News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture
Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
A Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, and Peaceful New Year… Phil
- Have you checked out BIRLS? The Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) database was originally created and maintained by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA). It provides an index to basic biographical information on more than 18 million deceased American veterans who received some sort of veterans benefits in their lifetime, including health care, disability or life insurance policies, educational benefits (the GI Bill), mortgage assistance (VA loans), and more. The BIRLS database includes people who served in all branches of the US military. Finding a name listed in the BIRLS database means that you can make a free FOIA request for a copy of that deceased veteran’s full VA claims file, which may contain hundreds of pages of never-before-seen biographical and historical material about the veteran, their military service, and their interactions with the VA. Go to: https://www.birls.org/
- From The News Nosh “Did You Know Department” It isn’t often that Hanukkah starts on Christmas Day. Since 1900, this is only the fifth time. The others were in 1910, 1921, 1959, and 2005. However, if you hang around long enough, there will be no Hanukkah in 3031, but two in 3032. Part of the reason for the lack of Hanukkah in 3031 beyond the different calendars is the fact that an extra month is added to the Jewish calendar during a Jewish leap year.
- The History of Hanukkah: Story & Origins. Delving into the history of Hanukkah to understand the deeper meaning of the holiday. Why has Hanukkah stood the test of time? We have no shortage of days on our calendar when they tried to kill us, and we miraculously won. And whatever salvation was achieved at the time of Hanukkah was short-lived. So, why an everlasting holiday? Read the story from Aish: The History of Hanukkah: Story & Origins | Aish
- Jus Primae Noctis: Who Was the Heroine of Hanukkah? The source is called Midrash Maaseh Hanukkah and one of its most important protagonists is Chanah, the daughter of Matityahu. Read the story from Aish: Jus Primae Noctis: Who Was the Heroine of Hanukkah? | Aish
- What Eastern European Jews Did on Christmas. A day to play games and avoid Torah study. For centuries, Jews in Eastern Europe generally spent Christmas Eve and Day in the safety of their homes. Because Jews engaged in special rituals and activities on Christmas, they had special names for the day. Nittel Nacht was the most common name for the holiday. Read more from My Jewish Learning: What Eastern European Jews Did on Christmas | My Jewish Learning
- Black Christmas: December 25 in Jewish History. For generations, Jews have faced danger on this day. For centuries, Christmas, along with Easter, was a time of terror and danger for many European Jews. Christians would sometimes turn on the Jews in their midst, blaming them for supposedly killing Jesus, and often attacking and even killing Jews with impunity. Throughout Jewish history, December 25 has seen some low points in Jewish life. In the days of the Roman Empire, Jews were often taunted during this period. One popular pastime was to force Jews to run naked through the streets of Rome for the amusement of others on December 25. Read the story from Aish: Black Christmas: December 25 in Jewish History | Aish
- The Real History of Potato Latkes Will Surprise You. The earliest written reference to fried pancakes (levivot in Hebrew) being served for Hanukkah comes from a 1322 poem by Rabbi Kalonymus ben Kalonymus that describes “levivot large and round, the whole size of the frying pan.” Read more from The Nosher: The Real History of Potato Latkes Will Surprise You | The Nosher
- These 4-Ingredient Edible Dreidels Are Adorable. A delicious 5-minute Hanukkah activity for any age. From The Nosher: These 4-Ingredient Edible Dreidels Are Adorable | The Nosher
- The Story of Gelt. How chocolate coins became a part of our Hanukkah tradition. Gelt, from the German word for money, seems to have made its first appearance on the Festival of Lights in the writings of the 14th-century Barcelona-born sage Shlomo ben Avraham ibn Aderet. Read more from Tablet Magazine: The Story of Gelt – Tablet Magazine
- Rare oil lamp with Temple menorah found from time when Romans barred Jews from Jerusalem. Intricately designed 1,700-year-old artifact was discovered intact near the Mount of Olives, will go on display in Jerusalem. The unusual lamp is decorated with imagery related to the services in the Jewish Second Temple in Jerusalem. Read more from The Times of Israel: Rare oil lamp with Temple menorah found from time when Romans barred Jews from Jerusalem | The Times of Israel
- These SNL Hanukkah Skits Are Comedy Gold. From Gilda Radner to Adam Sandler to Will Ferrell, these sketches feature the best of the best. Read and laugh from Kveller: These SNL Hanukkah Skits Are Comedy Gold – Kveller
- See the archaeological treasures of the Mirsham Farmhouse, buried for 2,600 years. A little to the north of Beersheba lies a First Temple-era site whose significance was known to Gen. Yigael Yadin, but whose artifacts have only recently begun to be excavated. Read the interesting story from The Times of Israel: Come see the archaeological treasures of the Mirsham Farmhouse, buried for 2,600 years | The Times of Israel
- Assad’s fall reopens access to 2,700-year-old Damascus synagogue, but only 9 Jews remain. Leader of tiny Syrian community visits largely destroyed Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue in capital’s Jobar neighborhood, recounts years of site being off-limits during 13-year civil war. Walls and roofs have collapsed. Some artifacts are missing. A marble sign in Arabic at the gate says it was first built 720 years before Christ. Read more from Times of Israel: Assad’s fall reopens access to 2,700-year-old Damascus synagogue, but only 9 Jews remain | The Times of Israel
- They were a kosher bakery success story — 80 years later, people are still trying to make a buck off their babka. The tale of Schick’s Bakery is one of 20th-century ingenuity and 21st-century capitalism. A widowed Orthodox mother goes from home baking in 1943 to opening Schick’s Bakery, which went on to become a Brooklyn neighborhood institution. Read the story from The Forward: How a neighborhood kosher bakery created a global phenomenon – The Forward
- Asian Jewish Baby Names. Jews have a long and fascinating history in east Asian countries, particularly China, where the Jewish community in Kaifeng dates back to at least 1163. There has been a Jewish presence in Japan since the 1700s. These baby names overlap in terms of meanings, spellings and historical significance between Jewish and east Asian languages. Read the story from Kveller: Asian Jewish Baby Names – Kveller
- 18 notable Jews who died in 2024. These Jewish icons have left outsized legacies on politics, the arts, sports and everything in between. Read about each from JTA: 18 notable Jews who died in 2024 – Jewish Telegraphic Agency I will also add the name of Stanley Diamond who passed away at 91 years young on December 18th. Stanley was the Founder and Executive Director of JRI Poland as well as being Secretary of the DoJR Executive Council for the L’Dor V’Dor Foundation. On a personal note, Stanley and I corresponded two days before he passed away telling us that he and his wife were in the hospital in separate rooms so there would not be any “hankey pankey.” Such was Stanley’s sense of humor until the very end.
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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.