The eminent Israeli genealogist Paul Jacobi (1911-1997) bequeathed his genealogical library and all his genealogical studies and papers to the “Jacobi International Center for Research on Jewish Genealogy”, which was set up in the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem shortly after his death.

In 2004, the “Jacobi International Center for Research on Jewish Genealogy” and the “International Institute for Jewish Genealogy” merged. Both Dr. Jacobi’s library and studies devolved to the new entity, the International Institute for Jewish Genealogy and Paul Jacobi Center, with the full consent of Jacobi’s executors.

Dr. Jacobi had conducted some 400 studies throughout his long lifetime, mainly into leading Rabbinical families in Europe, some going back several centuries.

100 of the studies were developed by Dr. Jacobi himself into family “monographs”. They are type-written and are contained in 114 loosely bound work-books, which have been largely, but not fully, indexed.

However, the bulk of the studies, about 300 in all, were not so prepared by Dr. Jacobi in his lifetime. They remain in their original research form and are preserved in hand-written form. They have been inventoried but are not indexed.

It is these studies that the present project focuses on. The aim is to reveal for researchers the wealth of genealogical material on the families researched by Dr. Jacobi in meticulous detail. To that end, the project seeks to produce a scientific, annotated name-index for all the studies, providing extensive cross-references and notes on the sources employed, both primary and secondary.

From mid- 2006 to mid- 2008, the Project Director was Dr. Chanan Rapaport, one of Dr. Jacobi’s executors.

Since mid-2008, the Project Director is Rabbi Shalom Bronstein.

Click here for a progress report on this project (as of December 2008).

Click here for a description of the monographs and information on their use.

Click here for list of the 114 Monographs.

Click here for a description of the hand-written material and information on its use.