History events
-369 — (24 Nisan 3392 BCE) The prophet Daniel saw an angel who revealed to him what would happen in the last period of history, when «the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens…» and provided numerical codes to calculate the time of the final redemption, but warned that «among the wise there will be those who will err in their calculations, …for the time has not yet come.» «But you, Daniel,» the angel commanded, «seal these words and seal this book until the end of time.»
1516 — (29 Nisan 5276) In Venice, a public announcement was made at the Rialto and on other city bridges, especially in the neighborhoods where Jews lived, regarding a new law requiring Jews to live separately from Christians. The law was to take effect in just ten days.
1823 — (20 Nisan 5583) The beginning of the so-called Veliž case. A blood libel against the Jews of the Belarusian town of Veliž. The investigation lasted 9 years. Some imprisoned Jewish defendants did not survive to be acquitted.
1870 — (29 Adar-2 5630) The beginning of the official activities of the administration of the Jewish community of St. Petersburg
1871 — (10th of Nisan, 5631) «Green Street Synagogue” was founded today by a small group of Jews in Baltimore, Maryland
1882 — (12th of Nisan, 5642) A blood libel in Tisza Eszlar, Hungary began. On April 1,“A week and a half before Easter, a fourteen year old Catholic housemaid, Esther Solymossy, left her employer’s home to buy paint. She did not return.” When a weeklong search failed to turn up any evidence of the missing girl, two prominent Hungarian anti-Semites named Onody and Istoczy began making claims about “ritual murder” forcing the local sheriff to pursue this blatantly false line of accusation. Fifteen Jews were ultimately charged and tried for «murder» for which there was no real evidence. After a year of futile effort, the fifteen were acquitted
1890 — (11th of Nisan, 5650) Nathan Birnbaum, a leader of Kadima and the publisher of the journal Selbst-Emanzipation created the term Zionism
1893 — (15 Nisan 5653) The construction of the Jaffa-Jerusalem railway was completed.
1895 — (7 Nisan 5655) The first Jewish women’s magazine in the USA, «American Jewish Woman,» was published. It lasted for 4 years.
1899 — (21 Nisan 5659) In the Czech Republic, twenty-two-year-old Leopold Hilšner was arrested on charges of murdering a Christian girl. The trial soon turned into another blood libel. Although no evidence of Hilšner’s guilt was presented, under pressure from investigators, he was forced to sign a confession and was sentenced to death. Thanks to the intervention of T. G. Masaryk (who would later become the president of Czechoslovakia), the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. In 1916, Hilšner was pardoned by the Emperor of Austria-Hungary.
1908 — (29 Adar-2 5668) In Jaffa, by the decision of the eighth Zionist Congress, the Palestinian Jewish Bureau was established, becoming the executive body of the World Zionist Organization in the Land of Israel. Its main function was to encourage and finance the establishment of settlements in Israel. The Jewish Bureau was renamed twice. In 1929 — the Jewish Agency for Palestine. From 1948 to the present — the Jewish Agency for Israel, or the Jewish Agency
1921 — (22th of Adar II, 5681) Beth El Hebrew School, “the second of a series of Hebrew schools to be established in the Bronx under the auspices of the New York committee of School Extension of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations” which has a capacity for five hundred students and is led by principal Louis E. Goldstein opened today
1925 — (7th of Nisan, 5685) Amid much pomp and circumstance, Hebrew University was opened in Jerusalem on Mount Scopus
1927 — (28th of Adar II, 5687) The HaShomer HaZair kibbutzim and training groups establish a national organization in Haifa called «HaKibbutz Artzi» — «National Kibbutz». The Kibbutz Artzi is a federation comprising 85 kibbutzim founded by the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement
1932 — (24 Adar-2 5692) An exhibition of Israeli artists opened in Jerusalem. It lasted for a month
1933 — (5th of Nisan, 5693) Nazi Germany began its persecution of Jews by boycotting Jewish businesses
1937 — (20th of Nisan, 5697) The Palestine Post reported on the festive opening of a new road connecting Hadar Hacarmel and Mount Carmel in Haifa. The new road was 3,100 meters long and 10 to 15 meters wide — the asphalt width was six meters; that a provision was made in the Pension Ordinance for officials in the Civil Service to retire, under special circumstances, on attaining the age of 50
1941 — (4th of Nisan, 5701) A ghetto was established at Kielce, Poland; German troops executed 250 members of a Jewish youth group in Subotica, Yugoslavia, who have been carrying out acts of sabotage; The Farhud, a pogrom aim at the Jews of Baghdad “inspired by both the Nazis and the Grand Mufti of Jersualem, Haj-Amin Al Husseini, began today
1942 — (14 Nisan 5702) A Jewish residential district was established in Chortkiv (Ternopil region); it contained 6,800 Jews. The Jewish Council in Lviv issued 86,000 food ration cards to the city’s Jews for April; this meant that in March, the Jewish population of Lviv decreased by 10,000.
