The Weekly News Nosh – June 14, 2026

This Jewish heritage news digest is this week’s NewsNosh (The Weekly News Nosh) from L’Dor V’Dor Foundation—a curated set of links for anyone interested in Jewish family history, Jewish history, and Jewish heritage. This week’s NewsNosh Jewish heritage news digest includes genealogy records, Jewish cemetery clean-ups, archaeology discoveries, synagogue preservation, and more.

Editor: Phil Goldfarb, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

This week’s news links:

1. MyHeritage Celebrates America 250: Explore Your Family’s Connection to U.S. History. The site brings together historical record collections, genealogy resources, and real-life family stories connected to major moments in U.S. history, including immigration, the Revolutionary War, westward expansion, military service, and more. Read additional details from their blog: MyHeritage Celebrates America 250: Explore Your Family’s Connection to U.S. History – MyHeritage Blog
2. Funny, You Don’t Look Jewish – What happens when Catholic Hispano-Americans discover their Jewish heritage? Read this excellent article here: Funny, You Don’t Look Jewish – What happens when Catholic Hispano-Americans discover their Jewish heritage? The Haggadah Is Judaism’s Original RemixCrypto-Jews and Hidden Sephardic Roots | LDVDF Roots & Revelations: Field Notes is a monthly series from L’Dor V’Dor Foundation exploring Jewish heritage, memory, and the stories we carry forward. Want future posts from Roots & Revelations: Field Notes and more Jewish heritage resources? Subscribe for free here: Subscribe – L’Dor V’Dor Foundation (LDVDF)
3. IGRA Celebrates Historic Milestone: Over 4 Million Records Now Online. The Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) has reached a historic turning point, expanding its searchable database to over 4 million unique records. This groundbreaking milestone provides researchers worldwide with unprecedented tools to uncover their roots, bridging historical Ottoman, Statehood, and Diaspora archives with modern digital accessibility. This month IGRA’s AID collection added two new databases and updated another five, bringing over 26,620 new listings, many of them with images. The addition this month of members of Gdud Haavodah is an important document for the beginning of the Jewish labor force in Eretz Israel. Search here: The Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) – The All Israel Database (AID)
4. Family Search: New Free Historical Records from 22 Countries | June 2026 Update. FamilySearch expanded its free online archives with over 102 million new records from 22 countries, significantly broadening access for family history researchers worldwide. Read the specifics from their newsroom: New Historical Records June 2026
5. A brand-new free cheat sheet: the International Archives Genealogy Resources guide. Probably one of the better and complete references with links that is available. Check it out: International Archives Genealogy Research Guide Cheat Sheet
6. Jewish Cemetery Clean-ups. More than 70 actions from 16 countries. The list includes initiatives that have taken place, and those we know are planned. Planned and underway actions are marked in orange. For each initiative, we provide a link or links to further information on local media, Facebook, or an organization’s website. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2026/06/10/jewish-cemetery-clean-ups-2026-2/
7. Ancient ‘time capsule’ cave near Haifa reveals rare pre-Neanderthal culture. Archaeologists excavating a prehistoric cave south of Haifa have uncovered what researchers describe as a rare time capsule from a poorly understood stage of human evolution, dating back 250,000-400,000 years. The cave had remained sealed for hundreds of thousands of years, preserving evidence from the pre-Neanderthal Acheulo-Yabrudian culture. Read more from JNS: Ancient ‘time capsule’ cave near Haifa reveals rare pre-Neanderthal culture – Israel & Jewish News – JNS
8. Ancient storage jars unearthed near Shiloh Tabernacle site. Archaeologists excavating at Ancient Shiloh uncovered three well-preserved Middle Bronze Age storage jars, days before the site’s annual wine festival. Read the story from JNS: Ancient storage jars unearthed near Shiloh Tabernacle site – Israel & Jewish News – JNS
9. Hope for the preservation of the long derelict synagogue in Abony, Hungary as the town takes over its management. Built in 1825, the synagogue, its facade is noted for the four-column Corinthian portico under a monumental gable. The building has long stood derelict. Some traces of the interior wall and ceiling paintings remain. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: Hungary: Hope for the preservation of the long derelict synagogue in Abony, as the town takes over its management – Jewish Heritage Europe
