The Institute was established in 2006 by prominent genealogists from around the world with the aims of:

• Fostering the study of Jewish Genealogy and Family History by research and teaching at the university level;
• Inspiring and enriching the work of Jewish family historians;
• Advancing Jewish scholarship and culture; and thereby
• Strengthening Jewish identity and contributing, modestly but innovatively, to the continuity of the Jewish people and its future.