News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture
Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
- MyHeritage Publishes France, Tables of Successions and Absences, 1890–1970. This valuable collection offers an index of deceased or officially missing people from various French departments, spanning 80 years of history. It includes 26 million records, with high quality scanned images. This collection is particularly important for researchers of French heritage because it provides a valuable alternative to national death records for this period, which have not yet been digitized or made available online. To search go to: France, Tables of Successions and Absences, 1890-1970 – MyHeritage
- New Databases on IGRA’s Website. The Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) has just added 10 new databases and updated two others, adding over 28,000 new listings on its website. There are now over 3 million records available in our databases. With each release we provide a variety of records to our collection. To view, go to: August 2024 Database Release Israel Genealogy Research Association | PPT (slideshare.net) The IGRA databases are now searchable to all registrants. The search results page is also available to all registrants. .Before viewing and searching the databases, please register for free on the IGRA website: http://genealogy.org.il/
- 23andMe agrees to $30M settlement over data breach that targeted Jewish and Chinese users. The data was first stolen by a hacker nicknamed “Golem,” after the Jewish mythical defender made of clay. The breach, which occurred last October, affected more than 6.9 million customers and included users’ personal details such as their location, name and birthdate, as well as some information about their family trees. Read more from JTA: 23andMe agrees to $30M settlement over data breach that targeted Jewish and Chinese users – Jewish Telegraphic Agency (jta.org)
- JewishGen Class on Planning for Success. Do you get frustrated with your genealogy research because you just don’t have enough time to spend on it? And to make matters worse, when you DO have some time, you sit down and suddenly feel overwhelmed, because you don’t know what to do next? You are NOT alone! “Fundamentals II: Plan for Success,” will teach you a system you can repeat over and over again, that will not only save you TONS of time but provide you with direction AND peace of mind. Dates: October 13-Nov 1, 3 ZOOM sessions on Sundays at 12 noon ET. To learn more, click here; https://www.jewishgen.org/Education/description.asp?course=40603 To register, click here; https://www.jewishgen.org/Education/coursesview.asp?course_id=40603 Questions Contact Margie at [email protected]
- Oldest Hebrew Book Ever Discovered. Discovered in a cave in Afghanistan, the oldest intact book written in Hebrew is going to be displayed in the new exhibition at the Museum of the Bible, opening on September 24th. Called Afghan Liturgical Quire (ALQ) by researchers, the book was dated to the 8th century CE. It is the oldest Hebrew codex ever discovered. It’s Sabbath morning prayers, piyyutim (poems) for Sukkot, and partial Haggadah (mysteriously written upside down) predate Amram Gaon’s standardizing of a Siddur in the mid-800s. It predates the other two earliest Haggadahs, the Dropsie Haggadah and a Haggadah manuscript at Jewish Theological Seminary, by more than 200 years. Read more from Aish: The Oldest Hebrew Book Ever Discovered | Aish
- ‘Greatest discovery since Dead Sea Scrolls,’ Megiddo mosaic goes on view at Bible Museum in DC. “We found the name of Jesus before Christianity was part of the Roman Empire,” Alegre Savariego, of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The symbol of the fish in the center of the mosaic is on display in Washington as the High Holidays approach, and that the fish head is a Rosh Hashanah symbol for “a new beginning and a good start.” Read more from JNS: ‘Greatest discovery since Dead Sea Scrolls,’ Megiddo mosaic goes on view at Bible Museum in DC – JNS.org
- Searching for Graves In Israel? Try Gravez. More than 1.3 million graves are from around the Country. Their services include preserve and attend to the grave, assist as much as possible on the memorial day, and help you arrive at your destination with ease. To search the graves, go to: https://gravez.me/en/ For their other services, go to: https://gravez.me/en/services
- United Kingdom Prime Minister pledges to make Holocaust lessons mandatory for all children. As part of the Government’s curriculum review, the Prime Minister said studying the Holocaust would become a “critical, vital part of every single student’s identity.” Read more from The Standard: Keir Starmer pledges to make Holocaust lessons mandatory for all children | Evening Standard
- The Jewish military section of Vienna, Austria’s Central Cemetery reopened after two years of restoration. The Jewish military section contains 450 tombstones honoring Jewish soldiers who perished fighting in the Austro-Hungarian Army during the World War One. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: Austria: The Jewish military section of Vienna’s Central Cemetery reopened after two years of restoration – Jewish Heritage Europe (jewish-heritage-europe.eu)
