Israel releases trove of pre-state name change records

Israel opens to the public hundreds of files containing official records of name changes made under the pre-state British Mandate government, announces the Prime Minister’s Office.

“This information can be particularly useful for researchers and genealogy enthusiasts tracing their family origins,” says the PMO.

Many new immigrants Hebraicized their names after arriving in the country.

The “Palestine Gazette,” the official newspaper of the British Mandate government of Palestine between 1920 and 1948, comprises some 700 files containing official records of name changes approved by the Mandate government’s Immigration and Travel Department, as well as other government-issued orders and announcements from the period.

For the past decade, the Israel State Archives has worked to digitize the document, which provides vast information on municipal laws, approved trademarks, information on transportation, sanitation, postal services, and more. The collection is now digitally available on the agency’s website.

The completion of the project marks the 50 millionth page scanned for public access by the national archive, according to the PMO.