News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture
Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
- Have you Checked out World Jewish Relief for Documents? World Jewish Relief’s Case Files were lost and forgotten, until a chance discovery revealed a treasure trove of documents detailing the extraordinary help the charity gave to Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. Now, they are returning these documents to families, revealing fascinating details of your family history. They have the names of over 315,000 people, as well as records for the 65,000 refugees they supported in the 1930s and 40s. Go to: Archives – Your Family History | World Jewish Relief USA
- Free Master List of 70+ German Records Websites. Websites include links to over 70 professional genealogy websites tailored for researching your German-speaking ancestors, no matter what region they came from. Prussia, Germans from Russia, present-day Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Alsace- Lorraine, and more are all included. Go to: Master List of German Records Websites – Germanology Unlocked
- Giving Your Ancestor a Voice: A Creative AI Test for Preserving Family History. What if your ancestors could speak to you? Not just through letters, photos, or census records—but in their own voice, telling their story in 30 seconds or less? In a recent AI experiment: combining real ancestor research with cutting-edge (and free!) AI tools to create short, emotionally engaging ancestor videos. These clips aim to preserve and share family stories in a way that’s fast, fun, and surprisingly powerful. Read more: How to Use AI to Bring Your Ancestors’ Stories to Life in 30 Seconds or Less – Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family:Family History and Genealogy
- Israel Genealogy Research Association’s New Databases – May 2025. IGRA has added three new databases and updated three others, adding over 49,712 new listings, 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. To see more go to: IGRA’s New Databases – May 2025 – Israel Genealogy Research Association
- The history of the Jews – told through 100 objects. To mark its centenary, the YIVO Institute in New York has used a tiny fraction of its vast collection of artefacts to condense the Jewish story into a coffee-table book. Read and see more from the Jewish Chronicle: The history of the Jews – told through 100 objects – The Jewish Chronicle – The Jewish Chronicle
- Looking for Old Maps? Try Shop Old-Maps.com Reproductions of town maps, nautical charts, topographic maps, county maps, state maps, fire insurance maps, geological maps and more!
- FamilySearch digitizes 760,000 Dominican Republic images for National Archives. This initiative significantly enhances access to family history information for citizens and researchers alike. The history of the Jews in the Dominican Republic goes back to the late 1400s, with the arrival of Sephardic Jews exiled from Spain and the Mediterranean area in 1492 and 1497. This was followed by new waves of migrants dating from the 1700s and again in the period before and during World War II, reaching a peak in the late 1930s and early 1940s, as Jewish refugees fled the conditions in Europe brought on by WWII. Read more from Dominican Today: The Church of Jesus Christ and FamilySearch digitize 760,000 images for National Archives and Wikipedia: History of the Jews in the Dominican Republic – Wikipedia
- Free Download – AI Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) Tool. This tool can transcribe thousands of images in a single batch, without the need for user intervention. It is generally not meant to provide 100% accurate transcriptions, as AI transcriptions are still not perfect, but it is designed to make large collections of documents more readable at a glance. Read more about this tool: Free Download – AI Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) Tool » Genea
- Juneteenth and the Jews. Three ways Jews helped shape this unique American holiday. Juneteenth is both one of the oldest – and newest – American holidays. Designated an official federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth refers to June 19, the date in 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger marched into Texas and began enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, freeing all slaves in the United States. Read more from Aish: Juneteenth and the Jews | Aish
- Before the Hatred: When Iran and Israel Were Allies. Before today’s bitter conflict, Iran and Israel were close allies—sharing oil, intelligence, and friendship. This is the lost chapter the world rarely remembers. Long before modern states, the friendship between Persians and Jews stretched back millennia. King Cyrus the Great is honored in Jewish tradition for liberating the Jews from Babylonian exile and allowing them to rebuild the Second Temple. Read the story from Aish: Before the Hatred: When Iran and Israel Were Allies | Aish
