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The Weekly News Nosh – July 14, 2024

Jul 14, 2024 | Nosh

News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture

Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

The L’Dor V’Dor Foundation (LDVDF) Announces Worldwide Jewish Event Calendar. The calendar, called JDays, was unveiled at the 44th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. Promoting events that strengthen Jewish identity and continuity, JDays is the first comprehensive, central calendar of upcoming Jewish webinars, seminars, workshops, lectures, films, tours, conferences, meet-ups, oral history collection days, historical photo and document scan-a-thons,…any creative program with a focus on Jewish family history, Jewish history or Jewish heritage. A free service to post as well as to view, it is a defining initiative and global resource in Jewish education, teaching and learning. In addition, to Jewish Genealogical Societies, LDVDF has invited other organizations to post and view such as Jewish Museums, Jewish Universities, Holocaust Museums, Universities with Judaic Studies Programs, Jewish Historical Societies, Hillels, Jewish Federations, Chabad’s, Jewish Community Centers, Young Jewish Professionals, B’nai Brith, BBYO’s, as well as Jewish Fraternities & Sororities. Read more including FAQ’s at: JDays – L’Dor V’Dor Foundation (LDVDF)  This is a real “game changer” in the posting and discovering Jewish educational events 24/7/365 from around the world. A single place to post and a single place to view Jewish events! PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PASS ALONG THIS IMPORTANT STORY.

