Why are we interested in family history?

Many of us have the desire to find our family roots. But how do we do it? Where should we start?

There is a lot of information online. Many family trees have been built and hold huge amounts of information, not always of high quality and reliable. The challenge is to understand what of all this information is relevant to us and how to verify it. Many families have not been investigated and it is necessary to dive into the archives and databases, to find birth and marriage certificates, travel records and passports, protocols and more. Each such document is another step for discovery, but experience and expertise are required.

This is where I come into the picture.

In the introductory conversation, I try to understand what the purpose of the project is. Do a research or solve a specific mystery. Is it about building a deep family tree that goes back hundreds of years or a broad tree that unites cousins.

In any case, the more information received from the client, even if at first it seems negligible, the better and faster the results will be. Always remember that as soon as answers to one question arrive, new questions are added. The process is fascinating, exciting and fulfilling. In many cases family members are added to the journey, lost connections are renewed and members of the younger generation connect to the family history.

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About Me

My name is Danny Racotch, an economist and an information systems professional.

As a descendant of a family of immigrants who immigrated from Poland after the World War and after the Holocaust, I have always been interested in the origin of the family. But as in many families, they didn't talk about the past. Leave the old homeland behind. The languages ​​they spoke were foreign to us and there was little communication. I didn't know what to ask and even if I had known I certainly wouldn't have received satisfactory answers.

After I grew up and studied, "there was no one to ask anymore". Technology and curiosity came to my aid. Archives began to upload documents to the Internet and I found partners.

For about 10 years I built my own family tree, step by step. I learned how to search for information, how to verify and cross check its reliability. I immersed myself in online indexes and archives, reached Torah libraries, cemeteries, historical press, revision lists and more.

Over the years, more and more people turned to me for help. I built dozens of family trees and solved endless puzzles. I conducted face-to-face and online workshops and supported groups of researchers.

Today I devote most of my time to serving those who want to research their family history. Where did they come from, what was their name and what happened to them.