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The Weekly News Nosh – January 25, 2026

Jan 25, 2026 | Nosh

News About Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History, and Jewish Culture

Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

  1. MyHeritage Announces Four Major U.K. and Ireland Collections — Passenger Lists and Nonconformist Vital Records. Read more from their blog: Now Live: 4 Major U.K. and Ireland Collections — Passenger Lists and Nonconformist Vital Records – MyHeritage Blog Also from January 22–27, 2026, Celebrate Australia Day with Free Access to 2.2 Billion Australian Records.  This access spans 308 Australian collections, covering births, marriages, deaths, immigration, military service, convict records, and more. Go to: Australia Family History Records – MyHeritage
  2. Save the date…IAJGS Virtual Conference. IAJGS is announces that the 46th IAJGS Conference on Jewish Genealogy will be held virtually from October 18-20, 2026. A call for presentation proposals be announced in the next few weeks.
  3. 218 New Papers Added to Newspapers.com! These papers come from 18 states, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. To see the list go to their blog: 218 New Papers Added to Newspapers.com! – The official blog of Newspapers.com Editor’s Note: Please remember that there is a big difference (and cost) between Newspaper.com Publisher Extra (the complete edition-many more newspapers) and their “basic” standard edition.
  4. 4th quarter LitvakSIG update. Added records include births from Trakai district between 1915 and 1923;  marriages from Punsk (Sejny district), 1833-1865; records of gymnasium students in Vilnius during the interwar years; applications for German internal passports in Vilnius during the WWI occupation; records from the ongoing Kaunas passport envelopes (passport supporting documentation) project; and miscellaneous additional revision and merchant lists for Vilnius district in the 1860s and 1870s. To search, go to: LitvakSIG |
  5. Free searchable database reveals hard-to-find details on Soviet-era persecution victims. The Last Address Foundation has picked up where noted Soviet-era atrocities awareness group Memorial was forced to end its awareness campaign in 2022, days after being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The database that Last Address Foundation is maintaining has last-known addresses, jobs, and educational backgrounds that can be difficult to piece together on these people. Some of the victims are detailed with full biographies and photos. To search the database, go to: Last Address | One Name, One Life, One Sign. The Website to Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family… Uncovering the secrets of finding family and records in the former USSR is here: Free searchable database reveals hard-to-find details on Soviet-era persecution victims – Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family
  6. How ‘a bundle of letters’ became a cornerstone of life advice for American Jews. Launched 120 years ago in 1906, the Forward’s A Bintel Brief advice column explores ‘the most interesting nooks of people’s souls.’ Read more from The Forward: Celebrating 120 years of A Bintel Brief – The Forward
  7. A Jewish lawyer sued Henry Ford and changed how we think about hate speech. The documentary ‘Sapiro v. Ford’ explores how Aaron Sapiro took on the father of the Model T. Read the story from The Forward: Aaron Sapiro, the Jewish lawyer who sued Henry Ford – The Forward
  8. A first step: Jewish prayer is returning to the Temple Mount. For the first time in 2,000 years, Jews are allowed to pray with printed pages at our holiest site. Read more from The Times of Israel: The Blogs: A first step: Jewish prayer is returning to the Temple Mount | Chaim Frankenhuis | The Times of Israel
  9. How Antisemitism Hides Online: Identifying Coded Jew Hatred. From “innocent” phrases to emojis and numbers, antisemitic hate is increasingly coded online. Learn how to spot these signals—and how to respond effectively. Read the story from Aish: How Antisemitism Hides Online: Identifying Coded Jew Hatred | Aish
  10. For some Jewish women, ‘passing’ as Christian during the Holocaust could mean survival – but left scars all the same. Some women adopted non-Jewish identities to support the resistance. For most, though, it was simply a strategy for survival – one with constant risk of exposure and execution. Read more from RNS: For some Jewish women, ‘passing’ as Christian during the Holocaust could mean survival – but left scars all the same
  11. When American and German Soldiers United to Fight the Nazis. In the final days of WWII, one last, improbable battle unfolded inside a medieval castle where American soldiers and German defectors fought side by side against SS troops. Read the story from Aish: When American and German Soldiers United to Fight the Nazis | Aish
