Michael Waas
Hollander-Waas Jewish Heritage Services
Currently accepting clients for...
- DNA
- Family History Research
- Speaking / Presenting
- Writing /Publishing
Family History Research
- DNA
- Document Retrieval / Record Agent
- Dual Citizenship
- Ethnicity / Religion
- Family History Research
- Immigration / Naturalization
Speaking/Presenting
- DNA
- Family History Research
- Methodology & Resources
- Technology
- Available for in-person events
- Available for virtual events
Writing/Publishing
- Author/Writer
- Editor
- Graphic Designer
Other Speciality
- Document Translation
- Dual Citizenship
- Heir & Probate Search
- Heirlooms / Archivist
- Handwriting / Palaeography
Geographic Specialities
Global Jewish Diaspora
Global Jewish Diaspora
Testimonials
Michael's knowledge is vast, he has helped me for years with Sephardic genealogical research and in navigating the many archives in Holland, Israel, Turkey and the UK. He has a impressive understanding of the relationships between different families, professional networks and historical push and pull factors to help give grounding to each piece of information found. Further, his knowledge of many languages allows him to parse through many documents with a speed that is otherwise impossible for others due to lack of translation and indexing. Highly recommended. - J. Bliss
Michael Waas has demonstrated over many cases how a multidisciplinary approach of genealogy could unveil one?s personal history. With his deep historical knowledge, his understanding of genetics and his capability to analyze archives in multiple languages, he is able to bring together the pieces of your heritage?s puzzle. Michael Waas applies scientific thinking to your case, and yet ends up telling you nice stories about yourself. - N. Farouz
Michael helped me find information about my great-grandmother, who I knew had fled Russia from the pogroms, but I knew little else. My great-grandmother passed away when I was 8, before I knew to ask about the past. He was able to help find out exactly where she was from, which meant a lot to me and to my grandmother. I was amazed at how fast he was able to find out the information, too! - D. Korngold
Michael's knowledge is vast, he has helped me for years with Sephardic genealogical research and in navigating the many archives in Holland, Israel, Turkey and the UK. He has a impressive understanding of the relationships between different families, professional networks and historical push and pull factors to help give grounding to each piece of information found. Further, his knowledge of many languages allows him to parse through many documents with a speed that is otherwise impossible for others due to lack of translation and indexing. Highly recommended. - J. Bliss
Michael Waas has demonstrated over many cases how a multidisciplinary approach of genealogy could unveil one?s personal history. With his deep historical knowledge, his understanding of genetics and his capability to analyze archives in multiple languages, he is able to bring together the pieces of your heritage?s puzzle. Michael Waas applies scientific thinking to your case, and yet ends up telling you nice stories about yourself. - N. Farouz
Michael helped me find information about my great-grandmother, who I knew had fled Russia from the pogroms, but I knew little else. My great-grandmother passed away when I was 8, before I knew to ask about the past. He was able to help find out exactly where she was from, which meant a lot to me and to my grandmother. I was amazed at how fast he was able to find out the information, too! - D. Korngold
Publications/Media
- 2023 "The Purchase of Slaves and a Sefer Torah, Cayenne, 1658, 1663," in Jews Across the Americas, Adriana M. Brodsky and Laura Arnold Leibman, eds, pp. 49-51. New York: New York University Press.
- 2023 The Surprising Origins of the Coryell Family of Colonial New Jersey. American Ancestors 23(4):27:31. Co-written with Lea Coryell and Adam Brown
- 2019 Haplogroup J-Z640-Genetic Insight into the Levantine Bronze Age. Journal of Phylogenetics & Evolutionary Biology, 7(1): 209. 10.4172/2329-9002.1000209
- 2018 The Port Khan of Akko: Abu Christ, between Heritage and History. Society for Historical Archaeology: The SHA Newsletter 51(4):25-28. See: http://www.sha.org
Lectures
- July 2023 In the Lands of Osman: Jewish Genealogy in the Former Ottoman Empire. The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies [IAJGS] Conference, London.
- July 2023 Sephardim in Eastern Europe? Panel with David Mendoza, Randol Schoenberg, and Ton Tielen. IAJGS Conference, London.
- July 2023 The Migrations of Portuguese Jews. Panel with Adam Brown and David Mendoza. IAJGS Conference, London.
- Jun 2019 From Tudesco to Portuguese: A case study on the Waas-Levie (Vaz Lopes) of Amsterdam. The Ninth Annual Conference of the Society for Sephardic Studies: Sephardi Jews between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, conference, Lisbon.
- Jun 2019 The Strangers Amongst You: Iberia, Fluidity of Identity, and the Entry of Non-Levantine Genetic Ancestors into the Jewish People. Terras de Sefarad, conference, Braganca.
- Oct 2018 Haplogroup J-Z640 - Genetic Insight into the Levantine Bronze Age. Third International Conference on Genomics History, Medicine and Society, Haifa
- Jun 2018 The Forgotten Portuguese Diaspora: The Ma aminim (The Doenme of Salonika and the Ottoman Balkans). Jews of Portugal and the Spanish-Portuguese Jewish Diaspora, conference, Lisbon.
- Jul 2017 Next-Generation YDNA Sequencing Projects: J-Z640, R-BY3314 and others. 37th annual International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. Panel with Adam Brown.
- Jul 2017 DNA 301: What Y-DNA Lineages Can Tell Us About Jewish History and Migration (BigY). 37th annual International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. Panel with Rachel Unkefer, Janet Akaha, and Adam Brown
- May 2017 El Muzeo Djidio: Re-imagining Jewish Identity through Heritage in Salonika during the transition from Ottoman Selanik to Greek Thessaloniki. Salonica: A Multicultural City in the Ottoman Empire and the Greek State, workshop, Jerusalem.
Research Time Periods
- 20th Century
- 19th Century
- 18th Century
- 17th Century
- 16th Century and Earlier
Languages
English, Hebrew, Portuguese, Spanish, some Dutch, some French, some Italian, limited Greek, limited Ottoman Turkish, limited Arabic
English, Hebrew, Portuguese, Spanish, some Dutch, some French, some Italian, limited Greek, limited Ottoman Turkish, limited Arabic
Degrees
JD expected 2028 (New York Law School); MA (University of Haifa) (Jewish History), BA (New College of Florida) (Liberal Arts; Anthropology; Archaeology)
JD expected 2028 (New York Law School); MA (University of Haifa) (Jewish History), BA (New College of Florida) (Liberal Arts; Anthropology; Archaeology)