The database covers mainly England, Wales and Scotland with a few additions from Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.  Most of the names, but not all, are linked to the 1851 census.  There are approaching 29,000 names, which is probably more than 90 per cent of the Jewish population in Britain at that time.  It brings together the work of nearly 250 contributors from around the world.

For each person, the database aims to show where they were and what they were doing, decade by decade, throughout their life. A handful  of entries go back to the 1750s, or even the 1740s, and another handful lived  through to the 1940s, and even 1950s. Some lived only a day or two, while others lived to 100 or more.

The core information, available on most but not all entries, is where and when the person was born; who their parents were; whom they married and when; who their children were and when they were born; where they were living in 1851 and their occupation in 1851.

Additional information, wherever available, includes places of residence in other decades through to the 1910s; the same with their occupations; a snapshot  of faith affiliation(s) across the person's lifetime; date of death, cause of death and place of burial. There are Notes on, for example, published biographical sources, related people in the database, contradictory data sources etc. Wherever possible source references have been included with each item of data.