Holocaust survivors and their families, as well as pre-war Jewish immigrants from Poland and their descendants, may be unaware that a remarkable number of Jewish records of Poland have survived the upheavals of history and the ravages of war. Jewish Records Indexing - Poland (JRI-Poland) has created indices/extractions to more than 6.1 million Jewish birth, marriage and death records from current and former territories of Poland that are housed in Poland today.

Indices/extractions to vital records more than 100-years old are searchable on the JRI-Poland online database. JRI-Poland can also direct researchers to detailed information on how to find records less than 100-years old from specific towns now in Poland and in the Lviv, Ternopil or Ivano Frankivsk districts of Ukraine.

In addition to vital records, the JRI-Poland online database includes other types of records such as Books of Residents, censuses, army draft lists, school records, cemetery burials, Polish passports, ghetto death records, birth, marriage and death announcements in Polish newspapers and post-war court and legal announcements in official newspapers (Monitor Polski). The data varies widely by town or region.

• Providing information to help reconstruct family trees
• Providing survivors with information and clues that can be used in efforts to trace and find living family around the world
• Enabling families to identify previously unknown relatives who perished in the Shoah but who were not memorialized in Pages of Testimony at Yad Vashem
• Enabling families to identify names and ages of babies or very young children handed to Polish families or convents during the war
• Enabling families to find relatives for medical or genetic purposes, such as families at increased risk for hereditary conditions and diseases
• Helping descendants of Polish Jews - living in countries where Jews are concerned about their future - to find records that might enable them to obtain a Polish passport and thus provide entry into the European community

In addition the online database, the web site presents a wealth of information including:

• Your Town Pages featuring a list of surviving records and surnames documented
• Detailed description of Database sources
• Project descriptions and Town fundraising status

Tools for Learning:

• Tips for Research
• How to Search the Database
• FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
• Multilingual Research Guides

Online 'Discussion Group'

Discussion Group (mailing list) subscribers share information and participate in discussions relating to records as well as receive updates on database contents and interrelated matters.

JRI-Poland has partnered with archives, independent organizations and volunteers to create the largest and continuously growing online database of Jewish vital records.

Every individual with an interest in the Jewish records of Poland can play a part:

For information on how you can make a significant difference in the future of JRI-Poland, contact mitzvah@jri-poland.org.

JRI-Poland is an independent, non-profit organization. Donations by U.S. citizens and non-citizens with U.S. income are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.

To help fund JRI-Poland's research and growth, please contribute directly through our Donation page. JRI-Poland fundraising is "shtetl-specific" so that you can direct your donations to support indexing records for your town(s).

JRI-Poland's administration, projects, operations and fundraising are entirely independent and separate from JewishGen.org. Donations made to JewishGen do NOT support the indexing/extractions of your town's records.

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