From dances and banquets to health insurance and free loan societies, landsmanshaftn helped immigrants in New York and many U.S. cities. Landsmanshaftn are Jewish community organizations of immigrants from the same city in Eastern or Central Europe. Documents from landsmanshaftn (spreadsheet of our collection) provide important information for genealogical research and for understanding immigrant life.
Getting started
Town of origin
Are you researching a specific person or family? Check Ancestry for vital records, such as immigration, census and military documents, for the town that they came from. Also, check for documents in personal or family archives.
Town or city name
Find the official, modern name of their hometown town and its location. Use JewishGen's Town Finder to look it up, or consult the gazetteer Where Once We Walked.
Organizational publications
Some landsmanshaftn published souvenir journals, by-laws, and constitutions, which often include photos of members and background information. Yizkor books were published by survivors and landslayt, and usually contain photos, essays about town history, communal life, wartime and lists of residents.
View our list of landsmanshaftn publications, compiled by Roberta Saltzman
| Type of document | Description | Access |
| Souvenir journals Organizational documents | Illustrated publications for landsmanshaftn activities Constitutions or bylaws describing organizational procedures | See the list of Landsmanshaftn Publications at NYPL Search the catalog by town or city name Search for archives at CJH, American Jewish Archives, Joint, ArchiveGrid |
| Yizkor books | Memorial books of communities destroyed in the Holocaust; most include essays, photographs and sometimes lists of residents | Read at NYPL's Yizkor Books Online See JewishGen's bibliographic database and translations Search WorldCat Find major collections at YIVO, Yad Vashem, USHMM |
Landsmanshaftn records
Use these sources to find information about organizational records of landsmanshaftn.
| Resource | Description | Access |
| American Jewish Year Book (1899-2008) | Includes list of Jewish organizations | Available electronically or in print at NYPL |
| Center for Jewish History - Landsmanshafn records | Resources for researching | Available online; contact CJH for more information |
| Di Idishe landsmanshaften fun Nyu York (1938) Kliger, Hannah. Jewish hometown associations and family circles in New York : the WPA Yiddish Writers' Group study | WPA Survey of Jewish hometown associations in New York | Read it at NYPL or online Read it at NYPL |
| Jewish Communal Register (1918) | Survey of Jewish communal organizations of New York City | Read it at NYPL or online |
| Landsmanshaftn Department, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (1926-1950) | Correspondence of JDC Landsmanshaftn Department and landsmanshaftn, loan associations and communities in Eastern Europe | Use online finding aid; collection is at CJH |
| Master List of New York Landsmashaftn (1970-1980) | Alphabetical list of New York landsmanshaftn | Read it online |
| YIVO Landsmanshaftn Collection; A guide to YIVO's landsmanshaftn archive: From Alexandrov to Zyrardov, by Rosaline Schwartz and Susan Milamed. | Landsmanshaftn records at YIVO Institute for Jewish Research | Use online list; collection is at the Center for Jewish History |
Burial records
Many landsmanshaftn had their own burial societies and established burial areas in local cemeteries. The information on the graves themselves, such as names, dates, and symbols can also provide research clues.
| Resource | Description | Access |
| Burial Society Database - Jewish Genealogical Society of New York | Database of landsmanshaftn/burial societies and cemeteries | Available online |
| Cemetery Directory - Jewish Genealogical Society of New York | Names and contact information for New York-area Jewish cemeteries | Available online |
| International Jewish Cemetery Project - International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies | Jewish burial sites in New York; arranged geographically | Available online |
| JewishGen Online WorldWide Burial Registry (JOWBR) | 2 million+ records of Jewish burials worldwide | Available online |
Want to learn more? Try these books.
- Kliger, Hannah. Jewish hometown associations and family circles in New York : the WPA Yiddish Writers' Group study
- Sorkin, Sidney. Bridges to an American city: a guide to Chicago's Landsmanshaften, 1870 to 1990
- Soyer, Daniel.Jewish immigrant associations and American identity in New York, 1880-1939
- Weisser, Michael R. A brotherhood of memory: Jewish landsmanshaftn in the New World