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The Weekly News Nosh – September 14, 2025

Sep 14, 2025 | Nosh

News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture

Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

  1. New Free Historical Records from 6 Countries | August 2025 Update. FamilySearch expanded its free online archives with over 13 million new records from 6 countries. Some exciting additions include nearly 6 million civil registrations (birth, marriage, and death records) from Italy, 2 million new records from the United States, and over 100,000 church records from Costa Rica. Read more from their newsroom: New Free Historical Records from 6 Countries | August 2025 Update
  2. Israel unveils National Archaeological Database with some 4 million records. The system allows users to browse publications, photos, 3D scans, excavation reports and archival documents. The database currently contains 3,910,005 records, along with 964,393 objects, 1,223,552 images and 15,164 three-dimensional models. Read more from JNS: Israel unveils National Archaeological Database with some 4 million records – JNS.org
  3. The Gesher Galicia Map Room. This digital “Map Room” has been a key project of Gesher Galicia for more than a decade; the online collection now includes more than 250 interactive historical maps which can be panned and zoomed in internet browsers to examine their beauty and useful features. To view and to see what is new, go to: The Gesher Galicia Map Room
  4. Ukraine Research Division: News and Records.1 Million Records Uploaded and Counting in September 2025. Read more specifics: 4.1 Million Records Uploaded
  5. The JewishGen Belarus Research Division announces the uploading of approximately 50,000 records.  You can see a detailed list of the newly uploaded data via this link.  Records can be searched using the JewishGen Belarus database search engine
  6. Romania Research Division Updates. With this update, they added over 10,000 newly indexed records, and another 12,000 more detailed indexes. Details as follows: Romania Research Division Updates
  7. National Archives to Display Entire U.S. Constitution Including All 27 Amendments for the First Time in U.S. History to celebrate 250 years of American Freedom. The four-page Constitution and the original Bill of Rights will be surrounded by 17 Constitutional amendments, filling the Rotunda at the National Archives in Washington, DC in a dramatic and highly visual display. Read more from The National Archives: Constitution Day: The Full U.S. Constitution | National Archives Museum Be on the lookout for an exciting announcement about Jewish America 250 and the contribution of Jews to the country over the past 250 years!
  8. What’s New From BillionGraves? 10 Great New Features! Read about the 10 from their blog: What’s New, BillionGraves? 10 Great New Features! – BillionGraves Blog
  9. The Jewish Square Mile and 1000 years of history. The Barbican Estate’s Thomas More Garden marks the furthest southwards extent of the Jewish cemetery, the first Jewish burial ground in England, which existed until the Jews’ expulsion from the country in 1290. After that, the cemetery and the generations buried in it were neglected, desecrated and then forgotten. Read the story from Jewish News UK:  The Jewish Square Mile and 1000 years of history – Jewish News
  10. After Zwartendijk and Sugihara: Romer’s Lifeline for 2,300 Refugees. This excerpt comes from a report by Polish Ambassador Tadeusz Romer, who served in Japan during the period of WWII when Jewish refugees fled from Lithuania. Read more: After Zwartendijk and Sugihara: Romer’s Lifeline for 2,300 Refugees
  11. Under African Skies: Jewish Life in Rhodesia. Once thriving, now nearly gone—the Jewish community of Rhodesia leaves behind echoes of faith, culture, and courage. Read more from Aish: Under African Skies: Jewish Life in Rhodesia | Aish
  12. This is how New Yorkers celebrated the High Holidays at the turn of the 20th century. In the fall of 1910, Edward Morgan, the Postmaster General of New York, made an impassioned plea to the city’s Jewish community: Send your High Holiday postcards early. It was the height of the postcard craze in the United States, and members of the city’s Jewish community were eager to send well wishes to their loved ones for the Jewish new year. Read about this and more from JTA: This is how New Yorkers celebrated the High Holidays at the turn of the 20th century – New York Jewish Week
