There are many ethnic categories (Irish, African-American, Korean, Swedish, etc.) that require more in-depth genealogical knowledge and research. Regardless of what ethnicity you are, roughly 90% of how to do genealogy is the same – only 10% of research is unique to that ethnic group. For Jewish genealogy, methodology and record collections – along with cultural practices, language and history – presents some unique challenges and advantages. Ashkenazi Jewish DNA is also one of the few unique ethnic groups that can be identified (but also presents unique challenges).

Common myths about Jewish genealogy

Most or all of Jewish records of Eastern Europe were destroyed during the Shoah

In reality, a large number of records survived, and are becoming increasingly accessible to researchers through archives in most European countries and Russia. There are several Holocaust archives that have millions of records, and a number of East European archives that also preserved millions of records, collectively.

They changed our name at Ellis Island

While this is a cherished belief in many immigrant families, there are no documented cases of name changes made by Ellis Island immigration officials. Since officials called people by their name from the ship manifest (instead of asking them), and were fluent in that immigrant’s language, the name was accurate. Far more likely, the immigrant themselves either changed their own name in order to fit in, or the generation that arrived previously had already changed the name. Click here to read a more in depth article.

Our family comes from Russia

Very few Jewish families were allowed to live in Russia proper. Most Ashkenazi Jews lived in Eastern European countries that were  once part of the Russian Empire. Because of anti-semitism, most Jews were only allowed to live “Beyond the Pale”, a line that divided Eastern Europe from Russia. Countries east of the Pale included Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Poland and Ukraine.