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The Weekly News Nosh – July 13, 2025

Jul 13, 2025 | Nosh

News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture

Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

  1. MyHeritage Adds 1.25 Billion Historical Records across 21 collections in June 2025. While many are updates to existing collections, the real treasure lies in the new additions, especially in newspapers and census records. From Australia to Estonia, France to the U.S., these updates span a wide range of countries and record types. Read more from their blog: MyHeritage Adds 1.25 Billion Historical Records in June 2025 – MyHeritage Blog
  2. FamilySearch: New Free Historical Records from 8 Countries | July 2025 Update. FamilySearch expanded its free online archives with over 30 million new records from 8 countries. Some exciting additions include 16 million civil registrations from Italy, 5 million cemetery records from Brazil, and nearly 1 million deceased physician records from the American Medical Association (AMA). More from their blog: New Free Historical Records from 8 Countries | July 2025 Update
  3. IGRA’s Databases Release for June 2025. IGRA has added three new databases and updated three others, adding over 37,782 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.  Before viewing and searching the databases, please register for free on the IGRA website: http://genealogy.org.il/ After registering you can search for family records in their search engine: https://genealogy.org.il/AID/
  4. LitvakSIG 2nd quarter updates are live. Included in this update is an extensive family list for Paberze (Podbrzezie) containing over 8,000 entries. Elsewhere in the 33,875 records in this update are student lists from two gymnasia in Vilnius; more Kaunas passport envelopes (supporting documentation for internal passport applications); Palestine emigration records from the Zionist organization office in Kaunas; a lengthy list of Jewish taxpayers in Vilnius in 1930; several lists of Jewish owners of real estate in Vilnius from the 1930s; batch 20 of the Vilnius household registers; and more. To search go to: LitvakSIG |
  5. Relatives Who Lived in Ireland? Virtual records unveil lost history of Ireland. Genealogical riches from every county of the island of Ireland feature among 175,000 new historical records which are now available online. For the first time there are now 60,000 names on the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland from the 1821 census which was destroyed in 1922. The Four Courts blaze destroyed the Public Record Office of Ireland, and with it seven centuries of Irish history. Read more from the BBC: Irish genealogy: New virtual records unveil lost history
  6. Vast scanning project adds WWII newspapers to its searchable database. Newspapers are an incredible resource when researching the lives of relatives and ancestors during WWII. More than 200,000 pages of newspapers can be found on the Pages of Victory database, which involved the collaboration with the Russian National Electronic Library, the Russian State Library and other libraries. Pages of Victory has central newspapers (official government newspapers), frontline newspapers (military reports and stories), regional newspapers (localized news during the war) and partisan newspapers (newspapers used to inform citizens against the German invaders) that were printed in areas now in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
  7. Finding US Newspapers for Genealogy Research. Included is a Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries as well as Newspaper Research Tips. Read and discover more: 🗞️ Extra! Extra! Read About US Newspapers for Genealogy Research
  8. How Many Generations Back is 2% DNA? Did you get 2% of a region on your DNA results? If you want to learn how you may have inherited this region, how far back to look for your ancestor, and how to trace it, this simple to understand article is for you. How Many Generations Back is 2% DNA? – Who are You Made Of?
  9. What are DNA Matches By Cluster on Ancestry? Have you tried the Ancestry DNA matches by cluster tool? In this post, learn how you can automatically cluster your Ancestry matches, and how this can help you. What are DNA Matches By Cluster on Ancestry – Who are You Made Of?
  10. Finding Your Roots’ Henry Louis Gates Jr. Presents Pope Leo with Family Tree, Confirming His Surprising Celebrity Relatives. Henry Louis Gates Jr., who hosts ‘Finding Your Roots’ on PBS, confirmed Pope Leo XIV is related to Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Justin Bieber, and Hilary Clinton, among others. Read the story from People: Finding Your Roots’ Henry Louis Gates Jr. Confirms Pope Leo’s Celebrity Relatives
