Sephardic Genealogy: Second Edition

Winner: Best Judaica Reference Book (2002) by Association of Jewish Libraries.  At last!  A guide to researching Sephardic ancestry. In this profusely documented work, the author explains how to trace Sephardic ancestry through archives as ancient as 12th century Spanish notarial records or as recent as today's country repositories. Taking us on a journey traversing environments as diverse as the Amazon Basin or the Ottoman Empire, the author discusses Sephardic history, their various diasporas and where to find their records. The origins of Sephardic surnames and clues derived from their origins and meanings are clearly explained and an extensive bibliography is provided for additional study.

 

A section on the Internet includes more than 300 links to sites that have information valuable to Sephardic research. The book even reveals how to access past websites that are no longer available on the web. With its comprehensive indexes—the surname index alone has 3037 names—bibliography, and data-packed appendixes, this is even more the essential book on Sephardic genealogy and should be part of any Jewish genealogy bookshelf. 

 

7" x 10" 472 pp. hardcover $55.00

 

About the Author
Jeffrey S. Malka, M.D., is author of the award-winning website Resources for Sephardic Genealogy. Asked in 2001 by JewishGen, the Internet site for Jewish genealogy, to develop its SefardSIG section, he created both the SefardSIG and KahalLinks websites, which he continues to develop and enhance. Dr. Malka is author of several articles on Sephardic genealogy in Etsi, the journal of the Sephardi Genealogical and Historical Society, and is author of several chapters in the forthcoming Avotaynu Guide to Jewish Genealogy.

Descended from a long line of Sephardic rabbis, Dr. Malka's grandfather was chief rabbi of Sudan from 1906 to 1949. In researching his own family roots, Dr. Malka has accumulated unique expertise in the resources available to Sephardic genealogists. In Sephardic Genealogy: Discovering Your Sephardic Ancestry and Their World, he guides the reader through the history of the Sephardim, describes the origins and meanings of common Sephardic family names, and lists genealogical resources available in the many countries that Sephardic Jews inhabited.

A retired orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Malka, an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic surgery at Georgetown University, was chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia.

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