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The Weekly News Nosh – May 11, 2025

May 11, 2025 | Nosh

News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture

Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

A Happy, Healthy and Fun Mother’s Day to all of our Mothers, Grandmothers, and Great Grandmothers!… Phil Goldfarb

  1. IAJGS Early Bird Pricing Ends June 15th. The 45th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy is approaching quickly, and time is running out to take advantage of their early bird pricing. Join IAJGS to explore “And We Settled Here… The Jewish Journey” in Fort Wayne, Indiana. To register go to: Registration Now Open: Secure Your Spot at the 45th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy! – IAJGS
  2. MyHeritage Adds 105 Million Historical Records in April 2025. These records come from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Poland and Czechia. The collections include passenger and air arrival records, immigration records, draft and enlistment records, military awards and casualty lists, gravestones and memorials, land petitions, and pages from historical newspapers. Many of these collections also include images. Read more from their blog: MyHeritage Adds 105 Million Historical Records in April 2025 – MyHeritage Blog
  3. Ancestry Launches Document Transcription Feature. Ancestry announced the Beta launch of its new document transcription feature. This innovative tool can empower Ancestry members to easily read and preserve handwritten documents like journal entries and letters from the past. By transcribing these family treasures, you then help save these stories for future generations. Read more from their blog: Ancestry Launches Document Transcription Feature
  4. Discover’s Ancient Connections – How Are You Related? When FamilyTreeDNA released the new Mitotree, they also introduced their new mtDNA Discover tool, which is a series of 13 reports about each haplogroup, including one titled Ancient Connections. Read more from DNA Explained: Discover’s Ancient Connections – How Are You Related? | DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy
  5. Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) Releases more than 42,000 New Records in April 2025. GRA has added seven new databases and updated another, adding over 42,000 new records, many of them with images. With a variety of subjects, from immigration to military, from the Ottoman period to the Israel times after the British mandate. See more: IGRA Releases more than 42,000 New Records in April 2025 – Israel Genealogy Research Association
  6. Jews in the German Empire database with 515,171 people is now available. From the emancipation to the destruction of the former Jewish life in the years 1933-1945. This database presents the vital records and, in increasing numbers, the biographies of Jewish men and women of the 19th and 20th centuries who lived within the borders of the German Empire of 1914. These individuals are listed in widely ramified family groups, illustrated with pictures and documents, and supplemented with additional links to external sites. Go to: Online Local family database Jews in the German Reich
  7. The Other Promised Land: The Forgotten Jewish Exodus to Texas. Long before Israel became a state, a bold plan aimed to settle thousands of Russian Jews in Galveston, Texas. Assimilation nearly buried the story. Read the story from Aish: The Other Promised Land: The Forgotten Jewish Exodus to Texas | Aish
  8. National Archives New Online Genealogy Series Launches May 13. Join National Archives experts for their annual online Genealogy Series. This educational series will teach participants how to use federal resources at the National Archives for genealogical research. Sessions are intended for everyone, from beginners to experienced family historians. Lecture schedule, topic descriptions, videos, and handouts are available here: 2025 National Archives Genealogy Series | National Archives
  9. Nazi recording confirms Hitler ordered Holocaust. Newly revealed SS-officer tape provides direct evidence of Hitler’s explicit command for extermination of the Jews. Approximately 800 digital recordings and transcripts of Nazi criminals from after World War II were just revealed, including dramatic and disturbing testimonies that shed light on Nazi methods during the war and Holocaust and on their escape routes. Read the story from JNS: Nazi recording confirms Hitler ordered Holocaust – JNS.org
  10. Hitler’s Hat finds a home at NY State Military Museum. The hat was “liberated” from the Nazi dictator’s Munich apartment by a 19-year-old Jewish Soldier from Brooklyn on April 30, 1945. Read the story: Hitler’s Hat finds a home at NY State Military Museum | Article | The United States Army
  11. How the Jewish Chronicle reported Victory in Europe Day in 1945. Poetry, prayers and reports from the East End, Dachau and Tel Aviv marked our coverage 80 years ago. Read more from the JC: How the JC reported Victory in Europe Day in 1945 – The Jewish Chronicle – The Jewish Chronicle
