You can find a lot of advice on the Internet on how to start your family search. To get started, we recommend checking out the compendium prepared by the Head Office of The State Archives in Poland. In it, you will find basic information about the first steps in genealogy, the types of documentation which may prove useful in your search and how to find such documentation. You will also find links to databases run by the Head Office and instructions on how to use the archives.

GJewish genealogy is rather specific, which is why you should also familiarise yourself with a compendium dedicated exclusively to it. A good place to start is with the InfoFiles on the JewishGen website, where you will find beginner's tips, guides to different types of sources and literature on the subject, and many useful tools such as a database of Jewish names, a locality finder, or a calendar calculator to convert Jewish calendar dates into Gregorian ones.

Yes, there are numerous databases available on the Internet to help in the search for Jewish ancestors from Poland. Below is a selection of the most useful ones:

• Ancestry

  The largest genealogical database. Covers the whole world. Requires paid registration.

• Arolsen Archives

  Database created by the International Tracing Service on victims of the National Socialist regime and survivors.

• EHRI – Poland

  Here you will find information on Holocaust resources dispersed in various institutions.

• Genealogyindexer

  Full-text search of many library sources, especially old address books.

• Geneteka

  Created by the Polish Genealogical Society, the largest Polish database.

• Gesher Galicia

  It is dedicated to the Jews of the former Galicia.

• Jewish Genealogy of Krakow and Western Galicia

  Paid database dedicated to the Jewish population of Krakow and the area of former Western Galicia.

• JewishGen

  Database dedicated to Jews from all over the world. Requires registration. The paid option has more functionalities, but the database can also be used after free registration.

• JRI

  The largest genealogical database devoted exclusively to Polish Jews. Requires free registration.

• MyHeritage

  Worldwide database. Requires paid registration.

• Straty

  Database of Polish citizens subjected to German persecution 1939-1945.

• USHMM

  Database of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, dedicated to Holocaust victims and survivors.

• Yad Vashem

  Database of Holocaust victims created by the Yad Vashem Institute.

Yes, there are many sites on the Internet that publish scans of archival documents. Below are examples of some of them with links.

• Family Search

  Requires free registration. Some material is only available from Family History Centres.

• Genbase

  Contains mainly registry books.

• Skanoteka

  Database of scans of documents of genealogical value created by the Polish Genealogical Society.

• Szukaj w Archiwach

  Publishes scans from the resources of Polish State Archives and other institutions

The following organisations are also worth turning to in your family search:

• Civil Registry Offices
• Jewish Historical Institute
• The National Information and Research Office of the Polish Red Cross

If you would like to obtain a birth certificate from the past 100 years and/or a marriage and death certificate from the past 80 years, you should contact the relevant Registry Office. In the link below you will find the contact details of the individual offices.