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research dossier

JEWISH GEN INC C/O MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 760493072 · Form 990 · FY2023 · Small ($100K-$1M) · jewishgen.org
revenue
$922K
expenses
$503K
net assets
$0
employees
0
volunteers
200
program ratio
78%
mission · from form 990

TO PRESERVE OUR JEWISH FAMILY HISTORY AND HERITAGE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

profile · synthesized from sources

JewishGen is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing Jewish genealogical and historical records, with a significant focus on Holocaust-era documentation. It maintains a vast, searchable database of over 6 million records related to Holocaust victims and survivors, sourced from archives worldwide. The organization relies on volunteer contributions and partnerships to digitize, transcribe, and publish historical materials for global access.

named programs · 2 · from sources

What they call their work

JewishGen Holocaust Database
A comprehensive, searchable collection of over 6 million records documenting Holocaust victims and survivors, including camp records, transport lists, and survivor registries from across Europe and beyond.
Volunteer Opportunities Program
Engages volunteers in transcribing, translating, and digitizing historical records to expand the accessibility and scope of Jewish genealogical data.
activities · 3 groups

What they do

  • Jewish Genealogical Research Services 10 activities
    • Develop and maintain the Family Tree of the Jewish People
      Aggregates and maintains a centralized family tree database with data on over 10 million individuals, compiled from more than 8,000 contributed family trees.
    • Maintain Holocaust research databases
      Hosts and maintains multiple Holocaust-related databases, including the JewishGen Holocaust Database with over 6 million records, the Łódź Ghetto database (240,000 inhabitants), survivor name lists from Aufbau and Munich publications, and a 1945 European survivor register. Also includes the Yizkor Book Necrology Database with over 350,000 entries.
    • Maintain global Jewish communities and burial records database
      Provides historical data, maps, and resources for over 6,500 Jewish communities across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, and operates the JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Register (JOWBR), a database of Jewish burial records with over 360,000 memorial entries and 242,600 photos from 894 institutions in 57 countries.
    • Offer educational programs and research training
      Provides instructor-led online classes, research articles, and educational initiatives such as the L'dor V'dor Legacy Program and AI-focused genealogy lectures. Also offers specialized training in Belarusian research, historical map use, and digital research organization.
    • Operate the JewishGen Family Finder (JGFF)
      Manages the JewishGen Family Finder, a database of over 585,000 entries that enables genealogists to connect with others researching the same surnames or ancestral towns. The tool is used by over 110,000 researchers globally.
    • Preserve Jewish communal memory through KehilaLinks and Yizkor Books
      Runs KehilaLinks to create webpages preserving the history of Jewish communities worldwide and operates the Yizkor Book Project, which translates and digitizes memorial books from communities destroyed in the Holocaust, including a master name index of over 575,000 individuals.
    • Provide access to global Jewish genealogical records
      Offers access to millions of genealogical records worldwide, including country-specific databases for Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Austria-Czechia, the Netherlands, the United States, and Sephardic communities, supporting research into Jewish ancestry. The collection includes over 4.1 million burial records and over 3.69 million Holocaust-related records.
    • Provide expert research assistance and dedicated research programs
      Operates the Peter and Mary Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Research Center, where expert genealogists assist individuals in researching family history, and offers a Dedicated Day of Research program that recognizes donor contributions on the website and in researcher communications.
    • Provide informational resources for Jewish genealogical research
      Offers the InfoFiles service, which provides informational resources and guides on topics relevant to Jewish genealogical research.
    • Provide research support through ViewMate and Discussion Group
      Operates ViewMate, a platform where users can upload photos and documents for identification or translation, with a searchable archive of responses, and maintains an active Discussion Group used by thousands daily to exchange genealogical information.
  • Volunteer Engagement and Capacity Support 1 activity
    • Engage volunteers in genealogy mission support
      Relies on nearly 1,000 volunteers to support its genealogical databases, research, and community programs.
  • Holocaust and Genocide Remembrance Education 1 activity
    • Support student leadership and heritage preservation in Poland
      Runs a training program for undergraduate and recent graduate students that includes pre-trip genealogy instruction, a 10-day heritage trip to Poland to visit Jewish sites and participate in cemetery preservation, and requires post-trip dissemination of knowledge through blogs, videos, and essays.
financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$922K
Contributions & grants$922K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$260%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$503K
Program expenses78%
Admin / overhead22%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$104K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$0
Cash$1.61M
Investments$0
Liabilities$2.99M
Net assets$0
Liquid reserves38.5 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue -50.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023

Who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
JACK KLIGER PRESIDENT & CEO OF MJH 2 $375K
AVRAHAM Z GROLL ED OF JEWISH GEN 40 $211K
board members · 3
  • BRUCE C RATNER — CHAIRMAN
  • E RANDOL SCHOENBERG — DIRECTOR
  • PETER S KALIKOW — DIRECTOR
relationships · 8

Who they work with

  • Dr. Jeff Malka Partner — Collector of the Sephardic genealogical records featured in the collection.
  • Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland Partner — Partner organization in the L'Dor V'Dor Legacy Program, collaborating on training and cemetery preservation activities in Poland.
  • International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Partner — Collaborates with IAJGS to provide resources and support for Jewish genealogical societies.
  • JewishGen Network — JewishGen Education is presented as part of JewishGen.
  • Litvak SIG Partner — Partners with Litvak SIG to host the All Lithuania Database on JewishGen's platform.
  • Museum of Jewish Heritage Government — JewishGen is a division of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
  • Museum of Jewish Heritage Network — JewishGen is the Genealogical Research Division of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
  • Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust Partner — JewishGen is the Jewish Genealogy Research Division of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Centralized & Crowdsourced Genealogical Infrastructure
    methodology: centralized_genealogy_research
    By aggregating and centralizing genealogical data from independent researchers, organizations, and individual contributors, and making it digitally accessible, the organization enables broader discovery and connection to Jewish ancestry because collective data sharing increases the completeness and reach of ancestral records.
  • Collaborative Research Networks
    methodology: collaborative_research_network
    By connecting genealogists researching shared surnames, ancestral towns, or regional histories, the organization fosters collaborative discovery and deeper contextual understanding of Jewish ancestry because peer networks amplify individual research capacity and uncover hidden familial links.
  • Intergenerational Heritage Transmission
    methodology: l'dor v'dor (from generation to generation)
    By training emerging leaders through immersive, research-based experiences tied to ancestral geography and communal memory, the organization ensures continuity of Jewish heritage because experiential, intergenerational engagement strengthens identity and stewardship of historical knowledge.