News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture
Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
- MyHeritage LiveMemory™ on the web is now live! LiveMemory™ uses cutting-edge AI to turn full photos into video clips. You can let it automatically reenact the scene or choose from fun effects. Read and see more from their blog: New: LiveMemory™ Now Available on the MyHeritage Website – MyHeritage Blog
- New, Unusual Database Now Available: Former KGB Archives -Ukraine, Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 Miriam Weiner and The Routes to Roots Foundation invite you to search the Surname Database at rtrfoundation.org. This collection consists of more than 60,000 entries and each search result includes: surname, given name, father’s name, date of birth, town/region of birth, date of death, military rank, detention camp (original name) and detention camp (Russian name).Be sure to also review the Collection Description. Ukraine – Prisoners of War, 1939-1945.pdf
- Uncovering America’s Forgotten War With Newly Digitized Korean War Draft Cards. Ancestry has collaborated with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to make important record collections searchable and viewable online for the first time. This has resulted in the online publication of two million newly digitized Korean War-era draft cards from 17 states and territories featuring information like the names, birthdates, next of kin details, previous service information, and physical descriptions of men aged 18-25 who were eligible to be drafted from 1948 to 1959. Search at: S., Korean War Era Draft Cards, 1948-1959 – Ancestry
- FamilyTreeDNA and WikiTree Collaboration – In Two Easy Steps. FamilyTreeDNA has announced a second option for tree connections for their customers – WikiTree. Read more from DNA Explained: FamilyTreeDNA and WikiTree Collaboration – In Two Easy Steps!! | DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy
- Have You Heard About or Used The Jacobi Papers…Genealogical Studies of Leading Ashkenazi Families? Paul J. Jacobi (1911–1997) was a doyen of Jewish genealogy and spent half a century meticulously investigating lineages of leading Ashkenazi, mainly rabbinic, families. These erudite volumes are the product of his labor. Running to 2,298 pages in all, and containing countless family trees going back many centuries, they are a cornucopia of genealogical knowledge and data of relevance to all family historians and scholars working in various disciplines on Ashkenazi Jewry. Read more and search the Surname Index for mentions of specific families: Jacobi Papers – iijg Thanks to Sallyann Sack for reminding me of this excellent Jewish genealogy resource.
- Using the Newspapers.com Map Feature. The map feature allows you to see what newspapers are available by zooming into a specific area. This can be very helpful as city and county lines tended to change over time, and if your ancestor lived near a state line or country border, you may find them mentioned in papers from that nearby state or country. To read more go to their blog: Using the Newspapers.com Map Feature – The official blog of Newspapers.com
- Top 5 Reasons for Genealogy. Genealogy, the study of family history and lineage, is more than just a hobby—it’s a way to connect with the past, understand the present, and preserve the future. Whether you’re just starting your journey or you’re an experienced researcher, there are numerous reasons why genealogy is both rewarding and valuable. Here are the top five reasons to delve into your family history, complete with detailed explanations and examples to inspire your research. Top 5 Reasons to Start Exploring Your Family History – Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family:Family History and Genealogy
- With Albert Einstein safe in NJ, how vengeful Nazis hunted down his cousin Robert. In the summer of 1937, Robert Einstein — cousin of the world-famous scientist, Albert — purchased Il Focardo, an elegant, 250 acre estate and beige-stuccoed villa surrounded by olive trees and fields of wheat, 15 miles southeast of the Italian city of Florence. In 1944 however, the family’s blissful existence was shattered in the closing hours of the Nazi occupation when a unit of German soldiers brutally murdered Robert’s family. Read the story from The Times of Israel: With Albert Einstein safe in NJ, how vengeful Nazis hunted down his cousin Robert | The Times of Israel
