Family history (or genealogy) is extremely important to Sephardim, whether you trace your family back to the beginning of the community in pre-revolutionary America or your roots lie in Holland, the Balkans, North Africa, the Middle East or the Orient. We have a number of resources for those studying Sephardic genealogy.

The Following Online Resources Are Available:

§ Rangoon Old Book, October 1892-October 1923 [PDF]
§ Rangoon New Book A, November 1923-December 1928 [PDF]
§ Rangoon New Book B, December 1928-November 1932 [PDF]
§ Rangoon New Book C, December 1932-September 1938 [PDF]
§ Rangoon New Book D, October 1938-October 1979 [PDF]
§ Calcutta Grave Records
§ Cemetery records from the Faro Cemetery in Portugal
§ Seattle Sephardic Brotherhood Cemetery Records

The Following Family Histories Are Available:

Aciman family of Egypt
Hazan family of Turkey
Picciotto family of Syria and Europe
Modiano family of Greece
Dweck family of Syria

The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House is collecting brief Family Trees, which offer insight into the world of Sephardic Jewry.
If you have a Family Tree or History to contribute, please contact the ASF Librarian.

Research Your Family History

To examine some of the resources in our collection, visit us at the Center for Jewish History at 15. West 16th Street, New York, NY. A visit to the CJH allows researchers to also have access to the Center Genealogical Institute (CGI). The Genealogical Institute combines the resources of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, the Leo Baeck Institute, the American Jewish Historical Society, the Yeshiva University Museum, and the American Sephardi Federation, and assists the researcher in seeking his or her ancestors, regardless of the origins from which they came. For more information, or to schedule a visit, please contact the Librarian.

Resources of Note in the ASF Collection

Stern, Malcolm H. (1991). First American Jewish families: 600 Genealogies, 1654-1988. 3rd ed., updated and rev. Baltimore, MD: Ottenheimer Pub. Inc. - Features 600 massive family trees with thousands of names. It details families who first arrived in North America prior to 1840, and follows those families until 1988.

Recommended Reading for Jewish Genealogists

Chira, Robert. From Aleppo to America: the Story of Two Families (1994) Rivercross Publishing: New York.

Faiguenboim, G., et al. Dicionário Sefaradi de Sobrenomes (2003) Portuguese/English).

Guzik, Estelle M. Genealogical Resources in New York (2003) Genealogical Society: New York.

Jackson, Stanley. The Sassons (1968) E.P. Dutton: New York.

Laredo, Abraham Les Noms des Juifs du Maroc (1978) Institut Montano: Madrid.- Extensive biographic listing with detailed sources, etc. Terrific for genealogists. (not in our collection)

Malka, Jeffrey: Sephardic Genealogy: Discovering Your Sephardic Ancestors and Their World (2002) - Winner: Best Judaica Reference Book (2002) by Association of Jewish Libraries.

Mokotoff, Gary and Blatt, Warren. Getting Started in Jewish Genealogy (1999) Avotaynu: New Jersey.

Sack, Sally Amdur and the Israel Genealogical Society. A Guide to Jewish Genealogical Resources in Israel, Revised edition (1995) Avotaynu: New Jersey.

Sutton, Rabbi David. Aleppo – City of Scholars (2005) Artscroll Sephardic Heritage Series, Mesorah Publications: New York.

http://www.jewishgen.org/Sephardic

http://www.orthohelp.com/geneal/sefardim.htm

http://www.ellisisland.org/

http://www.sephardim.com/