CENTRAL and EASTERN EUROPE
The main tool for genealogical research in these regions is Basile GINGER's publication "Guide pratique de généalogie juive en France et à l'étranger", (in French) published in 2001 by CGJ, a second edition of which is under way. It includes a summary of the history of the these countries, as well as maps, which are absolutely necessary to understand the numerous border modifications. Useful postal addresses and websites are also given.
A second source, a must, is the site of JewishGen, in English. It was essentially built and updated by American Jews, whose huge majority have ancestors from Central and Eastern Europ. You have to register to obtain a password that is free of charge. While you may happen to find a cousin through the Family Finder (JGFF), the most useful tool is, as we see it, the whole set of SIGs (Special Interest Groups). These groups are specialized in a country or a region. You can find the complete list of these SIGs here. They are a daily source of information. On those forums, you can ask questions and exchange pieces of information with other genealogists of the same origin. They exist for Romania, Hungary, Byelorussia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Ukrain and several regions of Poland. The search engine of JewishGen (click here) allows you to explore the numerous databases of its website but you should also look at the archives of the SIGs (click here) that are not referred to by the general search engine.
This site, although less rich, should not be neglected. Our Journal has published more than 50 papers on Eastern and Central Europ and especially papers on methodology. The complete list can be found in the Index of the Journal. Our Library contains 60 documents on Poland, 15 on Romania, 10 on Hungary... and your visit may be useful. Several monthly lectures of the CGJ have dealt with these regions. Many have been recorded (in French) and you can order the CD or cassettes (click here). The Questions-Answers section of this site may also provide answers to your questions. To be comprehensive, use the search engines of this site.
The Mormons can, for given countries, be a precious source of genealogical information. Their site let you check whether they own microfilms for the city and the time period you are interested in. There are plenty of microfilms concerning Poland. Hungary is particularly well present in these lists, not only for purely Jewish registers (up to 1895) but also for later records. The Czech Republic and Slovakia are also represented. Romania and Bulgaria are almost absent as is Russia. When you use the previously mentioned search engine, don't forget that borders have often moved in that region and consequently the city names have also changed. For instance, you find very little by looking for Bratislava, and much more if you input Pozsony, the previous Hungarian name of the city. Same problem with Wilno (while Polish) and Vilnius (Russian Lituania) so that both names should be searched, If needed, a few clicks on Google or Wikipedia will shed light on these toponymic problems. Once you have found the reference number of a microfilm of interest for you, you have to go to the nearest Mormon Family History Center and ask for the microfilm. Reading a microfilm might be trying, especially for acts written in a foreign language or even in cyrillic characters.
A reminder : if the person you are looking for obtained French citizenship ("naturalisation"), the naturalisation files can be viewed. We can advise you on how to obtain them (see the Members' Corner section of this site).
In every country, national or local archives should of course be explored. If visitinge, retain an interpreter to assist you. Otherwise, one can find a professional genealogist who will make the research for you. (for instance, see the list proposed in July 2010 by JewishGen). Concerning Polish archives, read the article by José Klingbeil and Basile Ginger "Les commandes d'actes d'état-civil en Pologne " (Journal of CGJ #93, p. 27, 2008) and the second one by Daniel Vangheluwe and Basile Ginger "Recherches de documents de Pologne et de Galicie " Journal of CGJ #99, pp. 7-11, 2009)
If you happen to visit Paris, our group specialized in "Central and Eastern Europe" meets several times each year. The dates of these meetings and the reports can be found here.