The Jewish Family Journal
Guides for finding your family — written carefully, cited honestly.
Practical research guides for Jewish families: how to read the records, what your DNA really says, and how to keep Hebrew and Yiddish names whole. Every claim sourced, every memorial handled with dignity.
Latest articles
Read the records like a researcher
Free guides to the skills we use on every kit — so you can understand exactly how your family’s story gets built, and verify it yourself.
- Reading records7 min read
How to read a matzevah: decoding Hebrew gravestone inscriptions (פ״נ, תנצב״ה)
A practical field guide to the Hebrew matzevah — the opening פ״נ, the closing תנצב״ה, patronymics, Hebrew dates, and the symbols that quietly tell you who someone was.
Read the guide → - DNA & endogamy8 min read
What your DNA says about Ashkenazi ancestry — and why cousin estimates are usually wrong
Ashkenazi Jews share far more DNA than the average pair of strangers because of centuries of endogamy. Here is why your “3rd cousin” match is probably much more distant — and what to trust instead.
Read the guide → - Archives9 min read
Finding your family in the Yad Vashem and JewishGen records
A respectful, practical walkthrough of two of the most important Jewish record collections — what each holds, how to search them, and how to read a result with the care it deserves.
Read the guide → - Names & dates7 min read
Hebrew and Yiddish names: patronymics, sacred vs civil names, and Hebrew dates
Why one ancestor can appear under three different names, how ben/bat patronymics work, and how to convert Hebrew dates — the literacy that makes Jewish records line up.
Read the guide →
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