  11. Yiddish Book Center Launches Universal Yiddish Library in Beta. Landmark Partnership Unites Over 60,000 Yiddish Book Records in a Single Searchable Catalog. It will bring together the Yiddish book collections of four major institutions: the Yiddish Book Center, the National Library of Israel (NLI), the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and the New York Public Library (NYPL). Read more about this endeavor: Yiddish Book Center Launches Universal Yiddish Library in Beta | Yiddish Book Center
  12. A two-year scientific inventory survey of Jewish heritage in Alsace, France is underway, focusing on the region’s more than 120 synagogues. Results of the research and photographs are being made available to the public on the Open Heritage Platform of the Ministry of Culture culture.gouv.frand on the cultural heritage portal of the Grand Est Region. Read more about this inventory on Jewish Heritage Europe: France: A two-year scientific inventory survey of Jewish heritage in Alsace is underway, focusing on the region’s more than 120 synagogues – Jewish Heritage Europe
  13. How to Find an Obituary for a Specific Person. An obituary is a great source for genealogical information. If you need to find an obituary for a specific person, there is a good chance that you can find it online. In this post, learn how to find obituaries. Read how: How to Find an Obituary for a Specific Person – Who are You Made Of?
  14. WWII Looted Art… Turning History Into Justice. The Third Reich’s Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, or ERR, was the main agency during WWII involved in the systematic looting of cultural treasures in Nazi-occupied countries. Hitler ordered that all looted art be placed at his personal disposal. Following the war’s end, 39 photographic albums were found depicting cultural works the Nazis had seized. The Monuments Men were members of a special unit of Allied soldiers during World War II. Their mission: Protect cultural property from destruction and damage by Allied forces and to find and save works of art and other cultural artifacts that the Nazis had seized. Read and see more: World War II Looted Art: Turning History into Justice — Google Arts & Culture
  15. The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück. Heroines of the French Resistance were deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Women were some of the most active and effective members of the French Resistance. Established in 1938 before World War II broke out, the Ravensbrück concentration camp was one of the largest concentration camps inside Germany and was the largest one dedicated entirely to imprisoning women. Read the story from Aish: The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück | Aish
  16. Belarus takes steps to establish a national Holocaust and resistance museum. Institution in Novogrudok will memorialize 11,000 victims of Nazi atrocities and 250 ghetto prisoners who dug their way to freedom. Read the story from Jewish News UK: Belarus takes steps to establish a national Holocaust and resistance museum – Jewish News
  17. New AI-guided tour shows visitors occupied Amsterdam through Anne Frank’s eyes. ‘We created this product to bring Anne Frank closer to more people,’ says project’s director; tour takes 4-mile route around Dutch capital, gives immersive view of life under Nazis. Read more from The Times of Israel: New AI-guided tour shows visitors occupied Amsterdam through Anne Frank’s eyes | The Times of Israel
  18. The hunt is on to recover a 316-year-old Stradivarius violin and return it to the descendants of the Jewish family it was stolen from near the end of World War II. The 316-year-old ‘small Mendelssohn’, missing since 1945, may have since been living a double life as ‘Stella’ in Japan, prompting a debate over ownership. Read more from The Times: Has Stradivarius stolen in WWII been hiding in plain sight?
  19. Donkey bone study unlocks how Canaanites hauled ass from Egypt 4,700 years ago. Isotope teeth analysis from donkey skeletons at Gath shows valuable female asses were imported for ritual burial under homes, whereas local animals were butchered and eaten. They were found in Tell es-Safi/Gath, a site in modern-day central Israel,  A millennium and some centuries later, the city became well-known as the birthplace of the Philistine giant and King David’s nemesis, Goliath. Read the story from The Times of Israel: Donkey bone study unlocks how Canaanites hauled ass from Egypt 4,700 years ago | The Times of Israel