  13. Nine Jewish Things About Pomegranates. Why this ancient fruit is a Jewish symbol. Images of pomegranates are mainstays of Rosh Hashanah cards, Jewish jewelry and a range of Jewish ritual objects, and the fruit itself makes frequent appearances in Jewish cuisine. But what’s so Jewish about this ancient treat? Quite a lot! Read more from My Jewish Learning: 9 Jewish Things About Pomegranates | My Jewish Learning
  14. Ask the Expert: Why Blow the Shofar? Why do we blow a ram’s horn on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? Read the reasons from My Jewish Learning: Ask the Expert: Why Blow the Shofar? | My Jewish Learning
  15. The oldest pipe organ in the Christian world sounds after 800 years of silence. Researchers believe the Crusaders brought the organ to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, in the 11th century during their period of rule over Jerusalem. After a century of use, the Crusaders buried it to protect it from invading Muslim armies. The organ will be housed at the Terra Sancta museum in Jerusalem’s Old City. See pictures of the organ from AP: The oldest pipe organ in Christian world sounds once more in Jerusalem | AP News
  16. Dutch King Willem-Alexander takes part in celebrations of the 350th anniversary of Amsterdam’s Portuguese Synagogue. The synagogue was inaugurated in 1675 with a week full of baroque splendor to show how important the “Jews of the Portuguese nation” were for the Dutch Republic. It is still in use for worship today and can also be visited as a historic monument as part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter. Read the story from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2025/09/10/netherlands-king/
  17. The 10 masterpieces lost thanks to the Nazis. Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, the international museums sector, commercial galleries and collectors are still grappling with the legacy of Nazi looting. Read more from Yahoo News: The 10 masterpieces lost thanks to the Nazis
  18. In German high society, secret Nazi-hating rebels saved Jews, tried to end Hitler’s regime. Read more about the Solf Circle, a clandestine group including countesses, diplomats and politicians – and their betrayal and dark fate. From The Times of Israel: In German high society, secret Nazi-hating rebels saved Jews, tried to end Hitler’s regime | The Times of Israel
  19. From Auschwitz To Kiss: The Survivor Who Raised Gene Simmons. Before being KISS’s frontman, Gene Simmons was Chaim Weitz—the son of Holocaust survivor Flóra Klein. This is the story of her courage, sacrifice, and their journey from Auschwitz to arena rock. Read the story from Aish: From Auschwitz to KISS: The Survivor Who Raised Gene Simmons | Aish
  20. Cosmetics firm Weleda to examine Nazi ties amid revelation of its role in Dachau experiments. A major European cosmetics firm has vowed to reexamine its Nazi-era history amid revelations that it benefited from gruesome human experiments in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust. Read the story from JTA: Cosmetics firm Weleda to examine Nazi ties amid revelation of its role in Dachau experiments – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
  21. Computers taught to read Dead Sea Scrolls in hunting for clues hidden from human eyes. By combining multispectral imaging with computer vision methods, Tel Aviv University researchers give scholars new tools to read, match, and study the 2,000-year-old artifacts.  Read the story from The Times of Israel: Computers taught to read Dead Sea Scrolls in hunt for clues hidden from human eyes | The Times of Israel
  22. Hapoel Jerusalem FC at 100: Honoring Hersh and Building the Future. Fan-founded and owned, the club embodies inclusion and strength. Approaching 100 years in 2026, the club reminds us soccer’s true meaning reaches far beyond the game. Read about them from The Times of Israel: Hapoel Jerusalem FC at 100: Honoring Hersh and Building the Future | The Times of Israel
  23. Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA traced through 21 generations unlocks new secrets. A breakthrough study has just untangled over six centuries of genetic history, tracing Leonardo’s male line through 21 generations. These findings promise fresh insights into the biology behind a true Renaissance icon. Read the story: The Da Vinci Bloodline: Living Descendants Provide Clues to the Genius’s Genetic Secrets

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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.