Schelly Talalay Dardashti, a noted figure in the Jewish genealogy field, passed away August 16, aged 79.
Dardashti was a writer and researcher who was the founder and main admin of the Tracing the Tribe Jewish genealogy group on Facebook, which to date has more than 82,000 members worldwide.
She published widely on Jewish genealogy issues. Her articles appeared in Avotaynu, NGS Quarterly, The Forward, and Hadassah, among others, and she maintained a regular column “It’s All Relative,” for the Jerusalem Post (1999-2005) and a Tracing the Tribe blog, founded in 2006, which later transitioned to the Facebook group.
She served as the US Genealogy Advisor for MyHeritage.com, co-admin, Iberian Ashkenazi DNA Project, FTDNA; board member, Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies; founding member, Sephardic Heritage Institute NM; and a Persian community liason, Avotaynu Jewish Heritage DNA Project.
May her soul be bound up in the bond of life!
4 comments on “Obituary: Schelly Talalay Dardashti z”l”
Many people enter our lives and leave a grand impression. Schelly Talalay Dardashti was one of those people. May she rest in peace.
Schelly was a big help in my genealogy search over 20 years ago when I contacted her personally. She was supportive and interested. She felt like a long-distance friend. Many will mourn her loss. She left her stamp of goodness on everyone. She made our worlds better places.
Very sorry to read about Shelly’s passing. I had an opportunity to work with her several years ago for a program on genealogy. She was a dedicated and delightful person and will be missed by the many people who had the opportunity to know or interact with her. Rest in peace Shelly. Your memory is truly a blessing.
Schelly Talalay Dardashti, my cherished friend, advisor, and mentor, passed away on August 16, 2025. She was a woman of profound significance, whose wisdom and warmth touched countless lives. It was my immense honor to know her and call her my friend. I bow my head in deep respect and reverence, grappling with the unbearable truth that one of the greatest among us is gone. We remain but a shadow of her brilliance, forever inspired by her legacy.