  12. The living and the dead at Bergen-Belsen. To mark the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp in April 1945, read the eyewitness account of a young American soldier. Alexander Courtney was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army when he toured the newly liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany. The 20-year-old, who had been detached to work with British intelligence forces debriefing U.S. and British former prisoners of war, prepared this account for his superiors. Read more from The Albany Times Union: The living and the dead at Bergen-Belsen Thanks to The Weekly News Nosh reader Marian Price for passing this along to me!
  13. The Daring Polish Resistance Fighter Who Volunteered to Be Sent to Auschwitz So He Could Sabotage the Nazi Death Camp From the Inside. Witold Pilecki smuggled reports about Germany’s war crimes to the Allies, urging them to stop the atrocities at Auschwitz by bombing the camp. But his warnings went unheeded. Read more from the Smithsonian: The Daring Polish Resistance Fighter Who Volunteered to Be Sent to Auschwitz So He Could Sabotage the Nazi Death Camp From the Inside
  14. National Archives to Display Many of America’s Most Historic & Iconic Artifacts in New Exhibition Series in Washington, DC. Get up close to historic treasures with Opening the Vault. The National Archives will display some of the nation’s most historic treasures in a new exhibition at the National Archives Museum. Opening the Vault begins with ties to the American Revolution, celebrating and leading up to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. For the first time in many years, visitors will see iconic and historically valuable documents in the Rotunda within the National Archives Museum, highlighting moments and people that shaped American history. Read more and view virtually from their announcement: Opening the Vault | National Archives Museum
  15. To mark 80 years to Germany’s surrender, a war photographer chronicles Jewish WWII veterans. As Victory in Europe Day is celebrated on May 8, the stories of those who fought in the Red Army for freedom are captured in photos and interviews on the battles against Axis forces. Read more from The Times of Israel: To mark 80 years to Germany’s surrender, a war photographer chronicles Jewish WWII veterans | The Times of Israel
  16. How Jews shaped the Western — and how the Western shaped Jews along with How the Wild West was won (with the help of some little-known Jews). Read the story from The Forward: How Jews shaped the Western – The Forward
  17. History of Jews in Ireland. The People of the Book on the Emerald Isle. Jews have made their home in Ireland for centuries, and many have risen to be successful and prominent figures in politics, business, and theology. Read more from My Jewish Learning: History of Jews in Ireland | My Jewish Learning
  18. The Secret Jews of Mashhad, Iran. After a deadly pogrom in 1839, the surviving Jews of Mashhad, Persia were forcibly converted to Islam. They continued to observe Judaism in secret for several generations. Read the story from Aish: The Secret Jews of Mashhad, Iran | Aish
  19. Jewish Cemetery Clean-ups 2025 — Round-up #1. More than 50 initiatives in 14 countries. This also includes clean-up initiatives not limited to Jewish cemeteries, such as the cleaning of Stolpersteine – Stumbling Stones – in Prague, Czech Republic, and the clearing of Holocaust monuments in Lviv, Ukraine, and Gołdap, Poland. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2025/05/06/cemetery-cleanups-2025-1/
  20. Restoration work has been completed at the Jewish section of Rome’s historic, monumental Verano cemetery. The cemetery is Rome’s main Jewish cemetery, opened in the 1890s as a section of Verano, which was founded in the early 19th century. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2025/05/09/italy-verano/
  21. Have you Heard Of the SAPIR Journal? A quarterly journal of ideas for a thriving Jewish future. There are quite a few articles by theme that might be of interest to some of you. Go to: SAPIR Journal – A quarterly journal of ideas for a thriving Jewish future Thanks to Sallyann Sack for informing me about this site.
  22. When Jews Started Driving to Shul. They inadvertently shifted the whole map of Jewish life and stopped building community. When the Conservative movement allowed Jews to drive to synagogue on Shabbat in the 1950s, it was trying to solve a real problem. Families were moving to the suburbs. Synagogues were farther away. If people couldn’t walk, they wouldn’t come. Their solution? Let them drive—just to synagogue, just on Shabbat. It felt reasonable. It felt inclusive. But looking back, even the leaders who made that decision admitted it came with a cost they hadn’t foreseen. Read the story from Aish: When Jews Started Driving to Shul | Aish
  23. Josh Gad and the Berkowitz Brothers Explore Jewish Mythology, History, and Folklore. Their new comic book is a thrilling celebration of Jewish culture with captivating stories and illustrations. Read their story from Aish: Josh Gad and the Berkowitz Brothers Explore Jewish Mythology, History, and Folklore | Aish
  24. The secret Jewish history of Alcatraz. With all the talk this week in the U.S. of possibly opening Alcatraz again, read about its Jewish History. From The Forward: The secret Jewish history of Alcatraz – The Forward
  25. Jewish Brigham Young University QB Jake Retzlaff, Teammates Travel To Israel For First Time as part of Athletes For Israel. Read more: BYU QB Jake Retzlaff Travels To Israel For First Time

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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.