News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture
Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
- IAJGS2025 – Conference Program Recordings Now Available To Order. The Fleetwood Onsite offer includes over 34 presentations with 3 months’ cloud access and an additional 63 presentations on a USB drive. To find out if a session will be recorded, check the Program Schedule and look for the Suffix Codes and key. For more information, pricing and to order, go to: Program Recordings
- New JewishGen Resource – JewishGen’s Cemetery Discovery Project. JewishGen announced that they have become the new home for JewishGen’s Cemetery Discovery Project, formerly the IAJGS Cemetery Project. The project’s primary purpose is to find and document Jewish burial sites around the world. Sites may include Jewish cemeteries, Jewish sections of non-Jewish cemeteries, non-denominational cemeteries with Jewish burials, veterans’ cemeteries, etc. The burial sites may or may not still be operational. Put another way, if you want to find out if your town of interest has a Jewish burial place, their goal is that this database is the place to look. To learn more, go to: JewishGen’s Cemetery Discovery Project Thanks to Nolan Altman for his leadership in this project.
- LiveMemory™ Brings Your Photos to Life, Now with Fun New Effects and Improved AI Technology. MyHeritage has added 11 creative new effects to the feature that turns your family photos into short, animated video clips. From Selfie with Lincoln to Deep-sea Diver and Synchronized Dance, these additions bring even more personality and fun to your old family snapshots. Plus, the AI tech behind LiveMemory™ has been upgraded, so the animations now look more lifelike and stay truer to facial features. Read more from their blog: LiveMemory™ Brings Your Photos to Life, Now with Fun New Effects and Improved AI Technology – MyHeritage Blog
- Matches by Cluster is a new feature available to Ancestry Pro Tools members. Clusters are a powerful genetic genealogy tool that allows you to visualize, sort, and group your DNA matches so you can easily see how your matches are related to each other through DNA. Each group, or “cluster,” represents people who likely share the same common ancestor with you. DNA matches sharing between 65 and 1300 cM of DNA are grouped into grids so instead of looking at hundreds of individual DNA matches, you now have organized groups of matches. Read more from their blog: DNA Matches by Cluster
- Ancestry wants your dusty VHS tapes—and here’s why. By acquiring the home-movies-and-photos digitizer service iMemories, Ancestry wants to weave DNA, old home videos, and AI into personalized family films. Ancestry feels that subscribers who spend their money on DNA kits and pour their time into building family trees will be further enticed by visual storytelling that weaves all those details together. Read the story from Fast Company: Ancestry wants your dusty VHS tapes—and here’s why – Fast Company
- UK historian defies experts, discovers unknown Kindertransport records deep in Yad Vashem. Believed not to exist, records found in Jerusalem archives name 9,000 Jewish children saved in rescue operations out of Nazi-occupied Europe between 1938-1940. Read more from The Times of Israel: UK historian defies experts, discovers unknown Kindertransport records deep in Yad Vashem | The Times of Israel
- A Nazi Officer’s Daughter Becomes a Jewish Matriarch. Raised in a Nazi home during World War II, Hannah Sperber converted to Judaism and raised a Jewish family. Read her story from Aish: A Nazi Officer’s Daughter Becomes a Jewish Matriarch | Aish
- Reckonings: The Controversy behind Germany’s Reparations for Nazi Atrocities. A documentary unearths the explosive controversy over Holocaust reparations—fierce protests, political clashes, and a moral reckoning that split survivors, Israel, and postwar Germany apart. Read the story from Aish: Reckonings: The Controversy behind Germany’s Reparations for Nazi Atrocities | Aish
- The Jewish History of Rome. A comprehensive historical overview of Europe’s oldest Jewish community, from 161 BCE to today. Rome is Europe’s oldest Jewish community; Jews have lived there for over 2,000 years, often suffering terrible oppression and decrees. It is mentioned dozens of times in the Talmud and Midrash, ancient commentaries on Jewish texts. Read its story from Aish: The Jewish History of Rome | Aish
- The Tragic History of the Jews of Spain. A comprehensive overview of the persecution, scholarship and expulsion of the Jews of Spain. The earliest documented history of Spanish Jewry dates back at least 2,000 years to when the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem and took tens of thousands of Jews with them back to Europe, some of whom settled in Spain. Read more from Aish: The Tragic History of the Jews of Spain | Aish
- Archaeologists suggest there was a Jewish community and synagogue from the 4th-5th century CE in ancient Cástulo, Spain. These include three oil lamps decorated with menorahs, a ceramic lid inscribed with Hebrew inscriptions, and a fragment of a roof tile with a menorah motif. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: Spain: Archaeologists suggest there was a Jewish community and synagogue from the 4th-5th century CE in ancient Cástulo – Jewish Heritage Europe
