland. JewishGen's online Family Tree of the Jewish People contains data on nearly two million people. JewishGen Post a message on the message board! Jewish Genealogy Forum Mike Rosenzweig's site contains Jewish history in Poland, Jewish/Polish relations and information about synagogues. Jewish/Polish Heritage The Archives has a growing genealogy collection which is used by thousands of individuals annually who are seeking information on their ancestry and family history. American Jewish Archives A list of Concentration Camps with links Holocaust Concentration Camps