1947 — (11th of Nisan, 5707) The first Jewish immigrants disembark at the port of Eilat
1947 — (11 Nisan 5707) An attack by the Etzel on an officers’ club in Jerusalem. Jews stormed the building in broad daylight and blew it up, killing 12 people, including 5 Englishmen
1948 — (21th of Adar II, 5708) The War of Independence. An aircraft carrying a shipment of weapons landed at the Beit-Dras airfield near the moshav of Be’er Tuvia (or March 31); The vessel «Nora» delivered a shipment of weapons from Czechoslovakia to the port of Tel Aviv; The plan for Operation «Nachshon» to break the blockade of Jerusalem was approved
1952 — (6th of Nisan, 5712) The Jerusalem Post reported that the deepest well in Israel, 565 m., was dug at Karkur and had produced 360 cu.m. of excellent water per hour
1951 — (24 Adar-2 5711) The official date of the establishment of the Mossad intelligence agency. Its first head was Reuven Shiloah (according to another version, the Mossad was officially established on September 1, 1951)
1952 — (6 Nisan 5712) The Knesset passed a citizenship law that provided for the possibility of dual citizenship for Israelis.
1952 — (6 Nisan 5712) The company «Tahal,» specializing in infrastructure works in the field of water management, was established in Israel
1959 — (22th of Adar II, 5719) An IDF drill for calling up the reserves turned into a fiasco that became known as The Night of the Ducks: «The Voice of Israel» called upon reserve troops to fulfill their duty, and although this related only to three units and was part of exercises, the whole world was alarmed, expecting aggression. Ben-Gurion dismissed two high-ranking officers for negligence
1971 — (6 Nisan 5731) Jokers turned the traffic light at the entrance to Jerusalem. Hundreds of drivers made turns in the wrong direction, leading to a massive traffic jam. The police took several hours to resolve the situation. Drivers later explained that they did not consider the change in traffic direction unusual, as repairs were constantly being made on the roads around Jerusalem.
1974 — (9 Nisan 5734) The Agranat Commission presented a report on the actions of the authorities that led to the Yom Kippur War. The main culprits for the losses were identified as Chief of Staff D. Alazar, Military Intelligence Chief E. Zeira, and several high-ranking officers. The actions of G. Meir, as Prime Minister, and M. Dayan, Minister of Defense, were justified.
2002 — (19 Nisan 5762) Operation «Defensive Wall.» The beginning of the blockade of Arafat in Ramallah at his Mukata residence.
2008 — (25 Adar-2 5768) The Knesset approved a law regarding the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). According to it, an administrative body (the so-called Association of Cities) was to be created, which would concentrate the resolution of all problems concerning the shores of the lake.
2008 — (25 Adar-2 5768) A section of the railway from Pa’ate Modiin to Modiin Merkaz was opened.
2011 — (26 Adar-2 5771) The final games of the Israeli championship in ice hockey at the highest division took place. The final «Metula» – «Monfort» (Ma’alot) ended with a score of 5:1, and the match for third place «Maccabi Tsirei» (Metula) – Iceberg (Bat Yam) ended 6:2
2011 — (26th of Adar II, 5771) Residents from all over Israel reported that they felt an earthquake this afternoon.
