JOWBR
About the registry, our team, and how to get involved.
What Is JOWBR?
The JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry is the world's largest centralized database of Jewish burial records — a permanent digital archive of headstone inscriptions, cemetery registers, and historical burial data from every corner of the globe. Records are freely searchable by anyone and updated twice annually.
A Permanent Archive
Cemeteries fall into disrepair. Landsmanshaft societies dissolve. JOWBR ensures records survive — a virtual resting place even when the physical one is lost.
Unique Genealogical Data
Headstones preserve Hebrew names, fathers' names, and death dates unavailable anywhere else — essential for tracing ancestry back to the old country.
One Central Search
Instead of contacting individual cemeteries worldwide, researchers and families can find burial sites in one place — across 144 countries and counting.
Volunteer-Powered
Every record was contributed by a volunteer: photographed, transcribed, and translated. You can help grow the registry for future generations.
Headstone Photos
Over 2.5 million gravestone photographs are linked directly to burial records. Can't read Hebrew? JewishGen's ViewMate community can help with translation.
A Mitzvah
Preserving burial records honors the deceased and comforts the living. Hebrew dates of death support yahrzeit observance for families worldwide.
Donor support enables us to preserve and document Jewish cemeteries around the world, ensuring the history and memory of our communities is maintained.
Support JOWBR