Three search strings are initially presented, use each to search within a different, or the same, search field, using Boolean search operators of AND, OR, or NOT to combine search terms. After entering your search term(s), select the field(s) you wish to search by making a selection from the drop-down menu beside the search term box. Search terms/phrases entered cannot exceed one hundred characters and twelve words. If additional search strings are required you can choose to “Add a row”, return to the default three search strings by clicking “Reset rows”. You may also choose to activate fuzzy searching.

Information on how to improve your search results can be found within Search Tips, accessible from all views via the Search Tips icon within the product banner at the top of the screen. 

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Fuzzy Search

Fuzzy search settings can enhance your full-text search by retrieving near matches on a term or terms. This is a particularly valuable feature in that it allows you to locate a word or words within documents despite imperfect matches in spelling between the searched term and document content.

Three levels of fuzzy searching are offered so that you may fine-tune your search depending on how closely you want to match your term(s): Low, Medium, and High.

The Low setting will expand your full-text search results to include very near matches on your term(s), e.g., a full-text search on “harbor” with fuzzy search set at Low will return results containing both “harbor” and “harbour.”

The High setting will expand your results to include very broad matches on your term(s), e.g., a full-text search on “harbor” with fuzzy search set at High will return results containing “harbor,” “harbour,” “Harper,” and “Harben.”

Within the Advanced Search form, the default setting for fuzzy search is None. You may activate fuzzy search by selecting a fuzzy search level from the drop-down box to the right of Advanced Search screen.

Note that if a truncation ("wildcard") character is used within a search string and a fuzzy search setting other than None has been selected, the search will ignore the fuzzy search setting in favor of the search indicated by the wildcard character.

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Browse Indexes

The Browse Indexes feature, accessible via the third tab from all views, allows you to access alphabetical lists of authors of eyewitness accounts, authors of propaganda material, individuals mentioned on biographical index cards and photographs of synagogues.

The listing of authors of eyewitness accounts is presented by default. In order to select an alternative browse list click on the appropriate tab within the browse box and this listing will be brought forward. Clicking on an item within any of the lists returns a results list of all documents within the specific section of the database in which that name or synagogue appears.

Note that variations in the form of a name result in each form of the name appearing individually within the browse lists.

You may choose up to 20 items from any one index on which to search by holding down the Control Key while making yours selections.

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Search History

The Search History feature, visible on the Basic Search and Advanced Search pages, saves and displays a list of the searches you've conducted within a session. Search terms are captured when you enter a term and the Search button is clicked. Search history is automatically cleared when you time out of the session.

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