2017 — (5 Nisan 5777) Terrorist attack. Around 15:15 on A-Gai Street in Jerusalem, a 17-year-old Arab armed with a knife injured two young Jews and attempted to flee. He was pursued and shot.
2018 — (16 Nisan 5778) The working week in Israel was reduced from 43 to 42 hours, and the monthly work time fund decreased from 186 to 182 hours.
2019 — (25 Adar-2 5779) Israel opened its embassy in Rwanda, its 11th in Africa.
2024 — (22 Adar-2 5784) War with Gaza. Day one hundred seventy-eight. In the morning, a military operation at the «Shifa» hospital in Gaza City, which lasted several weeks, was completed. About 200 terrorists were eliminated, and more than 500 were detained. A large amount of weapons and ammunition was discovered.
2024 — (22 Adar-2 5784) As a result of an airstrike in Damascus, a building housing the Iranian consulate was destroyed. Seven people were killed, including the commander of the Quds forces in Syria and Lebanon and his deputy. Iran blamed the strike on the IDF Air Force. Israel did not comment on the accusation
2026 — (14 Nisan 5786) The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) press service announced that, within the framework of an investigation by the Missing Persons Search Unit, the burial site of IDF soldier Dov Formet has been identified. He was killed in combat during the War of Independence on June 5, 1948
People
1662 — (12th of Nisan, 5422) Isaac ben Abraham Uziel “a Spanish physician, poet and grammarian, born at Fez” who became rabbi of Neveh Shalom in Amsterdam in 1610 when Judah Vega passed away died to in Amsterdam who left behind several literary works including “a Hebrew grammar, Ma’aneh Leshon.”
1855 — Sonya the Golden Hand (Sofia Bluvshtein) was born — a legendary con artist. Died in 1902.
1866 — Ferruccio Benvenuto Busoni was born — an Italian composer, pianist, conductor. Died June 27, 1924.
1876 — (Old Style, in the new style, April 13) Rosalia Zemlyachka was born — a revolutionary known for her involvement in the «Red Terror» in Crimea in 1920. Died January 21, 1947.
1882 — (12 Nisan 5642) Rabbi Moshe Avigdor Amiel was born in Poland — one of the leaders of religious Zionism, chief rabbi of Tel Aviv. Died April 15, 1946.
1883 — Meir Abramovich Trilisser was born — one of the organizers of Soviet intelligence. Arrested in 1940. Executed. Posthumously rehabilitated.
1887 — Leonard Bloomfield was born — an American linguist, professor. Died April 18, 1949.
1893 — (15 Nisan 5653) Hannah Rovina was born — an Israeli theater actress. Died February 3, 1980
1899 — (21th of Nisan, 5659) Baroness Clara de Hirsch, philanthropist, died
1908 — L. Razgon was born — a journalist, writer, and Gulag prisoner (17 years). Died September 8, 1999.
1908 — (29 Adar-1 5668) Abraham Maslow was born — an American psychologist, author of the so-called «pyramid of needs.» Died June 8, 1970.
1933 — Claude Cohen-Tanoudji was born — a French physicist.
1937 — (20 Nisan 5697) Sylvia Rafael was born in Cape Town — a Mossad agent. Died in 20025
1978 — (23th of Adar II, 5738) Rafael Eitan was promoted to the rank of General and was appointed by Ezer Weizman to be the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces
2001 — (8th of Nisan, 5761) Six days after she was killed by Palestinian gunfire, 10 month old Shalhevet Pass was buried today
2008 — (25th of Adar II, 5768) Radio broadcaster and actress and Shosh Atari passed away at the age of 58 after suffering a serious illness
2024 — (22 Adar-2 5784) War with Gaza. Day one hundred seventy-eight. In a battle in the southern sector, Senior Sergeant Nadav Cohen, 20 years old, from Haifa, was killed