10. The synagogue is Pisek, Czech Republic will soon open to the public. The synagogue was built in 1872 in Moorish style with neo-Romanesque elements to replace an earlier synagogue. It will serve as a cultural space for lectures, exhibitions, theatre performances and other public events. Read more from Jewish Heritage Europe: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2026/06/12/czech-republic-pisek/
11. At the dawn of the World Cup, the story of the Jews who helped bring soccer to America. Jewish Americans have been at the forefront of soccer in the United States for over a century. The first American to play for a major European team was Eddy Hamel for Ajax Amsterdam in 1922. Hamel was a New York-born winger who became a star for Ajax in Amsterdam during the 1920s. An injury forced his retirement in the 1930s and, after the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, he was deported and murdered at Auschwitz in 1943. His story remains one of the most tragic intersections of Jewish history and world football. Read more from The Forward: The story of the Jews who brought soccer to America – The Forward
12. How Freakonomics Author Stephen Dubner Found His Way Back to Judaism. Dubner grew up Catholic and served as an altar boy. When he discovered his parents were Jewish, it launched a search for his identity that changed everything. Read his story from Aish: How Freakonomics Author Stephen Dubner Found His Way Back to Judaism | Aish
13. Her Father Was an Arab Prince. She Chose to Be Jewish. Claire Blumenthal Zeitler was adopted, Jewish, and — she would later discover — the daughter of an Arab prince. What followed was ten years of searching for her authentic identity. Read her story from Aish: Her Father Was an Arab Prince. She Chose to Be Jewish | Aish
14. ‘Dirty Dancing’ be damned. A new musical shows another side of the Borscht Belt. Pamela Gray’s ‘A Walk on the Moon’ brings the bungalow colonies to life. Read more from The Forward: A new musical shows another side of the Borscht Belt – The Forward
15. Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David Reunite in ‘Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness.’ Larry also plays an Orthodox Jew — and many other characters — in the show’s first official trailer. Read more and see the trailer from Kveller: Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David Reunite in ‘Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness’ – Kveller
16. YiddishPOP can bring more diversity to American Jewish education. The animated learning tool provides a contemporary approach to Yiddish instead of sending it to the dustbin of history. Read more about this free, online animated and game-based learning tool from The Forward: YiddishPOP can bring more diversity to American Jewish education – The Forward
17. A Yiddish favorite is among the top baby names in New York. Each year the Social Security Administration releases a list of the most popular baby names for the past year. This year, New York state’s list includes the Yiddish name Gitty, as well as five other traditional Ashkenazi names: Chana, Chaya, Rivka, Chaim and Moshe. Also, in households with children aged 5 and under, Yiddish ranks as the third most common home language in New York  (spoken by roughly 3% of young children), trailing only English and Spanish. Read more from The Forward: A Yiddish favorite is among the top baby names in New York  – The Forward
18. West Point graduated more Jewish cadets this year than ever before in its 224-year history. The very first class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1802 consisted of two graduates, one of whom was a Jew named Simon Levy. This year, according to Col. Benjamin Wallen, a lay Jewish leader involved in the West Point Hillel chapter and the academy’s Jewish choir, 30 Jewish cadets graduated from the academy. Read more from The Forward: West Point graduated more Jewish cadets this year, lay leader says – The Forward
19. NY Knicks win NBA Championship last night ending a 53 year drought! Long before he built the Knicks’ roster, Leon Rose coached at a JCC in South Jersey. Rose, the Knicks’ Jewish team president, has been honored by a number of Jewish organizations. Read his story from JTA: Long before he built the Knicks’ roster, Leon Rose coached at a JCC in South Jersey – New York Jewish Week

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About The Weekly News Nosh

The Weekly News Nosh (NewsNosh) is the L’Dor V’Dor Foundation’s weekly Jewish heritage news digest—a curated set of links for anyone interested in Jewish family history, Jewish history, and Jewish heritage. NewsNosh is published on Sundays and shared on our 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 NewsNosh every Sunday, directly in your inbox. Browse past issues of our Jewish heritage news digest in the NewsNosh archive.