  1. Save The Date! The 45th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy is coming to Fort Wayne, Indiana, from Sunday, August 10 to Thursday, August 14, 2025, hosted by the Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society and the IAJGS. They are having a virtual information program on Sunday, November 10th, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time.  This will include information about Jewish research at the Genealogy Center, an introduction to Fort Wayne, and opportunities for Q&A about the conference.
  2. Free Legacy Webtember All September Long. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, part of the MyHeritage family of genealogy companies, is offering FREE access to its Webtember for the month of September starting September 5, 2024. Once you register with your location it will indicate the time in your LOCAL time zone. There are 20 live webinars in all. If you are unable to attend the webinars there are recordings throughout the month of September.  To see the list of webinars and to register which is required see: https://familytreewebinars.com/webtember/ To read more see: https://blog.myheritage.com/ Thanks to Jan Meisels Allen, Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee for sharing this information
  3. European Jewish Days of Culture. Hundreds of events will take place in more than two dozen countries, from September through November 2024, and in some cases beyond….exhibitions, guided tours, workshops, performances, book events, food tastings, lectures, and more….Events may be accesses via the drop down menu on the general website: https://jewisheritageorg/edjc/2024-family  You can browse the activities at: https://jewisheritage.org/edjc/2024-family#events Thanks to Jan Meisels Allen, Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee for sharing this information.
  4. Estonia World War II Refugee Database. Eighty years ago, September 1944, marks the height of refugees fleeing Estonia for the west during World War 2. Estonian Institute of Historical Memory (EMU) presented the results of the first stage of its new refugee database. During World War II, a total of 70,000-80,000 people fled Estonia. To date, the refugee database, which can be found on EMU’s homepage, contains records for approximately 65,000 people whose prior places of residence in Estonia have been identified. To read more see: https://news.err.ee/1609434481/estonian-institute-of-historical-memory-presents-new-wwii-refugee-database Thanks again to Jan Meisels Allen, Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee for sharing this information.
  5. Scotland’s People Launches New Website. Scotland’s People launched a new website and logo. The site was redesigned to make Scotland’s records easier to search birth, marriage death and census records.. You can order a certificate at:  Order a certificate | Scotland’s People (scotlandspeople.gov.uk) Thanks yet again to Jan Meisels Allen, Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee for this story
  6. Jews of the Middle East. While all Jews have roots in the Middle East, Mizrahi Jews never left it. Mizrahim are Jews who never left the Middle East and North Africa since the beginnings of the Jewish people 4,000 years ago. Read more from My Jewish Learning: Jews of the Middle East | My Jewish Learning
  7. March of the Living marks 80 years since liquidation of Lodz Ghetto. More than 200,000 Jews passed through the ghetto, the vast majority of whom were sent to their deaths. The Lodz Ghetto was the second-largest ghetto in Nazi-occupied Europe after Warsaw during World War II. The event gathered 500 participants, including Polish officials and ambassadors from 12 countries, to honor the memory of those who suffered and perished during one of the darkest chapters of history. Read the story from JNS: March of the Living marks 80 years since liquidation of Lodz Ghetto – JNS.org
  8. Amsterdam exhibit focuses on neglected aspect of the Holocaust: looted Judaica.  Beyond the masterpieces, there remains a largely hidden world of lesser-­known looted items, from household goods that belonged to deported Jewish neighbors to objects from Jewish places of worship, community buildings and private libraries and archives. The organized, systematic theft of property was one component of the process of the dehumanization of Jews during the Second World War. Read more from JNS:  Amsterdam exhibit focuses on neglected aspect of the Holocaust: looted Judaica – JNS.org
  9. New research uncovers how Lithuania’s largest Holocaust massacre was mostly forgotten. In 1944, after months of using spoons to dig an escape tunnel beneath their barracks, 40 prisoners managed to crawl through the passage and flee the largest Nazi killing site in Lithuania. In the Ponar forest south of Vilnius, 70,000 Jews were shot over massive pits. The massacres — which began in July 1941 — were among the first actions of the so-called “Holocaust by Bullets” perpetrated by Nazi Germany and collaborators. Read more from the Times of Israel: New research uncovers how Lithuania’s largest Holocaust massacre was mostly forgotten | The Times of Israel
  10. Museum to Open Honoring 1943 Rescue of Danish Jews by Sweden. The European Jewish Congress announced that the Landskrona is set to open a new museum branch to commemorate the rescue of Danish Jews who fled Sweden in the autumn of 1943 during World War II. Thousands of Danish Jews escaped Nazi persecution by crossing the Sound, seeking refuge in Sweden. Many arrived in the city of Landskrona and nearby Ven, where they were sheltered and cared for. To read more see: https://eurojewcong.org/news/communities-news/sweden/landskrona-to-open-museum-honouring-the-1943-rescue-of-danish-jews-by-sweden/ Thank to Jan Meisels Allen Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee for this story.
  11. Synagogues of Ukraine, Past and Present. Photos and illustrations of Ukraine’s historic synagogues provide a glimpse into Eastern European Jewish life throughout the last 500 years. The history of Jews in Ukraine goes back over 1,000 years. Many synagogues were built from the 13th through the 18th centuries, especially in the region of Galicia. Read the story and see the pictures from My Jewish Learning: Synagogues of Ukraine, Past and Present | My Jewish Learning
  12. From London to Lithuania: a Torah scroll brings communities together. The loan marks a major step in the renaissance of Jewish life in Vilnius. The High Holy Days next month will be the first time since before the Second World War that the Vilnius congregation will celebrate with its own scroll, marking a major step in the renaissance of Jewish life in Lithuania. Read the story from The Jewish Chronicle: From London to Lithuania: a Torah scroll brings communities together – The Jewish Chronicle (thejc.com)
  13. Jews and the Greek Island of Crete. Discover the mysterious Jewish legacy of Crete. This strategically vital island, long contested by empires, has also been home to a vibrant Jewish community since the time of Alexander the Great .Read more from Aish: Jews and the Greek Island of Crete – Aish.com
