LDS Microfilms in Beth Hatefutsoth

The Douglas E. Goldman Jewish Genealogy Center of Beth Hatefutsoth houses an important collection of microfilms courtesy of the late Prof. Yitzhak Halbrecht. The films in this collection are duplicates of the microfilms prepared by LDS of original population records from Poland. Although relatively rich, this collection contains only a fraction of the material that had been originally copied by LDS during the 1960s and early 1970s, which in itself is far from covering all former Jewish communities in the historic territory of Poland. Moreover, the films in Beth Hatefutsoth's collection generally cover only intermittent periods with most of them concentrating on the middle years of the 19^th century.

There are no regular records for the years proceeding the first decade of the 19^th century. Registering each individual is a relatively modern development of the administrative functions of the state. Started in Western Europe and the USA at the end of the 18^th century, it became accepted in Central and Eastern European countries by the middle years of the 19^th century. In certain instances documents compiled during the 1820s or 1830s, contain information on individuals who were born before those years, as by then Jews were required to register all their family members. However, it is important to keep in mind that for the whole of the 19^th century Poland was divided among its neighbors with the result that there are some differences in the registration procedures employed by the various administrations.

Reading the population records could be incredibly challenging for contemporary researchers. Written as they are in condensed cursive handwriting by various hands in Polish and sometimes in Russian, for records covering the eastern provinces of Poland, or in German, used occasionally by the Austrian administration in Galicia, along with frequent remarks and signatures in Yiddish, some of the original documents either have been damaged or are incomplete. During the last years, a team of experts, mostly volunteers, has endeavored to read and translate the original documents into English.

Following is a list of the documents that have so far been translated into English and are available in Beth Hatefutsoth. Members of the public may view the original microfilms or alternatively search the English translations by appointment only. Please note that for the time being Beth Hatefutsoth cannot provide a translation service for any of the documents in its collection. Researchers worldwide may order a Xerox copy of any record in the museum's collection of LDS microfilms provided a mention is made of the exact number of the microfilm and the document ("akt") they are looking for.

Order LDS Records

Important:

Before contacting us it is suggested to check the list of documents available in Beth Hatefutsoth and make sure the desired item is in our collection.

Fees:

Viewing of microfilms

•  NIS 60.00 per hour

Photocopy of documents

• NIS 5.00 per page for orders from Israel, minimum NIS 10.00 per order

• US$ 2.00 per page for orders from outside Israel, minimum US$5.00 per order.

Prices include postage and VAT, where applicable.
Delivery is by regular mail within 14 business days, depending on amount ordered.
In your order make sure you mention your full regular mail address.

For more details, sending an order or fixing an appointment, please contact the Douglas E. Goldman Jewish Genealogy Center of Beth Hatefutsoth at bhgnlgy@post.tau.ac.il

Many of the films in the Beth Hatefutsoth collection have been indexed by the independent Jewish Records Indexing - Poland project. Click here for a link to the JRI-Poland website and “search database” for your family surnames. After completing your search, refer to the “(LDS Films / contact information)” table at the bottom of the search results page.  Make a note of the microfilm number and then check the Beth Hatefutsoth list to see if the film is available in our collection. If the film is available at Beth Hatefutsoth, you may order a copy of the record using this order form.