- He grew up Christian. Now he’s sleeping in the synagogue that sparked his conversion. In a small Ohio town, a shuttered sanctuary sparked one man’s conversion — and a mission to preserve America’s overlooked Jewish past. Read his story from The Forward: Austin Albanese captures Jewish history, inspired by mystery – The Forward
- The Temple and its Destruction. A look into the psyche of ancient Judaism. On the ninth and 10th of the month of Av in the year 70, the Roman legions in Jerusalem smashed through the fortress tower of Antonia into the Holy Temple and set it afire. To many Jews, it appeared that Judaism itself was shattered beyond repair. Read the story from My Jewish Learning: The Temple and its Destruction | My Jewish Learning
- 12 Things To Know About the Temple in Jerusalem. On Tisha B’Av, Jews mourn the destruction of the Temple. But how much do you know about what it was really like? Read about the interesting 12 from My Jewish Learning: 12 Things To Know About the Temple in Jerusalem | My Jewish Learning
- Rare intact 5,500-year-old Canaanite blade workshop unearthed in southern Israel. The Early Bronze Age site of Nahal Qomem near Kiryat Gat presents hundreds of artifacts, shedding new light on trade specialization in ancient Canaan. Read more from The Times of Israel: Rare intact 5,500-year-old Canaanite blade workshop unearthed in southern Israel | The Times of Israel
- Tiny 2,600-year-old clay sealing inscribed with biblical name found in Temple Mount soil. Minuscule artifact discovered at the Jerusalem-based Temple Mount Sifting Project may reference an official who worked for King Josiah and who appears in II Kings and II Chronicles. Read more from The Times of Israel: Tiny 2,600-year-old clay sealing inscribed with biblical name found in Temple Mount soil | The Times of Israel
- The Memory Embrace memorial at the Brest-Litovsk Jewish cemetery is dedicated. It is made of rescued matzevot and fragments. Around 26,000 Jews lived in Brest before the Holocaust. The Jewish cemetery was demolished by the Nazis in 1941-42. Read more and see the pictures from Jewish Heritage Europe: Belarus Update: The Memory Embrace memorial at the Brest-Litovsk Jewish cemetery is dedicated. It is made of rescued matzevot and fragments – Jewish Heritage Europe
- Must-Know Jewish Death and Mourning Terms. Whether you’ve lost a loved one or are simply paying a shiva visit, these words and phrases are helpful to know. From My Jewish Learning: Must-Know Jewish Death and Mourning Terms | My Jewish Learning
- The 17th century synagogue in Łęczna, Poland empty for years, will be restored and adapted as an educational and cultural center. The synagogue in Łęczna was built in 1655. The grounds, which include a memorial made of matzevot, will also be developed, and a museum dedicated to local Jewish history and heritage will be created. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2025/07/30/poland-leczna/
- Istanbul, Turkey’s historic Yanbol synagogue reopens after a 2-year restoration. It has a new exhibit of precious ritual material discovered in a hidden storeroom during the renovation process. Read the story and see the pictures from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2025/07/31/turkey-yanbol-synagogue/
- Two Forgotten Torah Scrolls in Poland: A Story of Hope. In a small Polish apartment frozen in time, a rabbi found two Torah scrolls left behind for 80 years. Read about their journey back home from Aish: Two Forgotten Torah Scrolls in Poland: A Story of Hope | Aish
- Grossinger’s iconic rye bread rises again — in a new form. The Borscht Belt resort that served as the inspiration for ‘Dirty Dancing’ is the subject of a new scripted TV show – and it’s launching a product aimed at stoking fans’ appetites. At its peak, the resort hosted some 150,000 guests per year, and boasted three swimming pools, a golf course, 600 rooms and two kosher kitchens, as well as its own post office. Read more from The Times of Israel: Grossinger’s iconic rye bread rises again — in a new form | The Times of Israel
- The Jewish women who made Grossinger’s Catskill Resort famous are the subjects of a new TV show. “The Mountains” is a scripted series about Jennie and Elaine Grossinger, the “formidable matriarchs” who transformed the kosher hotel into a celebrity hangout. “The Mountains,” which begins on the Fourth of July weekend in 1950, will join “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” in depicting the heyday of the Jewish Catskills on the small screen. Read more form New York Jewish Week: The Jewish women who made Grossinger’s Catskill Resort famous are the subjects of a new TV show – New York Jewish Week
- Comedian David Rose grapples with the discovery of a famous Jewish ancestor – and his controversial legacy – in Fringe debut. The Australian stand-up shares the story of his great-grandfather Julian Rose in ‘Our Hebrew Friend’, a comedy that attempts to answer, how Jewish is Jewish enough? Read his story from The Jewish Chronicle: Comedian David Rose grapples with the discovery of a famous Jewish ancestor – and his controversial legacy – in Fringe debut – The Jewish Chronicle – The Jewish Chronicle
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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.