Genealogy research · Family history
What story is hidden in your family?
Maybe there is a story you have always wanted to check. A name that keeps coming up, a photograph nobody can explain, or grandparents who hardly ever spoke about their lives. Through historical research, documents, archives and cross-referencing historical sources, I help uncover family stories and the world behind them.
I specialise in researching Jewish families and communities in Eastern Europe, with a focus on the interwar years and the years of the Second World War and the Holocaust.
Services
Research services tailored to each family
Consultation and guidance (“learn to fish”)
For those who want to research on their own and need a roadmap, tools and initial guidance.
Learn moreFull research support
For those without the time, the language or the access to archives, who would like the research carried out from beginning to end.
Learn moreLectures and group workshops
For communities, synagogues and organisations that would like to open up the world of family history research to a wider audience.
Learn moreRoots tours in Poland
For families who want to experience for themselves the places their parents and grandparents came from — not only read about them.
Learn moreHow it works
So what do I actually do
Every project is shaped around the family and its questions, but the process stays organised and transparent throughout.
Introductory call
Listening to the family story, the goals and what is already known — free of charge and with no obligation.
Mapping the sources
Gathering existing information, identifying relevant databases and archives, and building a work plan.
Research and discovery
Work with archives, databases and documents — cross-referencing data, interpreting and documenting sources.
Report and handover
A readable summary document, a documented family tree, a list of sources and recommendations for continuing.
About me
Research that begins with people and ends with a story
My name is Shahaf Merhav Horvitz, and I am a researcher of genealogy and Jewish history, focusing on family roots, Eastern European Jewry and Holocaust memory.
I specialise in the Holocaust period — mainly Poland and Lithuania — and work with state archives, Yad Vashem databases and handwritten documents, always documenting the source in full.
Read my backgroundSelected articles
For those who want to read more...
A document is not the end of the story
An old document can open a door to the past, but to understand what it truly tells us we need to examine who created it, when and for what purpose — and compare it with other sources.
7 min readWhat do you do when research reveals a secret?
Roots research may uncover information that was never told within the family. How do we handle sensitive findings, and what is worth clarifying even before the search begins?
6 min readReconstructing a route through the camps
How do you reconstruct the route of a person who moved between camps during the Holocaust? Through the research on my grandfather I learned how a prisoner number, documents from different archives and a familiarity with the historical context can connect the stations of a life.
7 min readAll we knew about our grandmother was that she had been in Auschwitz, and that after the war she came to Britain. We did not know when, which camps she was in, how long she went through that hell or how she survived. Shahaf helped us connect the pieces of information and uncover her story — details we had never known, and even her correct date of birth. Suddenly, parts of her past that we had not known took their place in our family story.
A family from the Sharon region (details changed to protect privacy)
Contact form
Let's start researching together
Fill in the form and I will come back to you for a short introductory call — free of charge and with no obligation. No sensitive details are needed at this stage, just enough for us to know where to begin.