  12. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has timely exhibit. Antisemitism: Ancient Hatred, Modern Violence. Most of the visitors are not Jewish and don’t know what antisemitism is and that it made the Holocaust possible. Now all visitors entering the Museum, from school groups to tourists on the National Mall, will have access to this crucial knowledge. Read more from USHMM: Antisemitism: Ancient Hatred, Modern Violence – United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  13. There’s a project to preserve, protect, and display the unique wooden mikvah discovered in Oświęcim, Poland, the town where the Nazis built the Auschwitz camp. It will form part of the town’s growing commemorative framework. Jewish presence in Oświęcim dates back to the 16th century and by the early 20th century Jews made up more than half of the local population. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2026/01/22/poland-mikvah-oswiecim/
  14. Shocking!! Survey shows half of Irish adults do not know 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. The new survey from the Claims Conference also found nearly one in 10 Irish adults believe the Holocaust is a myth. Read more from The Forward: Survey shows half of Irish adults do not know 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust – The Forward
  15. Under 200,000 Jewish Holocaust survivors remain alive today, data shows. An estimated 196,600 Jewish Holocaust survivors currently live across more than 90 countries. That’s down from roughly 220,000 a year ago. The median age of survivors is 87, with ages ranging from 79 to over 100. Around 30% are aged 90 or older, and just over 1% have reached 100. Nearly all survivors (97%) are considered child survivors, born in 1928 or later. Read the story from The Times of Israel: Under 200,000 Jewish Holocaust survivors remain alive today, data shows | The Times of Israel
  16. The Jewish women who kept Confederate graves from disappearing. In Virginia, they cared for the graves of Jewish Confederate soldiers — turning burial, not ideology, into an act of obligation and memory. Read more from The Forward: How Jewish women preserved Confederate graves in Virginia – The Forward
  17. Jewish cemetery clean-ups 2026 – Round-up #1. Nearly 60 actions in 14 countries. Click on the links to see details for each action. Read and see more from Jewish Heritage Europe: Jewish cemetery clean-ups 2026 – Round-up #1. Nearly 60 actions in 14 countries. – Jewish Heritage Europe
  18. Rare ceramic tombstones from the historic Jewish cemetery in Tata, Hungary are undergoing restoration. The ceramic grave markers, vertical structures placed on stone bases, are unique in Hungary. The family was in the ceramic business. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2026/01/20/hungary-tata/
  19. Jewish cemetery in Libya destroyed. Such destruction is standard practice in the country. No Jews live in Libya today, with the last resident leaving in 2003, ending a community that existed for more than two millennia. Read more from JNS: Jewish cemetery in Libya destroyed – JNS.org
  20. Egoz and the Hidden Exodus from Morocco. Over three months, the Egoz completed 12 successful journeys, ferrying about 50 people each time. More than 300 Jews were smuggled out during its operation. However, tragedy struck the illegal Jewish Moroccan emigration to Israel on a dark sea voyage that cost 44 lives. Read more from Aish: Egoz and the Hidden Exodus from Morocco | Aish
  21. Jewish Ritual Objects: A Guide. From challah covers to yahrzeit candles, what they are used for, how they look and where you can find them. Read more from My Jewish Learning: Jewish Ritual Objects: A Guide | My Jewish Learning
  22. Her ancestors were expelled from Spain. Now she’s bringing bagels to Madrid. Tamara Cohen, a Philadelphian who became Spanish through a law granting citizenship to Sephardic Jews whose ancestors were expelled during the 1492 Inquisition found pieces of her Sephardic history in Madrid, but she also found a bagel desert. Read her story from The Forward: Her ancestors were expelled from Spain. Now she’s bringing bagels to Madrid. – The Forward
  23. Why Do So Many Orthodox Men Have Beards? The Jewish reasons for facial hair, including sidelocks (payot). Read the story from My Jewish Learning: Why Do So Many Orthodox Men Have Beards? | My Jewish Learning
  24. ‘Heritage Night’ like no other: Tulsa to skate into Jewish sports history. On March 1, the Jewish Federation and the Tulsa Oilers will game up together to shoot, score and win. Read the story from JNS: ‘Heritage Night’ like no other: Tulsa to skate into Jewish sports history – JNS.org
  25. Judd Apatow grew up idolizing Mel Brooks. Now he’s telling Brooks’ story in an HBO documentary. The comedy director reflects on Brooks’ Jewish identity, his influence on modern comedy and “Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!” Read more from JTA: Judd Apatow grew up idolizing Mel Brooks. Now he’s telling Brooks’ story in an HBO documentary. – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
  26. Seven Holocaust Films You Should See. These under-the-radar movies about the Shoah are affecting, powerful and nuanced. Read about them from My Jewish Learning: Seven Holocaust Films You Should See | My Jewish Learning
  27. That Time John Lennon Sang In Hebrew. A young Israeli student made it into Lennon and Ono’s famous “Bed-in,” and got the two to sing a Hebrew song about Jerusalem. From Kveller: That Time John Lennon Sang In Hebrew – Kveller

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About The Weekly News Nosh

The Weekly News Nosh contains news about Jewish Genealogy, Jewish History and Jewish Culture. NewsNosh 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.