History events
70 — (29 Iyar 3830) Jewish War. The Romans finished constructing the ramparts around Jerusalem. «On the 29th day of Artemisius (Iyar), the Romans completed the ramparts they had begun on the 12th of that same month. They built four main ramparts: one against Antonia; another, almost twenty cubits from the first; (the third) at the so-called Almond Pool, to the north; and finally, (the fourth) thirty cubits further, at the tomb of the high priest. Machines were already set up on all these ramparts.» (Josephus Flavius)
408 — (17rd of Sivan, 4168) Emperor Theodosius issued a decree restricting Jewish activities related to Purim. Specifically he banned the burning of Haman’s effigy because early Christians felt the Jews were mocking the Crucifixion of Jesus
1247 — (22 Sivan 5007) Two letters from Pope Innocent IV to the Archbishop of Vienne, in which the Pope condemned the blood libel in Valréas and the unjust trial imposed on the Jews. He spoke harshly about the punishment they faced and warned against the repetition of such actions in the future
1349 — (10rd of Sivan, 5109) Sixty Jews were murdered in Breslau, Silesia in riots which followed a disastrous fire which had destroyed part of the city
1882 — (10 Sivan 5642) The Petersburg newspaper «A-Melitz» («The Defender» — the first Hebrew newspaper in Russia, founded in 1860 in Odessa; it became a capital newspaper in 1871) published an ADDRESS TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE from the first Russian Zionist organization – the «Bilu» Union (the name is composed of the initial letters of the biblical verse: «Beit Yaakov lechu venelcha,» which means: «House of Jacob! Arise and let us go!»).
1887 — (5 Sivan 5647) The foundation stone of the Spaso-Galinicheskaya prayer house was laid, now known as the Moscow Choral Synagogue
1912 — (12rd of Sivan, 5672) Agudath Israel was formed as the world organization of Orthodox Jewry at Katowitz. Jacob Rosenheim was its first president
1922 — (1rd of Sivan, 5682) The Bnei Akiva youth movement was founded. The youth branch of the Mizrachi was originally established to train its members in agriculture and crafts. Its goal was the synthesis of Torah and Avodah (Torah and labor). Soon, the movement formed its own kibbutzim within the structure of «Kibbutz Hadati,» the religious kibbutz movement
1929 — (18 Iyar 5689) The youth movement Bnei Akiva was established in Jerusalem — the youth wing of the religious-Zionist labor movement Ha-Po’el Ha-Mizrachi. Members of Bnei Akiva were the first Jews to resettle in the old Jewish quarter of Jerusalem after the Six-Day War; they also established settlements in territories controlled by Israel
1938 — (27rd of Iyar, 5698) Foundation for Tel Aviv harbor was `laid
1939 — (10 Sivan 5699) Yishuv. The kibbutz Afek (Mishmar HaChaim) was established using the «Fence and Tower» method
1939 — (10rd of Sivan, 5699) The «Atrato», a ship under the command of the Haganah, is captured by the British navy, after having completed seven voyages during six months and bringing more than 2,400 illegal immigrants to Palestine
1948 — (19rd of Iyar, 5708) Israeli forces captured the Arab village of Zar’in on Mt. Gilboa
1948 — (19 Iyar 5708) War of Independence. A column of the «Yiftach» brigade forced the Lebanese army to flee near the Arab village of Malkiya, capturing numerous trophies.
1948 — (19 Iyar 5708) War of Independence. In the Jezreel Valley, fighters from the «Givati» brigade captured Tel Megiddo and several Arab villages
1948 — (19th of Iyar, 5708) The commander of the Jewish defense of Jerusalem, Yitzhak Rabin went up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem, where he later wrote, …..‘I witnessed a shattering scene. A delegation was emerging from the Jewish Quarter bearing white flags. I was horrified to learn that consisted of rabbis and other residents on their way to hear the Legion’s terms for their capitulation. That same night, the Jewish Quarter surrendered to the Arab Legion.’” The loss of the Jewish Quarter in the Old City meant that the spiritual heart of Jerusalem with the Western Walls and its many synagogues was now under Jordanian control. This was the Arab Legion’s first victory in Jerusalem. It would prove to be its last as the Jewish forces were able to strengthen their defenses around the rest of the city. Esther Cailingold, a 22 year old English woman was one of the defenders who lost her life in the fight for the Old City. In a letter to her parents she wrote, “’We had a difficult fight. I have tasted hell, but it has been worthwhile because I am convinced that in the end we will have a Jewish state…I have lived my life fully, and very sweet it has been to be in our land.’”. Under the U.N. Partition Resolution, Jerusalem was supposed to be under international control. Instead the Jordanians invaded the city and held the eastern section for 19 years. During that time they defaced the Jewish quarter and denied the Jews access to the area under their control. The world community did nothing to remedy the situation. Only with the Six Day War in 1967 were Jews able to have access to the entire City of David.