- A video updates the restoration of the synagogue in Orla, Poland – you can also take a virtual tour. The synagogue was built in the second quarter of the 17th century, but archaeological research has revealed that a small wooden synagogue had stood in the same place earlier. Read more and see the video from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2024/09/19/poland-orla/
- Digital (and Virtual Reality) reconstruction of the wooden Great Synagogue of Wolpa, Belarus. The Belarusian Jewish Cultural Heritage Center (BJCH) has created a virtual reconstruction of the Great Synagogue in Wolpa, an elaborate wooden structure believed to have dated from the first half of the 18th century, which — like hundreds of other wooden synagogues in eastern Europe — was destroyed by the Nazis during World War II. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2024/09/12/belarus-volpa/
- Jewish mass grave uncovered in Belarus. The remains of 12 adults and 11 children were uncovered in the town of Strešyn in the country’s southeastern Gomel region, which was occupied by the Nazi Germany in August 1941. The local Jewish population was forced into a local ghetto and its property was looted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Read the story from JNS: Jewish mass grave uncovered in Belarus – JNS.org
- Armenia’s hidden Jewish cemetery tells a story of peaceful co-existence. This ancient cemetery is one of the few material proofs of the existence of a Jewish community in Armenia during the Middle Ages. Although some ancient sources mention the presence of Jews as early as the 2nd century BC, traces of these communities virtually disappeared in the following centuries as the cemetery remained buried under vegetation for centuries. Its restoration reveals an unknown story. Read more from The Jewish Chronicle: Armenia’s hidden Jewish cemetery tells a story of peaceful co-existence – The Jewish Chronicle (thejc.com)
- Tree grown from ancient mystery seed found in cave could be source of biblical balm. Identified as species of Commiphora, part of the frankincense and myrrh family, the plant lacks fragrance but medical compound suggests possible link with Bible’s ‘tsori,’ a type of medicinal balm. Radiocarbon dating has put the date of the seed’s origin somewhere between 993 CE and 1202 CE. Read the story from The Times of Israel: Tree grown from ancient mystery seed found in cave could be source of biblical balm | The Times of Israel
- Jamie Lee Curtis Is Restoring Her Grandparents’ Synagogue in Mateszalka, Hungary. She announced that she will partner with the mayor of Mateszalka (pop. 16,532) to turn the synagogue where her grandparents once worshipped into a “community center for celebrations and art and music.” The synagogue is empty now, as the entire Jewish population was exterminated but the building stands as a living tribute to those who lived there and continue to live there. Read the story from Kveller: Jamie Lee Curtis Is Restoring Her Grandparents’ Synagogue in Hungary – Kveller
- Holocaust Survivor Celebrates His Centennial Skydiving Over the Dead Sea. The Holocaust survivor, journalist, and actor Walter Bingham celebrated his 100th birthday last week with a skydive over the Dead Sea. Bingham jumped from 15,000 feet, free-falling in tandem with instructors at the Bar Yehuda Airfield near Masada. Walter’s jump lasted about a minute and half as he flew at 124 mph over the Dead Sea and the Judean Hills. Read his story from Aish: Holocaust Survivor Celebrates His Centennial Skydiving Over the Dead Sea | Aish
- How an airplane mechanic named Bennie Roth became the first Jew to set foot on Antarctica. Roth played an integral role in Commander Richard Byrd’s Arctic expedition. When Commander Richard E. Byrd — an aviator, polar explorer and American hero who’d been feted with a ticker tape parade in New York City — was looking for the country’s best airplane mechanic to help him become the first man to reach the South Pole by air in 1928, he quickly settled on Benjamin “Bennie” Roth, who would soon become the first Jew to step foot on Antarctica. Read more from The Forward: How Bennie Roth became the first Jew to reach Antarctica – The Forward
- Ice cream shop Salt & Straw opens first NYC location with 3 inventive Jewish flavors. Flavors on tap include Chocolate Babka with Hazelnut Fudge, Cinnamon Raisin Bagels & Schmear and Pastrami on Rye (no, that’s not a typo). Read more from NY Jewish Week: Ice cream shop Salt & Straw opens first NYC location with 3 inventive Jewish flavors — including Pastrami & Rye – New York Jewish Week (jta.org) Editor’s Note: Of course, Jews have been involved in the ice cream business for years. Think Ben & Jerry’s, Baskin-Robbins, Häagen-Dazs and even the development of the Egg Nog!
- California passes law to help Holocaust survivors and heirs recover Nazi-looted art. The legislation is a response to a court ruling that allowed a work by Camille Pissarro to remain in a Spanish museum instead of returning to the heirs of its original owners. The 1897 painting, called “Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon, Effect of Rain,” belonged to Fritz and Lilly Cassirer, a Jewish couple who sold it under duress to escape the Nazis. Read the story from JTA: California passes law to help Holocaust survivors and heirs recover Nazi-looted art – Jewish Telegraphic Agency (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.