Family Research

The Leo Baeck Institute staff encourages and welcomes family historians to utilize its collections and contribute to its holdings.

We also seek to develop greater interest in local and regional German Jewish history, since it is such a rich source of information for individuals, families, and organizations.

Our collections include many kinds of materials of use to genealogical researchers, including family trees, family histories, memoirs and Jewish community histories. All geographic areas where German was spoken are included in the scope of the collections.

Loevinson family tree, 1804 (AR 877)

Family Historians may also be interested in Stammbaum, the only English language publication of German Jewish genealogy. Published since 1992, it has attracted an international readership of professional and amateur genealogists, and facilitates the exchange of helpful and sound information, techniques, sources, and archival material. It includes human interest and anecdotal material, which add verisimilitude to genealogical data. While Stammbaum focuses on Germany, its scope also includes Austria, Switzerland, Alsace, Bohemia, and other areas with linguistic and historic relevance.

You may read all published editions of Stammbaum since 1992 online.

Visiting the LBI for family research

If you are a novice to family research we strongly suggest that you contact first The Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute at the Center for Jewish History. The Genealogy Institute provides general reference assistance and can suggest strategies and sources for your research. The Genealogy Institute also offers a series of fact sheets to answer frequently asked questions and to list the primary resources available at the Center, including the LBI Family History Research Guide.

Once you have identified relevant materials in the online catalog of the Leo Baeck Institute that you want to look at, contact us, before visiting the Institute at lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org, to ensure that materials you need are available and on site. Please note the Institute's regular hours and holiday closings. When contacting us, please have the following information handy:

Contact information including name and conventional mail address.
The dates of planned visit to the LBI.
Specific family names that you are researching and, if possible, specific locations (regions, towns, villages) where your family branch lived. The more specific the search criteria, the better.

When visiting the Institute, please come prepared and plan adequate time for your visit. Bring your family tree (if you have one) and information on where your family came from. Since the Institute's staff has limited time for each researcher, state your research goals clearly so that we can be of the most help.

Requesting genealogical materials by mail

Genealogical researchers who are unable to visit the Institute, are welcome to send inquiries by e-mail to lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org or regular mail. Remember the following points when making an inquiry:

Include full name and conventional mailing address (also when inquiring via e-mail).
Include complete information on family tree or town of origin so that we can understand your request.
Ask specific questions and keep them simple.
Please be patient. Average time to respond to inquiries is 4-6 weeks (this includes e-mail inquiries).

We may be able to photocopy relevant materials for you. If we locate collections of general interest to you, we can send you a computer listing of collections with an estimated cost for reproduction. Standard photocopy charges apply to this service. Please note that we can not completely reproduce collections or memoirs. Also brittle, fragile or oversize materials will not be photocopied under any circumstances. The Leo Baeck Institute can not guarantee that photocopied materials will contain information specifically relating to your family.