News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture
Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Lots of stories to Nosh on this week…Have A Happy, Healthy, Fun, and Peaceful Hanukkah… Phil
- MyHeritage Adds Improvements to LiveMemory™, their AI feature on the MyHeritage mobile app. You can turn any photo into a short video clip. Improvements include a set of 10 custom animations so that if you wish, you can choose what happens in the video and have fun — from emotional gestures like hugging or laughing to more playful effects like underwater, zero gravity, or balloons. Read more about the enhancements on their blog: New: LiveMemory™ Custom Animations, Seamless Sharing, and More! – MyHeritage Blog and give LiveMemory™ a try: LiveMemory – Animate Your Photos with AI | MyHeritage
- Did Archaeologists Discover an Ancient Seal of the Twelve Tribes? Is a 3700-year-old Egyptian bulla one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time or a typical item of its era? Could the depictions be symbols of the 12 tribes of Israel? If the 12 tribes’ identification is correct, it would be the oldest Jewish object in existence. The seal dates to the period the Israelites would have likely sojourned in Egypt and has 12 symbols. Read the story from Aish: Did Archaeologists Discover an Ancient Seal of the Twelve Tribes? | Aish
- Rare, intact 1,500-year-old ceramic lantern discovered in Galilee. Small clay lantern uncovered in Tzippori National Park dated to the 4th-6th centuries CE, was likely used by flourishing Jewish community there, archaeologists say. Read about this amazing discovery from The Times of Israel: Rare, intact 1,500-year-old ceramic lantern discovered in Galilee | The Times of Israel
- New mayor of Florence, Italy, is the first woman and first Jew to lead the historic city. The Jewish community was mentioned in writing as far back as the 14th century. Today the city has around 1,000 Jews among a total population of more than 350,000, and a grand synagogue famous for its late 19th-century Moorish Revival architecture. Read more from JTA: New mayor of Florence, Italy, is the first woman and first Jew to lead the historic city – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
- Have you heard of Heritage Travel? Heritage travel is when you explore destinations tied to your ancestry or cultural roots. It’s about discovering more about yourself, your family stories, and your overall identity by traveling to places where you are, in some part, come from. People interested in heritage travel ― which is also known as genealogy tourism, ancestral travel, roots tourism and DNA tourism ― can plan vacations around their family lineage and walk the path of their ancestors. Read more about it from The Huffington Post: What Is Heritage Travel? | HuffPost Life
- King Charles to visit Auschwitz for 80th anniversary of liberation. King Charles has accepted an invitation to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp in January, joining representatives from 20 different countries to mark the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation. King Charles’ grandmother, Princess Alice, was named a Righteous Gentile for her sheltering of a Jewish family in Athens during the Holocaust. Read more from Jewish News UK: King Charles to visit Auschwitz for 80th anniversary of liberation – Jewish News
- Remembering Rose Valland, the Unlikely Spy Who Risked Her Life to Save Looted Art From the Nazis. Throughout the Nazi occupation, Valland covertly made detailed notes of art transfers, which were largely executed under the illusion of legality and often came from the collections of prominent Jewish collectors. Read the story from The Intelligent Collector: Remembering Rose Valland, the Unlikely Spy Who Risked Her Life to Save Looted Art From the Nazis
- Paintings of unbearable life in the Lodz Ghetto. “Capturing the Ghetto: Artistic Portrayals of Everyday Life in the Lodz Ghetto,” on view at the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, allows visitors to understand that making art in the Lodz ghetto was a strategy for staying alive. It also helped artists cling to a sense of humanity in desperately difficult conditions. Read the story from The Forward: Paintings of unbearable life in the Lodz Ghetto – The Forward
- Friend or Foe: The French Revolution of the Status of the Jews. Before the emancipation of the Jews of France, many advocates for equal rights portrayed themselves as friends of the Jews while actively promoting the eventual erasure of everything Jewish. Read more from Aish: Friend or Foe: The French Revolution of the Status of the Jews | Aish
- Helene, Queen of Adiabene. This ancient queen converted to Judaism and is mentioned in both Josephus’ “Antiquities” and rabbinic literature. Helene was the sister and wife of Monabazus Bazaeus, king of Adiabene at the beginning of the first century CE, who converted to Judaism with other members of her family. Read the story from My Jewish Learning: Helene, Queen of Adiabene | My Jewish Learning
- Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About American Jews—a Century Ago. Launched in 1901, the Jewish Encyclopedia cost $27 million in today’s dollars to produce—and even more in human resources. When first released, volume by volume over a period of six years between 1901 and 1906, the encyclopedia was hailed as a “masterpiece,” the greatest Jewish literary work since the Talmud. Read the story from Tablet: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About American Jews—a Century Ago – Tablet Magazine
- Nine Things You Didn’t Know About Hanukkah. Lesser-known facts about the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays in the United States. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing new to learn about this eight-day festival. Read more from My Jewish Learning: 9 Things You Didn’t Know About Hanukkah | My Jewish Learning
- Rare historical photos of Chanukah celebrations in Israel. Images include festive candles being lit for the first time in Israel by children of the Jewish Yemenite community of Luzim. See the pictures from Jewish News UK: Rare historical photos of Chanukah celebrations in Israel | Jewish News
