Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion in the world. The Jewish people tenaciously held to their religious and cultural identities through the centuries despite being driven from place to place and adapting to new surroundings. Finding one’s own Jewish ancestry in diaspora throughout the world is an adventure.
Image Credit: University of Washington, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Jewish Group Identities
A Jewish person can be a genetic descendant of Judah, the Old Testament son of Jacob, who is also called Israel. But being Jewish can also mean adhering to the religious practices of Judaism—also associated with Judah. For many people, being Jewish means both.
As they were driven out of their homeland of Israel 2,000 years ago, Jewish groups settled in other areas around the world. They developed unique identities with cultural, naming, and language differences. Those who settled in Central and Eastern Europe are known as Ashkenazi Jews while those who settled in Spain and Portugal (the Iberian Peninsula) are known as Sephardi Jews. Crypto-Jews are a small group primarily descended from the Sephardi Jews who emigrated to other areas, developing a further cultural identity. The smallest group of Judah’s descendants, known as Mizrahi or Oriental Jews, remained in the Middle East, emigrating to Syria, Egypt, and countries surrounding Israel.
Jewish Holidays
Religious and cultural practices are very important among devout Jews. While most of the world uses the Gregorian Calendar, Jewish Holidays are based on the Jewish calendar. Holidays such as Passover, Hanukkah, and Yom Kippur are religious or cultural. Celebrating Jewish holidays can help bring you closer to your Jewish ancestry as you learn more about the traditions of your ancestors.
Finding Your Jewish Ancestry
Many people are aware of their Jewish heritage, others are uncertain, and still others of that descent are unaware of their roots. Connecting generations of Jewish ancestors may include seeking unique records, but it can be done. The people tended to live in communal groups that didn’t freely intermix with local populations for a variety of reasons. Jewish vital information was frequently excluded from typical public records. As they were driven from place to place, documents that were diligently recorded by their own communities stayed behind. Finding the records many years later could require some ingenuity, but there is help to get started.
Synagogues, libraries, and other repositories have collected Jewish records. The Knowles Collection in the FamilySearch Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, holds records for more than 1.5 million Jews and links them into family groups where possible. The Arolsen Library. in Germany holds detailed records given them by the Red Cross for Jews who were captured during the events of World War II. Both FamilySearch and the Arolsen Archives share their records online. Other record sources include Jewish Cemeteries, which may include the deceased’s names, both public and Jewish, as well as familial relationships. Other resources are available to learn some background and techniques to help find valuable records.
.jpg){kind=link}