- What is lifelike currently for Jews in Iran? The country is home to a longstanding Jewish community, with at least a dozen active synagogues in the capital city of Tehran, mikvahs, kosher butchers, a Jewish library, and even a Jewish newspaper. Estimates range from 9,000 to 20,000 Jews currently living in Iran. Read more from The Forward: As Israel attacks, Jews in Iran navigate conflict – The Forward
- Jews of Kurdistan: 10 Facts. Jews lived in thriving Kurdish communities for thousands of years. For much of Kurdish history, Jews were an integral part of life. Persecuted in much of the Middle East, Jewish towns and villages flourished in Kurdish lands. Here are ten little known facts about Jews from Kurdish lands in the past and today. Read the story from Aish: Jews of Kurdistan: 10 Facts | Aish
- 87 Genealogists Reveal What They Wish They Knew Before Starting. Read their 13 great points from Genealogy Explained: 87 Genealogists Reveal What They Wish They Knew Before Starting – Genealogy Explained
- Bonhmas expects Einstein letter about atom bomb to fetch at least $100,000. The typed letter, which the Jewish physicist corrected and signed by hand, addresses “my participation in the atom bomb project.” Read the story from JNS: Bonhmas expects Einstein letter about atom bomb to fetch at least $100,000 – JNS.org
- What would you do with gold teeth said to be from Holocaust victims? Bintel says you’ll never be certain of their origin. But what to do with them is clear. Read the story from The Forward: What would you do with gold teeth said to be from Holocaust victims? – The Forward
- An Alabama millionaire offered Jews $50,000 to move to his town. 16 years later, what’s left? Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El synagogue made national headlines with a bold plan to revive Jewish life. Read the story from The Forward: Dothan, Alabama, paid Jews to move there. What happened next? – The Forward
- North Dakota’s New Mikvah Returns Pillar of Jewish Life to Northern Plains… the first one for more than half a century. Fargo’s new mikvah follows in the footsteps of Jewish pioneers. Read more from Chabad: North Dakota’s New Mikvah Returns Pillar of Jewish Life to Northern Plains – Fargo’s new mikvah follows in the footsteps of Jewish pioneers – Chabad.org
- In Brooklyn, you can party like it’s the Borscht Belt in 1963. The Neighborhood, a cultural hub for Brooklyn Jews, hosts “Catskills, BK: Dirtier Dancing,” a retro rooftop party at the Moxy Hotel in Williamsburg. Check out the story from New York Jewish Week: In Brooklyn, you can party like it’s the Borscht Belt in 1963 – New York Jewish Week
- United Kingdom’s Mitzvah Day celebrates 20 years as it aims to ‘build bridges.’ People are being encouraged to make connections between faith communities, so that Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and those of all religions and backgrounds can come together and build “essential, genuine and long-lasting relationships”. It is also about “building bridges” for the future – passing down the values of tikkun olam (repairing the world), gemilut chasadim (acts of kindness) and tzedek (justice) from one generation to the next. Read more from the Jewish Chronicle: Mitzvah Day celebrates 20 years as it aims to ‘build bridges’ – The Jewish Chronicle – The Jewish Chronicle
- German soldiers help clean-up a Jewish cemetery in Lithuania. About 150 soldiers from the German Bundeswehr’s 45th Panzer Brigade joined members of the Maceva Jewish cemetery preservation group to clean up the old Jewish cemetery and Holocaust monument in Merkinė, in southeast Lithuania. The brigade (also called the Lithuanian Brigade) has been stationed in Lithuania, and the initiative is believed to have been the first time that German soldiers have taken care of Jewish heritage in such a way. The Jews buried in Merkinė don’t have families to tend their graves because their families were exterminated. Read the story from Jewish Heritage Europe: New Have Your Say by Sergey Kanovich: “Brothers and Sisters in Arms, of Memory. ” German soldiers help clean-up a Jewish cemetery in Lithuania – Jewish Heritage Europe
- 10,000 free copies of ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ will be distributed to New Yorkers this summer. A special initiative of “Anne Frank: The Exhibition,” the giveaway is in honor of what would have been Frank’s 96th birthday. Read more from JTA: 10,000 free copies of ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ will be distributed to New Yorkers this summer – New York Jewish Week
###
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.