With Jewish Quarter completely cut off, Mordechai Weingarten led a delegation that met with Abdulla el Tell, the commander of the Arab Legion that had illegally attacked Jerusalem to discuss surrender terms. Under the terms of the surrender which Weingarten had no choice but accept “all men capable of bearing arms were made prisoners of war. When El-Tell saw how few Jewish fighters he had been confronting he told Moshe Russnak, the Haganah commander that “If I had kown you were so few would have come after with sticks, not guns.”. The Jewish Quarter suffered a scourge of looting after the departure of its Jewish residence. After the surrender of the Jewish Quarter today, Esther Calingold and the other wounded were moved to the nearby Armenian School, just outside of the Jewish Quarter
1950 — (12rd of Sivan, 5710) In an attempt to promote peace in the region, the government of Israel proposes that certain religious sites in Jerusalem be placed under international control. Everybody from the Arabs to the Catholic Church rejects the proposal
1955 — (7rd of Sivan, 5715) Egyptian and Israeli forces exchanged heavy mortar fire for twenty minutes today across the demarcation in the Egyptian-held strip of Palestine
1958 — (9 Sivan 5718) Israel. English and French companies presented a plan for building a subway in Tel Aviv. The initiative came from the municipality, as the city was visited by up to a quarter of a million visitors a day, causing significant traffic jams. The plan remained on paper.
1959 — (20 Iyar 5719) Israel was forced to officially declare that the nuclear centers being built in cooperation with France in the areas of Rishon Lezion and Dimona were intended for research purposes.
1964 — (17rd of Sivan, 5724) By the decision of the Arab League, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was created with the aim of «liberating Palestine, establishing an independent Arab Palestinian state on its territory, and providing legal rights to the Arab population of Palestine» (formulation from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia)
1967 — (18 Iyar 5727) Levi Eshkol made an unsuccessful speech addressed to the nation. «At Kuntilla, we heard Eshkol’s famous speech, which almost morally killed us. It was supposed to be a Churchill-style speech, dismissing doubts and instilling confidence in the nation and its soldiers. However, when my soldiers turned on the radios, four of them simply burst into tears upon hearing Eshkol stutter and stumble over his words. They sat at the edge of the trench and, unashamed, cried. The atmosphere in the battalion became electrified, and heated political debates began. Some demanded the removal of the Prime Minister and the Chief of Staff. Even with the use of force.» (Ron Ben-Ishai, «Déjà vu of an Elderly Journalist»)
1969 — (11rd of Sivan, 5729) Katyusha rockets fired from Jordan bombard Jericho twice
1974 — (7rd of Sivan, 5734) Yitzhak Rabin announced the formation of a three party coalition government that will replace the government led by fellow Laborite, Golda Meir. The new government represents a bit of a generational change in the Israeli power structure. The new leaders are all younger than those they are replacing. Rabin is 52. Yigal Allon, the new Foreign Minister is 55 and the new Defense Minister, Shimon Peres is 52. Among the marquee names missing from the new collation are Moshe Dayan and Abbe Eban
1977 — (11rd of Sivan, 5737) Five people were injured when a bomb went off while they were riding on a bus in Jerusalem
2002 — (17 Sivan 5762) A terrorist attack occurred in the settlement of Itamar near Nablus. Three yeshiva students: Netanel Ritchie (17 years old), Gilad Shtiglitz (14), and Avraham Siton (17 years old) were shot while playing basketball in the yeshiva’s yard; two others were lightly wounded.
2002 — (17 Sivan 5762) The reconnaissance satellite «Ofek-5» (mass – 300 kg) was launched into orbit by the Shavit rocket from the Palmachim Air Force base.
2025 — (1 Sivan 5785) The National Library of Israel presented to the public a rare manuscript of the Tanakh from the 14th century, known as the «Tanakh of Shem Tov.» It was created in 1312 in Castile (Spain) and is considered one of the most accurate handwritten versions of the text. The author of the manuscript, Rabbi Shem Tov ben Abraham ibn Gaon, was one of the leading Jewish scholars of his time. After completing the work on the book, he undertook a two-year journey and settled in Safed in 1315, where he continued his scholarly and religious activities until his death around 1330. In the early 20th century, the manuscript ended up in the collection of the collector David Solomon Sassoon. In 1994, it was purchased by banker Jacques Safra. In 2024, the manuscript was auctioned at Sotheby’s and sold to the Hernstein couple, who transferred it to the National Library of Israel for long-term storage.
People
1804 — (18 Sivan 5564) Abraham von Oppenheim was born — a German banker and philanthropist. He played an important role in financing railroads, industrial insurance, and German industry. In 1868, he became the first Jew to receive nobility in Prussia. He died on October 9, 1878.
1858 — (15 Sivan 5618) Lizzie Black Kander was born — the author of the very popular «Cook Book» in the USA, which went through 34 editions with a total circulation of 2 million copies in the early 20th century. She died on July 24, 1940.
1900 — (29 Iyar 5660) Aryeh Sharon was born — an Israeli architect. He died on July 24, 1984.
1903 — I. Utkin was born — a Soviet poet, who was killed on November 13, 1944.
1911 — Moshe Kol was born — a public and political figure in Israel. He died in 1989.
1942 — Stanley Ben Prusiner was born — an American physician and the Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology and Medicine in 1997.