Ukraine Vital Records - Ukraine

This database contains Jewish birth, marriage, death and divorce records from the nine former Russian Empire Gubernias now in Ukraine.  These gubernias are: Chernigov, Volhynia, Poltava, Kiev, Podolia, Kharkov, Kherson, Yekaterinoslav and Taurida. 

As of June 2020, the database contains more than 81,000 records from 24 towns.

Introduction

This database includes records obtained from multiple sources.  Some records were microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah.  These microfilms are available at the LDS Family History Library and through all LDS Family History Centers.  The database also includes records which were obtained from the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP) in Jerusalem, and from private researchers directly from archives in Ukraine.  Many of those obtained directly from the archives in Ukraine have not been microfilmed.

The records during the Czarist period (i.e. those before 1918) were written in both Russian (Cyrillic alphabet) and Hebrew (Hebrew alphabet), although some records are in Russian language only.  When possible, if the records were written in two languages, the translator translated and transcribed from both languages.  Some of the transcriptions were done only from Hebrew or only from Russian.

Background

According to the Regulations of 1835 in the Russian Empire, one of the duties of an official state rabbi (a "crown rabbi") was to carry out, solely by his offices, all the rites of circumcision and naming of infants, weddings, dissolution of marriages, and burials to keep metrical books in all its sections and to submit copies of them annually to gubernia authorities, in Hebrew and Russian language.

References:

• Еврейскяя Энциклопедія   Evreiskaia Entsiklopediia   [Jewish Encyclopedia]   (St. Petersburg: Brokhaus-Efron, 1906-1913). Vol XIII.
• Levanda Index - KRA, Fond I-49, inventory 1, files 4103, 30048.

There are 220 microfilms of Jewish vital records from the territory covered by the JewishGen Ukraine SIG at the Family History Centers.  The status of the scanning project can be found at http://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/RES_Infosheets.asp.

Records Inventory

Source Archives

The archives which hold the original data are:

• (CAHJP) — Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, Jerusalem
• (FHL) — Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
• (KhRSA) — Khmelnitsky State Archives
• (NKKR) — State Archive of the Mikolaev Region - Государственном архиве Николаевской области, Николаев
• (SACO) — State Archives of Cherkassy Oblast
• (SACU) — State Archives of the Chernihiv Region, Ukraine Государственные архивы Чернигов
• (SAVO) — State Archives of Vinnitsa Oblast
• (TsDIAU) — Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine, Kiev – Центральний Державний Історичний Архів України у м. Києві
• (ZaSAVO) — Zaslavl Birth, Death Records, State Archives of Vinnitsa Oblast
• (ZiRK) — Zinkov Rabbinate records, held in Khmelnitsky Archives

Acknowledgements

It takes many volunteers to acquire, translate and transcribe the vital records.  Among them are:

Digital Data Acquisition:
Richie Baum, Ina Tetiyevsky and Lisa Wanderman at the Center for Jewish History, NY;  Elaine Bush and Peter Cohen at the Oakland, CA Family History Center;  Gloria Geller and Ian Stone at the Toronto Public Library;  Sara Hyams, Karen Steinfeld and Harvey Kabaker at the Washington, DC Family History Center;  Cheryl Lieberman at the Annandale, VA Family History Center;  Marcia Meyers at the Godfrey Memorial Library, Middletown, CT;  Meryl Rizzotti at the Los Angeles Family History Center;  Nicki Russler at the Knoxville, TN Family History Center;  Allison White at the Rosedale, MI Family History Center;  and Michael Gerver at the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, Jerusalem.

Translations and Transcriptions:
Alex Kopelberg, Moshe Kutten, Pamela Lucas, Eric Feinstein, Dena Whitman, Steven Rosenberg, Bert Lazerow, Ella Mintsys, Aleksandra Khaskin.

Proofreading:
Lisa Wanderman, Lara Diamond, Moshe Kutten, Janette Silverman, Ella Mintsys.

Project Leaders:
Harvey Kabaker, microfilm scanning project;  Phyllis Berenson, Mogilev-Podolsky;  Lara Diamond, Shpikov;  David Schreiber, Uman;  Mary-Jane Roth and Emily Garber, Polonnye;  Gary Pokrassa, Zolotonosha;  Steven Rosenberg, Smiela;  Lisa Wanderman, Priluki;  Karen Steinfeld, Moshny.

Search the Database

The Ukraine Vital Records Database can be searched by clicking here.