While identifying family names is basic to doing genealogical research, Jewish family names are anything but simple. Different rules governed the adoption of names in different countries and in Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities.
Some names were chosen, others were assigned and some were evaded to avoid harsh consequences. They vary in origins and meanings and can have multiple spellings and grammatical forms. Names can reflect empires, border changes and emigration. Rabbinic lines have special features. Understanding Jewish naming practices can illuminate the information you gather and extend your family tree by generations.
Sallyann Amdur Sack is a pioneer and international leader in modern Jewish genealogy. She served as president of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS), led seven annual IAJGS conferences and was honored with the IAJGS Lifetime Achievement Award. She co-founded and chaired the International Institute for Jewish Genealogy in Jerusalem. She is the long-time editor of AVOTAYNU: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy, and has written several major reference books on Jewish genealogy. She is currently working on the IAJGS Documentation of Jewish Records Worldwide Project, which she co-founded. Dr. Sack has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from George Washington University and a B.A. from Radcliffe College at Harvard.
+ More... - Less...CJP provides the above links concerning third-party events for your convenience only. CJP has no control over the content of the linked-to websites or events they describe, and accepts no responsibility for the websites, including any advertising or products or services on or available from such sites, or for any loss or damage that may arise from your attending, or registering to attend, the described events. If you decide to access any of the third-party websites linked to below, you do so entirely at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of use for such websites and event attendance. CJP is not responsible or liable to you or any third party for the content or accuracy of any materials provided by any third parties. All statements and/or opinions expressed in the linked-to materials or at the described events, and all commentary, articles and other content provided at the third-party websites or at the events, are solely the opinions and the responsibility of the persons or entities operating the linked-to websites and events. The inclusion of any link on this website does not imply that CJP endorses the described event, or the linked-to website or its operator. MORE
