Search Help

Getting Started:

Searching for a Name

To begin a search:

• Type in the name you seek. Whenever possible, include both first and last names.
• Using the soundex will search similar sounding names that might be spelled differently.
• If available, include a place in your search.
• Press the "Search" button to begin your search.
• A list of resulting records will appear on the left side of the page. Click on any name in the list to see the information available for that record.
• If you don't find the name you seek, you might wish to search again. You will likely get more records if you try your search without a place name. Don't forget to try alternate spellings of names or adding more information to your search.

Learning More About the Person You Seek

The more you know about the person you seek, the better your chances are of finding Holocaust records for that pers

• You will want to know the full name of each person you seek. Last name alone will often result in a large number of records with questionable value for your research.
• Often a prewar residence will provide clues as to the fate of an individual.
• Whenever possible, obtain the birth date and place for each person you seek. This information will help you positively identify a matching record.

 
Finding the Person You Seek:

It is not always easy to find the person you are looking for, even if the person is listed in Name Search.

• If the exact spelling of a name does not return the person you seek, try using part of the name. For example, instead of looking for the last name "Goldstein" type "Gold" and you will see any name that starts with Gold. Verify that soundex is unchecked when attempting this type of search.
• You might also wish to include less information about the person you seek. Try leaving off place information from your search.
• In addition to the soundex, try using alternate spellings for each name with the soundex unchecked. Many names are changed as they are written in different languages and different documents. For example, the name Levy could appear as "Levi" or "Lewi" or "Lewy."

As you look at different records in Name Search, you will notice that some lists include many details about a person such as birth date, death date, wartime residence, occupation, and nationality. In comparison, other lists contain only basic information such as names.

• Specialists created lists from different source materials, some from Holocaust documents that included only limited personal details; others from lists that contained more information such as oral testimonies.
• The lists in Name Search were created by many different groups and reflect the respective interests of those groups. Information about the maiden name of an individual's mother, for example, is particularly important to genealogical groups but not necessarily to a restitution organization.

 
Working with Different Lists:

Each record in the Name Search system comes from a unique list of Holocaust victims and survivors.

• Consider the methods used for creating each list. Was the list created to be a published memorial book? If so, each name on the list might have been carefully researched using several sources. A list that indexes the names on a single Holocaust document would show the specific information on the original document and not information from additional sources.
• Examine the source or sources used to create the list. Information remembered by a family member 50 years after the Holocaust might be different from details recorded on a registration form in Auschwitz.
• Check for possible overlap. Two lists in Name Search might have used the same source. If this is a case, you should consider what information might have been added to one list or omitted from another.