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SephardicGen Collection - Israel Genealogy Research Association

Captured 2025-11-22

45

Archived Document

SephardicGen Collection - Israel Genealogy Research Association

Description

AI Enhanced

This comprehensive genealogical resource page serves as a central hub for the SephardicGen Collection, which is being integrated into the Israel Genealogical Research Association (IGRA) Collection. The page is dedicated to preserving and providing access to extensive databases documenting Sephardic Jewish communities worldwide, with a primary focus on surnames, given names, family trees, and historical records spanning several centuries. The collection represents a monumental effort to maintain the genealogical heritage of Sephardic Jews who dispersed across multiple continents following their expulsion from Spain in 1492. The centerpiece of the collection is the Consolidated Index of Sephardic Surnames (CISS), compiled by Jeffrey Malka, which contains over 170,000 names drawn from various regional databases. The page acknowledges the extraordinary contribution of Mathilde Tagger, whose "many years of careful dedicated work" provided almost all the databases featured in the collection. The resources are meticulously organized by geographic regions and countries, including comprehensive surname collections from North Africa (over 12,000 surnames), the Balkans (5,372 surnames), Northern European communities (2,721 surnames), Caribbean communities (1,335 surnames), and Portuguese territories (126 surnames). Additionally, the collection features 1,484 Sephardic given names with their meanings and diminutives, compiled by Tagger. The database extends far beyond simple name lists to include vital historical records such as marriage registers, cemetery inscriptions, Holocaust deportation records, and rabbinic genealogies. Particularly notable are the detailed country-specific sections covering Algeria, Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Gibraltar, and numerous other locations where Sephardic communities flourished. These include unique resources like the 1840 Montefiore Alexandria Census, Turkish Community records from Vienna (1788-1938), Bulgarian Jewish partisan information, and extensive Holocaust documentation tracking Sephardic Jews deported from various countries during World War II. This resource represents an invaluable academic and cultural treasure for genealogists, historians, and descendants of Sephardic communities seeking to trace their heritage. The collection's scope encompasses not only traditional genealogical data but also cultural artifacts such as ketubot (Jewish marriage contracts), synagogue memorial plaques, and historical directories. The systematic organization by country and community, combined with the inclusion of both pre-modern and contemporary records, makes this one of the most comprehensive digital repositories for Sephardic genealogical research available online. The page serves researchers worldwide who are investigating the complex migration patterns and community structures of Sephardic Jews across the Ottoman Empire, North Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

Citation (APA Style)

SephardicGen Collection - Israel Genealogy Research Association. (2025, 11 22). genealogy.org.il. https://genealogy.org.il/resources/sephardicgen/

Technical Metadata

Domain genealogy.org.il
File Size 284 KB
Archived 2025-11-22T01:10:06.436545
Document ID #45
Languages 5 available