News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture
Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
- Two new free Jewish genealogy databases available from The Jewish Board (celebrating 150 years of care). National Desertion Bureau Card Catalog Database, 1911-1935 https://150yearsofcare.org/ndb-database/The National Desertion Bureau, established in New York in 1911, tracked down men who abandoned their families. Users can search the database and request full case files from YIVO Archives at no cost. 2. United Hebrew Charities Recipients & Donors, 1869-1877 https://150yearsofcare.org/uhc-recipients/ Features 1,231 recipients and donor lists from this pioneering Jewish charitable organization, offering fascinating glimpses into 19th-century German and Central European Jewish immigrant life. The database includes an interactive map for exploring the data geographically.
- New Resource to Find Holocaust Survivors–Often With Family Information. Ancestry recently added two new data sets (with data from the Arolsen Archives but much more nicely indexed and user-friendly to search) that document Holocaust survivors–and sometimes their relatives who didn’t survive (including mothers’ maiden names). This is called the Ancestry’s Registration of Liberated Former Persecutees, 1945-1950 collection. The other is from Ancestry via Arolsen Archives: is: Germany, Lists from Displaced Persons Camps, 1938-1985. Read more about these two lists from Lara Diamond’s Jewnealogy: Lara’s Jewnealogy: New Resource to Find Holocaust Survivors–Often With Family Information
- TheGenealogist Releases Over 330,000 Historic Wills and Probate Records Across England and Scotland Spanning 500 Years. These valuable records are great for historians trying to push their tree back, with records spanning 500 years from the 14th century up to the 19th century. They provide a remarkable glimpse into the lives, legacies, and legal affairs of past generations. TheGenealogist is a subscription site which you can access here: The Genealogist: Search Census, Births, Marriages, Deaths, Parish Records, Non-Conformist Records, Directories, Military Records, Wills & more!
- US Census Bureau Releases Initial Plan for Conducting the 2030 Census. The U.S. Census Bureau released its first version of the 2030 Census Operational Plan, which outlines the framework to conduct the nation’s next decennial population and housing count. The document, known as “Baseline 1,” includes details on strategic goals, testing phases, and operational innovations, adapted from the 2020 plan to improve accuracy and efficiency. To read more go to: 2030 Census. Thanks to Jan Meisels Allen, Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee for sharing this information.
- Archaeologists have discovered the foundations of a medieval synagogue in Rothenburg ob der Tauber in southern Germany. A major center of Jewish scholarship in the middle ages, the synagogue was used until a pogrom in 1349 devastated the Jewish community. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: Germany: Archaeologists discover foundations of medieval synagogue in Rothenburg ob der Tauber – Jewish Heritage Europe
- Roman-era gold jewelry found at Hippos National Park testifies to wealth of city likely visited by Jesus. Although found out of context, unearthed ring and earrings shed light on ancient Galilean affluence in the first centuries of the Common Era. Read the story from The Times of Israel: Roman-era gold jewelry found at Hippos testifies to wealth of city likely visited by Jesus | The Times of Israel
- ‘Extraordinary’ 600-year-old Ethiopian Jewish texts to be unveiled to general public. Newly digitized copies of the Orit – containing the first five books of the Torah as well as Joshua, Judges and Ruth – are ‘only the tip of the iceberg’, says Tel Aviv University. Read the story from Jewish News UK: ‘Extraordinary’ 600 year old Ethiopian Jewish texts to be unveiled to general public – Jewish News
- Restoration of the synagogue in Čekiškė, Lithuania will proceed, with an agreement between the Kaunas Jewish community and civic authorities. It will become a cultural center. Jews settled in Čekiškė in the 17th century and before World War I made up 60 percent of the population. The red brick synagogue is believed to have been built at the end of the 19th century. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2025/07/24/lithuania-update-cekiske/
- This northern Norway city has adopted a one-of-a-kind approach to observing Shabbat. If ever there was a synagogue that’s earned the right to throw itself a birthday shindig, it’s this elegant and intriguing house of worship in central Norway only 220 miles south of the Arctic Circle. With a population of about 200,000, Trondheim is Norway’s third-largest city, behind Oslo and Bergen. The city was founded in the year 997 and was Norway’s capital during the Viking Age. Read the story from The Forward: This northern Norway city has adopted a one-of-a-kind approach to observing Shabbat – The Forward
- After reading Torah on Shabbat in every US state, Mike Segal now chanting his way across Canada. “When I set out on the quest, I wasn’t even positive if it was possible, or how long it would take me,” Segal told JNS of what became a 10-year mission. Read his story from JNS: After reading Torah on Shabbat in every US state, Mike Segal now chanting his way across Canada – JNS.org
- When an unsung Indian helped Austrian Jews escape the Nazis. In the shadow of Hitler’s 1938 annexation of Austria, Kundanlal, a machine tool manufacturer from Ludhiana city in the northern state of Punjab, quietly offered Jewish professional’s jobs in India to get them life-saving visas. He offered work, provided livelihood and build homes for those families in India. Read his story from the BBC: When an unsung Indian helped Austrian Jews escape the Nazis
- Football fans restore grave of British goalkeeper who defied the Nazis. Jack Kirby stood alone in refusing to salute Hitler in 1934. Now, 90 years on, supporters have honored his legacy; Read more and see the picture from Jewish News UK: Football fans restore grave of British goalkeeper who defied the Nazis – Jewish News
- How a trailblazing Jewish scientist is still revolutionizing the world of astronomy. Chile’s Vera Rubin observatory is named for the astronomer who changed the way we think about how galaxies move. Read more from The Forward: How Vera Rubin is still revolutionizing astronomy – The Forward
- Why Jews bury books like they bury the dead. Every year, a rabbi gathers with his congregation to bury torn prayer books and worn-out Torah scrolls. It’s a quiet ritual — but one that carries the full weight of Jewish reverence for the sacred. This tradition of sacred storage is called Shemot LeGenizah. The word genizah means “hiding place” — a kind of holy storage room. The most famous genizah in history was discovered in the 1750s, tucked inside the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo. Read more from The Forward: Genizah: The ancient Jewish practice of burying holy books – The Forward
- Speaking of burial… A 100,000-year-old burial site in Israel is changing what we know about early humans. Archaeologists believe they have found one of the oldest burial sites in the world at a cave in Israel, where the well-preserved remains of early humans dating back some 100,000 years were carefully arranged in pits. Read the story from the AP: A cave in Israel has one of the world’s oldest-known burial sites | AP News
- Ask the Expert: Blue Strings On Tzitzit. Why do some Jews wear tzitzit woven with a blue string? Find out the answer from My Jewish Learning: Ask the Expert: Blue Strings On Tzitzit | My Jewish Learning
- Why Bard College’s orchestra performed Mendelssohn at the site of Hitler’s Nuremberg rallies. For conductor (and Bard’s president) Leon Botstein, the son of Holocaust survivors, the mission wasn’t only about the past. Read the story from The Forward: Why Bard College’s orchestra performed Mendelssohn at the site of Hitler’s Nuremberg rallies – The Forward
- 19 Great Jewish Sayings. From the Talmud to David Ben Gurion, a collection of meaningful Jewish quotes. Read about them from Aish: 19 Great Jewish Sayings | Aish
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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.