  14. A 24-year project to document selected Jewish cemeteries in Germany is underway. Over the course of the coming two decades and more, researchers from North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria will be documenting 35 selected Jewish cemeteries in great detail, as part of the project called “Stone Witnesses Digital – German-Jewish Sepulchral Culture between the Middle Ages and Modern Times – Space, Form, Inscription.” Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: Germany: A 24-year (!) project to document selected Jewish cemeteries in Germany is underway – Jewish Heritage Europe (jewish-heritage-europe.eu)
  15. Jewish Immigrants in the Garment Industry. New York was a hub of clothing production, with sweatshops the first American workplace for many newly arrived Jews. At the time that masses of Eastern European Jews were coming to America, the garment industry was under­going rapid expansion, and New York City was central to this development. Many immigrant Jews worked in New York garment factories. By 1910 the city was producing 70 percent of the nation’s women’s clothing and 40 percent of its men’s clothing, creating jobs for newly arriving Jews. Read the story from My Jewish Learning: Jewish Immigrants in the Garment Industry | My Jewish Learning
  16. Jewish Workers and Trade Unions. In 1888, at the initiative of Bernard Weinstein, a 19‑year‑old shirtmaker and a recent Bundist activist in Russia, and several other Lower East Side Jews founded the United Hebrew Trades. Read more from My Jewish Learning: Jewish Workers and Trade Unions | My Jewish Learning
  17. German Jewish sculptor’s art to show at reopening of Wiener Holocaust Library. A German Jewish artist, Fred Kormis fought in World War I, survived five years of imprisonment in Siberia and later escaped Nazi persecution to build an acclaimed art career in the United Kingdom. Read more about him from JNS: German Jewish sculptor’s art to show at reopening of Wiener Holocaust Library  – JNS.org
  18. Exhibit Tells the Story of Baseball’s Role in Jewish-American Life. A traveling exhibition examines the impact that baseball had on Jews’ integration into American life — as well as its influence on other minorities. In August 1909, The Forward, a Yiddish-language daily newspaper for New York’s newly arrived Jewish immigrants, printed a front-page guide to the game of baseball, including a crudely drawn ballpark. The feature may now seem quaint, but historians say it speaks to Eastern European Jews’ struggle to fit into American society, and how generations of them sought acceptance through baseball: understanding it, playing it, cheering it. Rerad the story from NBC News: Exhibit Tells the Story of Baseball’s Role in Jewish-American Life (nbcnews.com)
  19. These 9 Jewish Women Have Public Schools Named After Them. Read on to learn about nine incredible Jewish women who have schools named after them. Read about them from Kveller: These 9 Jewish Women Have Public Schools Named After Them – Kveller
  20. Oy Vey: The Deeper Meaning of This Common Jewish Phrase. Although the phrase is thought by many to be of German origin, the term has roots in Hebrew and Aramaic. Nothing seems to encapsulate Jewish tzores, pain, like the phrase “oy vey.” Yiddish also gives us all the resonant variations of this lament, most notably “oy vey iz mir” (“woe to me!”) and “oy gevalt” (“woe! violence!”). Read more from Aish: Oy Vey: The Deeper Meaning of This Common Jewish Phrase – Aish.com
  21. Counting the Jewish Years. How the Jewish year is numbered.  The Jewish calendar not only has its own unique months, but it also numbers years differently from the secular calendar. The counting of Jewish years, as we know it today, dates from the Middle Ages. Read more from My Jewish Learning:  Counting the Jewish Years | My Jewish Learning
  22. Prague names street after Kindertransport hero Nicholas Winton. Survivors honor the Briton who saved more than 10,000 Jewish children from the Nazis and was the hero who organized the Kindertransport at the start of the Second World War. Read more from Jewish News UK: Prague names street after Kindertransport hero Nicholas Winton – Jewish News
  23. Klezmer Music: A Look at the Folk Music of Ashkenazi Jewry. A brief history of the Jewish instrumental music that originated in Central and Eastern Europe and is experiencing a revival. “Klezmer” is the name associated with the Jewish instrumental music that originated in Central and Eastern Europe. The instruments used, as well as the genre’s musical forms, vary from region to region, and draw heavily from local folk styles, in addition to the music of the Ottoman Empire. Read the story from Aish: Klezmer Music: A Look at the Folk Music of Ashkenazi Jewry – Aish.com
  24. The Jewish History of America’s Most Famous Ice Cream. You can thank them for cookie dough, chunky monkey, and peanut butter ice cream. Who gave the world the gift of these delectable ice cream flavor inventions? Not the gentiles, but the Jews. Read the story from The Nosher:  The Jewish History of America’s Most Famous Ice Cream | The Nosher (myjewishlearning.com)
  25. Liverpool’s oldest synagogue marks 150th anniversary. The architecturally stunning Grade I-listed Orthodox shul, completed in 1874, featured on a King Charles coronation stamp. Liverpool’s oldest synagogue – one of the UK’s most historic – will be marking its 150th anniversary by launching six months of a broad range of events and activities, celebrating the city’s rich Jewish heritage and history. Read more from The Jewish Chronicle: Liverpool’s oldest synagogue marks 150th anniversary – The Jewish Chronicle (thejc.com)
  26. ‘Unique’ synagogue celebrates official opening. Mosaic Synagogue is home to three different Jewish congregations. You may think running one shul and building with a wide-ranging membership is hard enough, but for Mosaic Jewish Community, the challenge has been running three under the same roof. The unique shul in Stanmore, Middlesex, which is home to Reform, Masorti, and Liberal denominations, celebrated its official opening. Read more from the Jewish Chronicle: ‘Unique’ synagogue celebrates official opening – The Jewish Chronicle (thejc.com).
  27. How ‘uptown’ Jews fought to clean up the criminal underworld of the Lower East Side. “When a lady whistled at you on Allen Street, you knew she’s not calling you to a minyan! ”So goes a particularly illuminating quote from a lawyer named Jonah Goldstein, describing just how derelict life on the Lower East Side was in July 1913, when gangs, pimps and assorted crooks ran rampant in the neighborhood. Read the story from New York Jewish Week: How ‘uptown’ Jews fought to clean up the criminal underworld of the Lower East Side – New York Jewish Week (jta.org)

 

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About The Weekly News Nosh

The Weekly News Nosh contains news about Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History and Jewish Culture. The Nosh is published on Sundays and distributed by the L’Dor V’Dor Foundation on its 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 future announcements.