The rationale for Research Areas
- Our Jewish ancestors did not always stay in one place.
- More often than not, a researcher looking for family in one town is inevitably led to searching for family in other towns, usually in the same region.
- JRI-Poland has therefore organized our towns into 52 Research Areas, categorized based upon social, cultural, and historical connections between them and their people. Factors considered include:
- Geographic proximity
- The districts, provinces, and empires in which these towns were situated at relevant times.
- The ways in which their Jewish communities interacted with one another, such as through marriage, kehilla membership, and towns of register
- Each of our research areas is led by a Research Area Coordinator who:
- is familiar with the family clans and surnames prevalent in that area
- knows the surviving resources available to researchers in that area
- knows to what extent JRI-Poland has extracted available resources, and lobbies for and manages expansion of such extracts
- supports the respective Town Leaders and handles researcher queries that encompass multiple towns in the area
- As we continue to study our Research Areas, we look forward to further refining their borders and enhancing these avenues.
Research Areas
JRI-Poland recognizes the following Research Areas:
- Białystok Area
- Bielsko-Biala Area
- Bochnia Area
- Bydgoszcz Area
- Częstochowa Area
- Gdańsk Area
- Gorzów Wielkopolski Area
- Grodzisk Mazowiecki Area
- Kalisz Area
- Kielce Area
- Koenigsberg Area
- Konin Area
- Koszalin Area
- Kraków Area
- Kremenets Area
- Leszno Area
- Łódz Area
- Łomza Area
- Łowicz Area
- Lublin Area
- Lwów Area
- Malbork Area
- Miechów / Olkusz Area
- Mława Area
- Northern Rural Silesia Area
- Nowy Sącz Area
- Olsztyn Area
- Piła Area
- Piotrków Trybunalski Area
- Płock Area
- Poznań Area
- Przemyśl Area
- Pułtusk Area
- Radom Area
- Rzeszów Area
- Sandomierz Area
- Sanok Area
- Siedlce Area
- Southeastern Upper Silesia Area
- Stanisławów Area
- Suwałki Area
- Szczecin Area
- Szczecinek Area
- Tarnopol Area
- Tarnów Area
- Toruń Area
- Warszawa Area
- Włocławek Area
- Wrocław Area
- Zagłębie Area
- Zamość Area
- Zielona Góra Area