News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture
Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
- MyHeritage introduces MyStories. A New Service to Turn Cherished Memories into a Printed Keepsake Book. While family trees, historical records, and photos are essential to family history, the stories and memories that bring them to life often go undocumented. MyStories ensures those precious stories are never lost. The process: each week, the storyteller receives an email with a thoughtful question about their life. They simply reply with their story, attaching photos if they’d like. Over time, these responses are compiled into a high-quality hardcover book, creating an heirloom to be treasured for years to come. All it takes is an email — no technical know-how is necessary. You can check it out at com read more about it on their blog: our blog, and watch their announcement video.
- LitvakSIG 4th quarter update. 4th quarter 2024 update to the LitvakSIG All Lithuania Database (ALD) is now live. The highlight of this update is the inauguration of three new data categories: gymnasium students, Lithuania overseas connections, and, sadly, newly found lists of Holocaust victims. Please click on the database name in the ALD results to access a description page that will orient you to these new record types. To begin, go to: LitvakSIG | Lithuanian-Jewish Special Interest Group
- The strong efforts to post archive records online continue throughout Ukraine. The efforts to get Ukrainian archive records online is not losing any steam. Anatolii Khromov, head of the State Archive Service of Ukraine, announced on January 30 that 31 million archival pages were digitized in 2024, outpacing the records of previous years. Read more: The strong efforts to post archive records online continue throughout Ukraine – Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family
- Historical Arlington Cemetery Records Arrive at National Archives. This collection consists of rare maps and architectural drawings from the 1830s to 1970s that were used to assist in determining land boundaries and roads, and constructing historic structures at ANC, as well as other documents of significance. Read the story from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter: https://eogn.com/page-18080/13459785
- Hoard of coins illuminates triumphant Maccabee campaign in 2nd-century-BCE Israel. A rare intact Hellenistic estate at Khirbet el-Eika in Eastern Galilee was likely abandoned by its inhabitant as Yonatan Maccabee and his army drew nearer, new research shows. Read the story from The Times of Israel: Hoard of coins illuminates triumphant Maccabee campaign in 2nd-century-BCE Israel | The Times of Israel
- Using A.I., Researchers Peer Inside a 2,000-Year-Old Scroll Charred by Mount Vesuvius’ Eruption in 79 C.E. For the past two years, citizen scientists and scholars have been working to reveal the previously hidden texts of the Herculaneum scrolls. Read the story from the Smithsonian: Using A.I., Researchers Peer Inside a 2,000-Year-Old Scroll Charred by Mount Vesuvius’ Eruption | Smithsonian
- Mysterious 2,500-year-old burials hint at human trafficking in ancient Israel. A mass grave in the Negev excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority sheds light on funerary, divination, and commercial practices in the first millennium BCE. Some 2,500 years ago, a group of young women met their tragic destiny in the middle of the Negev as they were led by one of the trade caravans that crossed the Middle East for millennia. Read more from the Times of Israel: Mysterious 2,500-year-old burials hint at human trafficking in ancient Israel | The Times of Israel
- Excavation near Jerusalem finds 9,000-year-old six-fingered Neolithic shaman woman. The woman had six fingers on her left hand, a characteristic that in ancient cultures was often interpreted as a sign of distinction and spiritual authority. Read the story from The Jerusalem Post: Excavation near Jerusalem finds 9,000-year-old six-fingered Neolithic s – The Jerusalem Post
- IDF unveils portable Torah scrolls for field conditions. The object comes encased in a weatherproof holy ark that has shoulder straps and can function as a podium on which to read scripture. Read more from JNS: IDF unveils portable Torah scrolls for field conditions – JNS.org
- The Fate of Europe’s Pre-War Synagogues: The Repurposed Synagogue That Sells Pork. These historic synagogues survived the devastation of WWII. Some have been restored, others lay in ruins, abandoned and forgotten. A few have been disturbingly repurposed. Read the story from Aish: The Fate of Europe’s Pre-War Synagogues: The Repurposed Synagogue That Sells Pork | Aish
- Ellis Island: 49 Snapshots of the American Dream & Those Who Chased It. These rare photographs, preserved by Ellis Island’s Commissioner William Williams, capture that exact moment of transformation – when millions traded everything familiar for a chance at something greater. See the pictures from Genealogy Explained: Ellis Island: 49 Snapshots of the American Dream & Those Who Chased It – Genealogy Explained
- The Rise of the Jewish Grocer. From kosher butchers, fruit peddlers, and herring dealers on the Lower East Side to supermarket innovators across the country. On the Lower East Side in 1913, for instance, 259 grocers, 216 butchers, 56 fruit dealers, 30 fish dealers, 19 herring dealers, and seven butter-and-egg dealers turned to the Hebrew Free Loan Society for financial help. Read the story from Tablet Magazine: The Rise of the Jewish Grocer – Tablet Magazine
- The American Murdered in the 1929 Hebron Massacre. Surprising his non-religious family, Memphis-born David Shainberg, 23, left Wharton School of Business to learn Torah in the Land of Israel in 1928. Read his story from Aish: The American Murdered in the 1929 Hebron Massacre | Aish
- How one Jewish geneticist turned a family tragedy into a lifesaving mission. American Heart Month is an appropriate time to learn how genetic testing can protect your family. n Jewish communities, conversations about genetic risks often focus on BRCA mutations and breast cancer. But this American Heart Month, it’s time to spotlight another critical risk: genetic heart disease. Read the story from The Forward: How one Jewish geneticist turned tragedy into a lifesaving mission – The Forward
- The Best Mezuzahs For a Nursery or Kids’ Room. Spruce up the door of your child’s room with these mezuzahs that feature rainbows, adorable lions and even something for the avid gamer. Whether you’ve just had a baby, are moving into a new home, sending your kid to a new bedroom in the house, or if you’re looking for a thoughtful gift, Kveller collected 18 mezuzahs that are perfect for any child’s room. Read the story: The Best Mezuzahs For a Nursery or Kids’ Room – Kveller
- Are you aware of the Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Educational Foundation? Empowering through Holocaust education. The only organization granting funds for Holocaust education to schools nationwide. Read more: Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Education Foundation | Empowering Through Holocaust Education
- Was the Jewish Bronx, New York the ‘paradise’ that it seemed? In 1930, the Bronx was 50% Jewish. That heyday fell approximately between the arrival of paving in the 1910s and the completion of the Cross Bronx Expressway in 1963. Read the Bronx story from JTA: Was the Jewish Bronx the ‘paradise’ that it seemed? – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
- 20 Black Jews You Should Know. From Yiddish theater to the rabbinate, Black Jews have risen to prominence and enriched all aspects of Jewish and American life. Black Jews have lived and made history in the United States and Canada since the 17th century. According to W.E B. Du Bois’ A Chronicle of Race Relations, the first Jewish resident of New England was Sollomon, a Black Jew who arrived in New England in 1668. Read the story from My Jewish Learning: 20 Black Jews You Should Know | My Jewish Learning
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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.