The following online resources represent a cross section of information related to the Holocaust available on the World Wide Web. To ease searching, the Web sites are grouped under topical headings and are annotated with brief descriptions. Resources are in English, unless otherwise noted. The Museum does not officially endorse any particular site or its content. We appreciate your comments and feedback about this page; please e-mail the Library at library@ushmm.org.

Latest update: December 2008

Ancestry.com
http://www.ancestry.com/
One of three “Internet properties” of MyFamily.com, Inc., a publishing house of genealogical resources. Features a comprehensive collection of searchable databases, such as the social security death index, census records, periodicals, newspapers, and military records. Limits access to some databases to subscribed members only.

Avotaynu, Inc.
http://www.avotaynu.com/
Part commercial, part informational Web site of Avotaynu, publisher of works on Jewish genealogy. Primarily provides an annotated catalog of items available for sale, including books, microfiche, maps, CD-ROMs, videos, and the journal, Avotaynu: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy. Features tools for genealogical research, such as databases, surname indexes, and links related to Jewish genealogy.

Dutch Jewish Genealogical Data Base
http://www.dutchjewry.org/
Gateway to genealogical research for the Jewish communities of the Netherlands. Includes Web links, family trees, databases, and photographs.

FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service
http://www.familysearch.org/
A genealogical web resource operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Features an extensive list of searchable categories with links, such as family histories, cultural and religious groups, places, and more.

Gedenkbuch: Opfer der Verfolgung der Juden unter der nationalsozialistischen Gewaltsherrschaft in Deutschland 1933-1945
http://www.bundesarchiv.de/gedenkbuch
Searchable online database listing the names and fates of German Jews who perished during the Holocaust. Created by Germany’s Bundesarchiv the Web site also provides an introduction to the history of Jewish deportations from Germany, a chronology of deportations from Belgium, the Netherlands, and France, and a selected bibliography of works on German-Jewish history and literature. [German]

The Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center
http://www.redcross.org/services/intl/holotrace/
Informational Web site describing the tracing services provided by the American Red Cross. Provides information on the tracing process, various restitution and compensation efforts, and the history of the center. Also includes stories of families successfully reunited through the center's efforts, a collection of Commonly Asked Questions about the program, and a list of related links.

International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies
http://www.iajgs.org/
Web site for a nonprofit organization coordinating the activities of Jewish genealogical societies around the world. Provides a list of Jewish genealogical societies, and addresses Holocaust-related topics, such as the role of genealogy in identifying heirs of Holocaust-era assets.

International Tracing Service
http://www.its-arolsen.org/
Web presence of an organization created to facilitate the tracing of missing and displaced persons in the wake of World War II. Recounts the history of the ITS from its establishment in 1943 by the Headquarters of the Allied Forces to its current management by the International Committee of the Red Cross (with funding from the German government). Details the ongoing efforts of ITS to reunite families torn apart by the war and to document the compensation requests of former forced laborers and others seeking restitution from the German government. Includes downloadable forms and a list of links to related organizations.

The Israel Diaspora Museum
http://www.bh.org.il/
Web site for Beth Hatefutsoth, the Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora, an organization that traces and documents the history of the Jewish people from biblical times to the present. Describes the Museum's resources regarding Jewish history, culture, and genealogy. Makes available online the forms needed to request fee-based searches of the communities and family names databases, that contain information on 3,000 Jewish communities and 850,000 family names respectively.

JewishGen: The Home of Jewish Genealogy
http://www.jewishgen.org/
Comprehensive Web site for Jewish genealogy with an extensive assortment of databases and special features. Includes searchable databases like the JewishGen Family Finder, ShtetlSeeker, and the Yizkor Book Project Databases. Provides detailed guidelines for conducting genealogical research, a lengthy list of links to other online resources, and information about a host of other JewishGen groups and services.

Jews of Latvia: A Project Names and Fates 1941-1945
http://names.lu.lv
Ongoing project to identify the names and fates of members of the Latvian Jewish community who perished during the Holocaust. Includes a database of individual names, searchable by surname. [English, Latvian, and Russian]

National Archives and Records Administration: Genealogy
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/
Information page on genealogical resources at the National Archives building in Washington, D.C., and at its regional facilities. Provides online access to finding aids, microform catalogs, and research guides.

Polish Roots: The Genealogy Source
http://www.polishroots.org/
A site specializing in Polish genealogy that offers databases, immigration records, a surname search feature, and more. Includes a Geography/Maps section with various maps from the pre-Holocaust period, including a map of the city of Lwow in the 1920s and of Poland during the 1930s.

Routes to Roots Foundation
http://www.rtrfoundation.org/
Online database of archival sources of Jewish genealogy located in Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine. Includes maps, Web links, frequently asked questions and other information drawn from Foundation publications.