- Sabotaging the German V-2 Rocket. Jewish slave laborers were brought to the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp, a satellite of Buchenwald, where they were forced to build the V-2 ballistic rocket, the brainchild of aerospace engineer Werner von Braun who was then working for the Nazis. Around 60,000 prisoners passed through the Mittelbau camps between August 1943 and March 1945. Two hundred Jewish inmates chose to sabotage the creation of the V-2 bomb. Read the story from Aish: Sabotaging the German V-2 Rocket | Aish
- Enigmatic bronze lion heads found in 1,900-year-old tomb in central Israel. Discovered near Kfar Saba, the ornate coffin fittings may hint at ties to pagan cults — or a Roman soldier’s final journey. Read more from The Times of Israel: Enigmatic bronze lion heads found in 1,900-year-old tomb in central Israel | The Times of Israel
- Students at Jewish Day School Create Traveling Holocaust Museum. Students at the Jewish Community Day School of Boston, located in Watertown, packed years of facts, artifacts and personal experiences into six small suitcases and a jewelry case to create a traveling Holocaust museum. Read their story from Watertown News: Students at Jewish Day School Create Traveling Holocaust Museum | Watertown News
- Swiss museum reaches deal to keep Gauguin work sold by Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. French master’s 1884 ‘The Street’ is one of five originally Jewish-owned works removed by Kunsthaus Zurich that were looted or sold under duress and swept up by German arms dealer. Read more from The Times of Israel: Swiss museum reaches deal to keep Gauguin work sold by Jews fleeing Nazi Germany | The Times of Israel
- For this Persian Jewish casino magnate in Nevada, Israel is part of the deal. Atlantis Casino Resort Spa CEO John Farahi’s journey from Tehran to Reno. For John Farahi, a proud Persian Jew and chief executive of the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, the casino business is about more than generating profit for his shareholders — it’s also about promoting Israel and Jewish values in this corner of the American West. Read more from The Forward: Persian Jewish casino owner from Iran stands with Israel – The Forward
- Meet the world’s foremost — and perhaps only — collector of Jewish seltzer bottles. Moshe Manies has hundreds of vintage seltzer bottles adorned with Jewish symbols in his garage in Lakewood, NJ. Seltzer, the fizzy drink that’s been called “Jewish champagne,” has played an important role in the history of Jewish New York ever since Eastern European Jews began making, delivering and selling it in the early 1900s, largely on the Lower East Side. Read about his collection from New York Jewish Week: Meet the world’s foremost — and perhaps only — collector of Jewish seltzer bottles – New York Jewish Week Editor’s note: You will note in this article the picture of a seltzer case with the phone number of Lakewood 6-0327. Ironically, this case was from relatives of mine…brothers from Lithuania, Jake & Morris Jacobson who had a seltzer manufacturing company in Lakewood, NJ.
- Like Jews of yore, huddled masses gather upon an island, yearning to breathe free and eat good food. On Governors Island, The Great Nosh reimagined the classics and provided a break from the tsuris. Read about this “adventure” from The Forward: As in times of yore, Jews gathered upon an island to eat good food – The Forward
- Jewish-American Cuisine for July 4th Celebration. When it comes to celebrating July 4th, Americans embrace their diverse heritage by combining flavors and traditions from various cultures. This year let’s embark on a culinary adventure that marries Jewish cuisine with the all-American spirit. Read the story from Aish: Jewish-American Cuisine for July 4th Celebration | Aish
- Saraf, Wolf makes NBA history as Brooklyn Nets draft Israeli duo. The pair are the first players from the Jewish state to ever join the same team in the world’s top basketball league. Read the story from JNS: Saraf, Wolf make NBA history as Brooklyn Nets draft Israeli duo – JNS.org
- Mazel Tov! This year’s Preserving Memory Awards are presented to honor non-Jewish Poles, including 2 young children, who preserve, protect, and promote Jewish cultural heritage and memory. Over the years some 300 or so people and organizations, mostly volunteers and mostly from small, far-flung towns in Poland, have been honored for activities ranging from cleaning up Jewish cemeteries to running Jewish museums to carrying out school projects on Jewish history and memory. Read about them from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2025/06/29/poland2025-preserving-memory-awards/
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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.