Israel Consulate and Embassy Records

Online Databases of the Israel Genealogy Research Association
Click here. for the Search Engine of the Israel Genealogy Research Association, which includes these collections:
 * Register of British Subjects 1863-1913: This database is based on a ledger found in the Israel State Archives. The ledger is organized according the the first letter of the surname and states the first year the person registered with the consulate. Some times there are remarks about the person being registered with different spellings of his name.
 * Register of Births, British Consulate Jaffa until 1914: This database is a list of 34 births registered at the British Consulate in Jaffa between 1900 through 1914. The database contains the date of birth of the child, the name of the child, the names of both of the parents and the date of registration. This document was found at the National Archives (UK).
 * British Subjects Registered at the Consulate (Jerusalem) 1909-1914: This database is based on a ledger found in the Israel State Archives. Each year is a separate list and therefore many people appear a number of times, each time in a different year. The same person’s name may be spelled in a number of different ways.
 * UK Passport requests made in Safed 1921- 1949: 1,133 requests for Mandate passports from Safed during the period 1920-1949. Document from the Barshad collection at the" Pedagogic Center of Safed."

U.S. Department of State Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Haifa Consular Post Records
The U.S. Department of State Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Haifa Consular Post Records database, with its more than 9,000 entries, was created from Record Group 84, Foreign Service Post Records of the U.S. Department of State for Consular Posts: Jerusalem (1857-1935), Jaffa (1867-1917), and Haifa (1872-1917).

The U.S. State Department's files from Foreign Service posts abroad are stored at the U.S. National Archives II, College Park, Maryland.

Few of the original records were indexed, and many were disposed of in 1950. After a survey of these records by members of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington (JGSGW) in 1995, the volumes of records with the most significant genealogical material were indexed. Only those names assumed to be Jewish were included in the index.

Records of genealogical value selected for indexing include: birth, marriage, death, probate and wills of American citizens; records of passports issued, visas (required as of 1917) and related matters of immigration and naturalization; registers of visitors, American citizens, and children born of American parents; property disposal and settlement of estates; and general correspondence and miscellaneous records concerning the protection of American citizens and their interests.

'''The search engine for this database is at the bottom of the page. After finding your ancestor in the index, you will want to send for the full file.'''

Include in your mail, phone, or on-site request ALL of the following information for each entry:


 * RG 84. All records in this database are from RG (Record Group) 84.
 * Master Location Register Entry Number (MLR UD #. . .) and Consulate location:
 * MLR UD #453 Jerusalem
 * MLR UD #448 Jaffa
 * MLR UD #408 Haifa
 * Volume or Box #, as indicated in database.
 * Page #, if indicated in database.
 * Date (may be date of document or date received by post).
 * Document #, if indicated in database.
 * Complete name of individual as it appears in the database.

On-site Requests
On-site requests for accessing these records may be made at Archives II, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD. Records are pulled five times each day, Monday through Friday, at 9:20 a.m., 10:20 a.m., 11:20 a.m., 1:20 p.m. and 3:20 p.m. If research is to be conducted on Saturday or after the last retrieval time on a particular day, you must arrange in advance to have records available. To confirm that your selected records were retrieved, call (301) 837-3510.

Pull slips may be obtained and submitted in the Civilian Records Branch, Room 2400, or the Textual Research Room, Room 2000. An archivist must review the pull slip when you turn it in. Records are pulled and held in the Textual Research Room within one hour of the scheduled pull time.

Textual Research Room hours: - Monday & Wednesday:  8:45 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday:   8:45 a.m. - 9 p.m. - Saturday:   8:45 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. - Sunday:   Closed

Self-service copies maybe made in the Textual Research Room upon approval by a staff member of the original material to be duplicated. Loose papers are photocopied, $.25, and documents in bound volumes are scanned onto hard copy, $.50. Debit cards may be purchased on site.

Phone Requests
Requests for records may be phoned in before an on-site visit. Call Civilian Records Branch, Archives II, (301) 837-3510, FAX: (301) 837-1752. Records will be pulled and held in the Textual Research Room, Room 2000, for three days.

Mail or E-mail Requests:
Send requests for copies of records to: State Department Consular Records Civilian Records Branch National Archives and Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6001

You may also phone (301) 837-3510 to discuss your question or problem on weekdays, 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., or e-mail inquire@arch2.nara.gov. For copies requested by mail, loose papers will be photocopied, but documents from bound volumes will be put on microfilm only. Minimum fee is $10 for the first 15 pages or less to be microfilmed.

Other Databases

 * Jewish Names in US State Department Files (1910-1929), index ($)
 * UK, Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects, 1628-1969, index ($)