  20. NY’s rural 120-year-old ‘Peddlers’ Synagogue’ charts new path — without a congregation. Beth Joseph in the Adirondack Mountains is a monument to Jews’ role on the American frontier. Those with ties to its former Jewish community will gather to honor its birthday. Read more from The Times of Israel: NY’s rural 120-year-old ‘Peddlers’ Synagogue’ charts new path — without a congregation | The Times of Israel
  21. Just south of the Arctic, 100-year-old Norwegian synagogue has unique approach to Shabbat. Now celebrating its centennial, the Trondheim Synagogue has so far survived the Nazis, modern antisemitism, geographical isolation — and some particular halachic challenges. Read more from The Times of Israel: Just south of the Arctic, 100-year-old Norwegian synagogue has unique approach to Shabbat | The Times of Israel
  22. This town lost most of its Jews. But not its Judaism. A century-old Orthodox synagogue in a Rust Belt town lost most of its congregation, its rabbis, and almost everything else — but not its daily minyan. Read more from The Forward: Gemilas Chesed in Pennsylvania persists despite losses – The Forward
  23. 10 Jewish things you probably didn’t know about Superman Yes, the man from Krypton’s creators were Jewish, but do you know which biblical figures he was modeled after? You probably know that Superman was the brainchild of two Jewish teenagers, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who borrowed elements from Jewish tradition and culture to create their character. Most famously, his Kryptonian surname “El” means “god” in Hebrew and his origin story is basically that of Moses. Read more from The Forward: 10 Jewish things you probably didn’t know about Superman – The Forward
  24. Jewish Culture- Beyond Seinfeld: 5 Jewish Comedians Who Ruled the ’90s. Here are five great Jewish comedians of the 1990s that aren’t Jerry Seinfeld. From Aish: Beyond Seinfeld: 5 Jewish Comedians Who Ruled the ’90s | Aish
  25. Jaws’ has been secretly Jewish for half a century. The documentary ‘Jaws @ 50’ dives into Steven Spielberg’s agony and ecstasy on the open sea. For example, a conspicuous head covering in an early crowd scene, a man in a beige polo and checked shorts is wearing a blue kippah. But that’s just skimming the surface of the film’s Yiddishkeit! Read more from The Forward: ‘Jaws’ has been secretly Jewish for half a century – The Forward
  26. He’s back: Larry David teams up with the Obamas to create new TV comedy series about American history. The production combo sounds prettay, prettay, prettay good. Just in time for America’s 250th Anniversary! Read more from The Forward: He’s back: Larry David teams up with the Obamas to create new TV comedy series about American history – The Forward
  27. The Tale of Elaine Yoneda, a Jewish Woman in a Japanese American Concentration Camp. The Strange Fate of Mixed-Race Families in American Prisons During World War II. Read more from The Literary Hub: The Tale of Elaine Yoneda, a Jewish Woman in a Japanese American Concentration Camp ‹ Literary Hub
  28. In first, Israeli researchers develop mRNA jab against antibiotic-resistant bacterium. Scientists from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Institute of Biological Research say their vaccine uses lipid nanoparticles and shows 100% protection in animal models. Note: While not genealogy in nature, as a 4th generation pharmacist by training, this story was of particular interest to me and should be to you as well for our future health because of antibiotic resistant infections and millions dying each year: In first, Israeli researchers develop mRNA jab against antibiotic-resistant bacterium | The Times of Israel
  29. He was one of the greatest Jewish soccer players who ever lived — pity you probably haven’t heard of him. Rinus Israël, who has died at 83, was the first Dutchman — and the first Jew — to lift the European Cup. Although he remains little known beyond the country of his birth, Rinus Israël was one of history’s great Jewish soccer players. In 1970, as captain of Feyenoord, Israël was the first Dutchman — and the first Jew — to lift the European Cup (the equivalent of today’s Champions League trophy). Read more about him from The Forward: Was Rinus Israël our greatest Jewish soccer star? – The Forward

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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.