News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture
Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
- Newspapers.com Adds 200+ New Papers This Month. The recently added 218 new papers come from 20 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, England, and Thailand. Read more from their blog: 200+ New Papers Added This Month! – The official blog of Newspapers.com REMINDER: There are two subscription levels…Basic (~286+million pages from 25,000 newspapers) and Publisher Extra (~1 billion+ pages, 28,000 newspapers).
- Free database offers more than 5 million indexed burial records for Moscow. A small number of databases exist for finding graves in Russia, but a newer database has grown to have about 5.1 million graves documented for Moscow. Read more: Free database offers more than 5 million indexed burial records for Moscow – Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family
- Fold3 Working on US, Korean War Era Draft Registration Cards, 1948-1959. Read more along with the States completed and the information that the draft cards include from EOGN: Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter – New Korean War Era Draft Cards!
- IAJGS FUTURE Conference Input Wanted! The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) is reimagining its future conferences — and they need your help to make them more relevant and meaningful to today’s Jewish family historians. This survey will only be posted on the Tracing the Tribe Facebook page in the next few days as they will share a link to a quick 3–5 minute survey for both past attendees and those who’ve never attended an IAJGS conference. Your comments — good, bad, or in between — will directly shape what’s next. At the end, you’ll have the option to receive a more detailed follow-up survey by email at a later date. Watch for the link Tracing the Tribe – Jewish Genealogy on Facebook | Groups | Facebook and lend your voice. Together, we can build a stronger Jewish genealogy community.
- What a forgotten synagogue dedication in 1825 Philadelphia can teach us today. Looking back two centuries after public officials and Christian ministers attended the opening of Congregation Mikveh Israel. Read the story from JTA: What a forgotten synagogue dedication in 1825 Philadelphia can teach us today – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
- The Jews of Kaifeng: China’s Only Native Jewish Community. Tolerance and assimilation led to the near disappearance of a Chinese Jewish community over 1,000 years old. Read more from The Forward: The Jews of Kaifeng: China’s Only Native Jewish Community | My Jewish Learning
- Biblical tax notice: 1st-ever Assyrian inscription found near Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. 2,700-year-old fragment of pottery suggests Judeans delayed paying their tributes to the empire, echoing the events described in the book of II Kings. Read the story from The Times of Israel: Biblical tax notice: 1st-ever Assyrian inscription found near Jerusalem’s Temple Mount | The Times of Israel
- What Are Kohanim, or Jewish ‘Priests’? Descendants of the biblical figure Aaron, kohanim enjoy special privileges. A genetic study in 1997 determined that large numbers of people who believe they are kohanim, whether they are Ashkenazi or Sephardic, share a group of markers on the Y chromosome. Read more from My Jewish Learning: What Are Kohanim, or Jewish ‘Priests’? | My Jewish Learning
- Three Heroic Women of the Mossad. Three women, one mission, zero mistakes. These Mossad heroines, armed with nothing but courage, cunning, and disguise, uncovered Syria’s secret reactor—altering the course of Middle Eastern history. Read their story from Aish: Three Heroic Women of the Mossad | Aish
- Unmasking Leni Riefenstahl: The Woman Behind Hitler’s Propaganda Machine. Behind Hitler’s propaganda stood Leni Riefenstahl—filmmaker, artist, denier. A new documentary, drawn from her private archives, reveals the truths she never admitted. Read her story from Aish: Unmasking Leni Riefenstahl: The Woman Behind Hitler’s Propaganda Machine | Aish
- Priest learns from TV that he is Heinrich Himmler’s grandson. The couple’s counsellor and part-time cleric was watching a program about the Holocaust when he saw its chief architect with a woman just like his grandmother. Read his story from the NY Times: Priest learns from TV that he is Heinrich Himmler’s grandson
- How an old suitcase revealed a hidden family fortune, lost under Nazi rule. Inside were immaculate German bank notes, photo albums, envelopes full of notes recording different chapters of his life – and a birth certificate. Read more from the BBC: How an old suitcase revealed a hidden family fortune, lost under Nazi rule
- A year-long renovation of Vienna, Austria’s historic Stadttempel has begun, in preparation for its 200th birthday next year. Designed by the Imperial and Royal Architect Joseph Kornhäusel, the synagogue was dedicated on April 9, 1826, and occupies a building complex at Seitenstettengasse 2-4 in Vienna’s city center that includes the Jewish community offices and other facilities. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2025/10/22/austria-stadttempel-renovation/
- A revived Jewish Museum spotlights the story of Jewish endurance. The new core exhibition tells a global story of a people shaped by their traditions, and their neighbors. Read and see more from The Forward: A revived Jewish Museum tells the diaspora story – The Forward
- ‘Food for the soul’: Germany pushes to revive an endangered language – Yiddish. Thousands from across the globe flocked to recent festival in city of Weimar, heartland of far-right activity. Yes, in Germany… the very place where the Nazi regime’s Holocaust sought to eradicate the Jewish communities who spoke it. Read the story from The Times of Israel: ‘Food for the soul’: Germany pushes to revive an endangered language – Yiddish | The Times of Israel
- Jewish Culture. Tevilat Kelim: Immersing Food Utensils. Jews perform symbolic sanctification of newly acquired items. It is traced back to an incident in the Book of Numbers in which the Israelites are instructed to purify the items they have plundered from their implacable foes, the Midianites. Read more from My Jewish Learning: Tevilat Kelim: Immersing Food Utensils | My Jewish Learning
- The Story of “Oy Vey.” Half Hebrew, half Aramaic, this classic lament is all Jewish. It’s both heavy and light. It’s tragic and funny. It’s so much better with a thick Yiddish accent. But where did it come from? The word “oy” (אוי) goes back thousands of years, all the way to the Hebrew Bible. Read more from My Jewish Learning: The Story of “Oy Vey” | My Jewish Learning
- Sandy Koufax jersey up for auction at $1 million estimate. “The Left Arm of God” wore the jersey in his final 1966 season. Read about the jersey from JNS: Sandy Koufax jersey up for auction at $1 million estimate – JNS.org
- Henry Heimlich and Being Someone’s Angel. Proactive step up and step in to make a difference in the lives of others. Read more from Aish: Dr. Henry Heimlich and Being Someone’s Angel | Aish
- These Jewish baked goods made the New York Times’ list of ‘25 Essential Pastries’ in NYC. Jewish-inspired babka, knishes, doughnuts and cheesecake made the mouthwatering roundup published by T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Read the story that will make you want to nosh from NY Jewish Week: These Jewish baked goods made the New York Times’ list of ‘25 Essential Pastries’ in NYC – New York Jewish Week
- The Jewish Museum of Switzerland is moving to new premises and opens November 30. A work by Frank Stella decorates the façade. A former wooden tobacco warehouse that has been completely restructured as a state of the art museum. Read about the Museum from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2025/10/23/switzerland-museum/
- When to Trust AI’s Advice—And When Not To. AI is now being used more and more in genealogy. This article might give you a few basic tips on how to use it and when to trust it: When to Trust AI’s Advice—And When Not To
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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.