The Weekly News Nosh – March 1, 2026

This Jewish heritage news digest is this week’s NewsNosh (The Weekly News Nosh) from L’Dor V’Dor Foundation—a curated set of links for anyone interested in Jewish family history, Jewish history, and Jewish heritage. This week’s NewsNosh Jewish heritage news digest includes IAJGS AI Summit date, new JEWISH GENEALOGY journal, Dead Sea Scroll exhibit, Ferrara Bible, and more.

Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

This week’s news links:

1. SAVE THE DATE: IAJGS AI Jewish Genealogy Virtual Summit. International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) presents the AI for Jewish Genealogy Virtual Summit — a focused 4 hour deep dive with two expert talks, a practitioners panel, and live audience Q&A. Sunday, April 26, 2026 • Online • 12:30 PM ET – 4:30 PM ET Program topics + speakers + registration details coming soon.
2. JEWISH GENEALOGY, the journal of the International Institute for Jewish Genealogy (IIJG) has just launched Issue #1. It contains articles by familiar names such as Alexander Beider, Adam Brown, Jacob Rosen, and Harold Rhode along with some new names and a book review by former Avotaynu book Editor Bill Gladstone.  Editor and IIJG Chair, Sallyann Amdur Sack also brings back her As I See It Go to their web site and check it out: Home page – INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH GENEALOGY and Paul Jacobi Center JEWISH GENEALOGY was made possible by receipt of the Stedman Grant from IAJGS.
3. Black and Jewish America. The two groups most reliably targeted when hatred surges have rarely been seen as natural allies. A new PBS series makes the case that they can’t afford not to be. Read the story from Aish: Black and Jewish America | Aish
4. Tailing looters, archaeologists find 2,000-year-old stone vessel factory in Jerusalem. Cups, bowls and other ritually pure items are thought to have been fashioned out of soft limestone at Mount Scopus site along pilgrimage road in waning days of Second Temple. Read the story from The Times of Israel: Tailing looters, archaeologists find 2,000-year-old stone vessel factory in Jerusalem | The Times of Israel
5. Great Isaiah Scroll, oldest near-complete biblical book ever found, on show in entirety for 1st time since 1968. The 2,100-year-old artifact, seven meters long, can be viewed at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem; only 25 people at a time allowed into climate-controlled room. Read all about it from The Times of Israel: Great Isaiah Scroll, oldest near-complete biblical book ever found, on show in entirety for 1st time since 1968 | The Times of Israel
6. New edition of Ferrara bible shows how persecuted Jews kept faith alive in Spanish. Exiled Spanish and Portuguese Jews who had fled to Italy translated Hebrew bible into their common language. Read the story from The Guardian: New edition of Ferrara bible shows how persecuted Jews kept faith alive in Spanish | Judaism | The Guardian
7. A Medieval Mystery: The Aliyah of 300 European Rabbis. There is a little-known, multilayered mystery at the heart of the Middle Ages. Around 1211 CE, as many as 300 rabbis suddenly uprooted themselves simultaneously from different regions in Europe and made their way to the Land of Israel. Why? What motivated them to undertake the dangerous journey? Who were these rabbis? And most puzzling of all: What became of them? Read their story from Aish: A Medieval Mystery: The Aliyah of 300 European Rabbis | Aish
8. Long overlooked, Soviet Jewish stories written after the Holocaust emerge in new translation. The writer Sasha Vasilyuk interviews the translators behind “In The Shadow of the Holocaust.” Read more from JTA: Long overlooked, Soviet Jewish stories written after the Holocaust emerge in new translation – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
9. Jabotinsky letter revealing plea for funds to save European Jews heads to auction. Revisionist Zionism founder’s missive to finance director warned movement’s ‘success or failure’ hinged on new funding system. Read more from The Times of Israel: Jabotinsky letter revealing plea for funds to save European Jews heads to auction | The Times of Israel
10. How a deeply religious Christian artist captured the spirit of the Jewish holy land. In the early 19th century, David Roberts took a dangerous and unprecedented trip from England to travel the same route that Jews took during the Exodus. Read more from The Forward: How artist David Roberts captured the spirit of the Jewish holy land – The Forward
11. Hans Litten: The Jewish Lawyer Who Grilled Hitler in the Courtroom. A fearless 27-year-old Jewish lawyer forced Hitler to squirm on the witness stand. Years later, imprisoned in Dachau, Hans Litten’s defiance became a symbol of resistance. Read his story from Aish: Hans Litten: The Jewish Lawyer Who Grilled Hitler in the Courtroom | Aish
12. Preserving The Shoes Left Behind. For over 30 years, the USHMM has displayed victims’ shoes recovered from Nazi killing centers and camps—anonymous yet haunting proof of the Holocaust’s vast scale and horror. Originally on loan from the State Museum at Majdanek in Poland, they were returned in 2023. The following year, 4,000 shoes joined their permanent collection. Follow their journey to the Museum. From the USHMM: What Remains – A Closer Look at the Shoes
13. 12th century Crusader sword discovered “by chance” by student off coast of Israel. A centuries-old sword from the time of the Crusades was discovered by a student swimming off the coast of Haifa, Israel. Read more from CBS News: 12th century Crusader sword discovered “by chance” by student off coast of Israel, university says – CBS News
14. Rembrandt has been hailed for his love of the Jewish people — was it all a myth? A new exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts digs into the artist’s much-scrutinized Jewish interactions, real and otherwise. Read more from The Forward: Was Rembrandt’s love for Jews a myth? – The Forward
15. Starmers take children to Poland for emotional search into Jewish family roots. British Prime Minister and Lady Victoria travel to remote village outside Warsaw with their two children during weekend break. None of Lady Victoria’s extended family who remained in Poland survived the Nazis, making the visit particularly poignant and emotional. Read their story from Jewish News UK: EXCLUSIVE: Starmers take children to Poland for emotional search into Jewish family roots – Jewish News
16. The Jewish Tailor Who Dressed Elvis (and Basically Everyone Else). Meet Nudie Cohn, inventor of the “rhinestone cowboy” look. Read his story from Hey Alma: The Jewish Tailor Who Dressed Elvis (and Basically Everyone Else) – Hey Alma

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About The Weekly News Nosh

The Weekly News Nosh (NewsNosh) is the L’Dor V’Dor Foundation’s weekly Jewish heritage news digest—a curated set of links for anyone interested in Jewish family history, Jewish history, and Jewish heritage. NewsNosh is published on Sundays and shared on our website and social media platforms. “A Family Without The Understanding Of Their Past History, Foundation And Ethnicity Is Like A Tree Without Roots.” Subscribe to receive NewsNosh every Sunday, directly in your inbox. Browse past issues of our Jewish heritage news digest in the NewsNosh archive.