- Every American Hanukkah special, movie and TV episode worth knowing about. Here is a rundown of the most significant cultural artifacts commemorating our armed resistance to Hellenic assimilation in 165 B.C.E. From The Forward: Every American Hanukkah special, movie and TV episode
- A comprehensive guide to the best Hanukkah songs of all time, from ‘I have a little dreidel’ to the latest Wicked parodies. No, we’ll never have the sheer corporate bandwidth or people power of Christmas, but we don’t need to. We have our own dirge-like classics, anthropomorphic food songs, kiddy jams, and religious hymns! Here they are, categorized in genres with YouTube links, from The Forward: Best Hanukkah Songs | Adam Sandler, Dreidel song, and more
- Why Are So Many Christmas Songs Written by Jews? From White Christmas to Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer to Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Jews created much of the soundtrack of the holiday. Read the story from Aish: Why Are So Many Christmas Songs Written by Jews? | Aish Also 11 Iconic Christmas Songs That Were Written By Jews from Kveller: 11 Iconic Christmas Songs That Were Written By Jews – Kveller
- Is this the world’s largest collection of dreidels? A surgeon in Germany has been collecting rare silver spinning tops for nearly 30 years. Read also the history of the dreidel and how to play the dreidel game. From Jewish News UK: Is this the world’s largest collection of dreidels? – Jewish News
- Eight unconventional menorahs for Hanukkah. It’s not too late to take some strange inspiration for lighting the candles! Technically, a kosher menorah has just a few requirements. It needs spots for eight candles and a shamash and the holders must be arranged in a straight, level line. Within those lax parameters, Jews have — and continue to have — a field day. Read the story from The Forward: 8 interesting menorahs for Hanukkah – The Forward
- Top 15 Pop Culture Jewish Prayer Moments. From Gene Wilder to Larry David, My Jewish Learning rounds up their favorite examples of Jewish prayers in music, film and TV. Go to: Top 15 Pop Culture Jewish Prayer Moments | My Jewish Learning
- Syrian sefer Torah to be returned to synagogue. High-level delegation of Syrian Jewish leaders and chief rabbi to visit Damascus after fall of Assad. Syria was once home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, with a population of around 100,000 at the turn of the 20th century. Thousands left for Israel in 1948 after anti-Jewish riots, and the numbers are now said to have shrunk to below nine people. Read more from Jewish News UK: EXCLUSIVE: Syrian sefer Torah to be returned to synagogue – Jewish News
- In 2024, Maceva made significant progress in documenting Jewish cemeteries in Lithuania. More than 200 Jewish cemeteries survive in Lithuania, many of them in far-flung towns and villages and most in neglected condition. Founded in 2011, the NGO Maceva, the Litvak Cemetery Catalogue, works to document, clean, digitize, and restore them. Read the story from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/cemeteries/resources/essays-and-op-eds/lithuania-maceva/ See their catalog of cemeteries: Maceva | Litvak Cemetery Catalogue
- NGO says 2024 was its biggest year of progress to date in cleaning and restoring the vast Kozma utca Jewish cemetery in Budapest. To date it had managed to clear more than 260,000 sq. meters (64 acres) across 33 sections of the cemetery containing 84,507 graves. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2024/12/15/hungary-kozma/
- Virtual museum recreates Jewish enclaves in Iran and Morocco. Universal Israelite Alliance, a Paris-based Jewish educational organization, shows the width and breadth of its institutions across several centuries. Read more from The Times of Israel: Virtual museum recreates Jewish enclaves in Iran and Morocco | The Times of Israel
- Salvador Dali’s little-known series about the founding of Israel comes to a Holocaust museum on Long Island. ‘Aliyah, the Rebirth of Israel,’ a rare, complete collection of 25 lithographs by the famed artist, is now on view. Read about the exhibit from NY Jewish Week: Salvador Dali’s little-known series about the founding of Israel comes to a Holocaust museum on Long Island – New York Jewish Week
- Oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments sells for over $5m. Winning bid is far higher than predicted; anonymous buyer will donate Samaritan-linked slab to Israeli institution, while some question its authenticity. Read more from Times of Israel: Oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments sells for over $5m | The Times of Israel
- Anu museum offers virtual culinary tours with foodie Gil Hovav. This Hanukkah, Museum of the Jewish People expands its offerings with self-guided food journeys for adults and kids. The tour takes visitors through the many images, videos and digital displays in the museum that explain the role of recipes and food in global Jewish history. Read more from Times of Israel: Anu museum offers virtual culinary tours with foodie Gil Hovav | The Times of Israel
- ‘Kugel,’ the ‘Shtisel’ Spinoff, Will Stream in the U.S. Soon. We finally know when and where we’ll be able to watch the prequel to the hit Israeli series. “Kugel” is officially premiering on the Jewish streaming platform IZZY in early 2025. Read more from Kveller: ‘Kugel,’ the ‘Shtisel’ Spinoff, Will Stream in the U.S. Soon – Kveller
- ‘The Brutalist,’ the epic new movie getting Oscar buzz, is built from the stories of postwar Jewish architects. The historical drama stars Adrien Brody as a fictional Holocaust survivor and architect. Read about the movie from JTA: ‘The Brutalist,’ the epic new movie getting Oscar buzz, is built from the stories of postwar Jewish architects – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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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.