History events
-1313 BCE — (16 Iyar 2448). One month after the Exodus from Egypt, in the wilderness of Zin, God sent the Israelites Manna from heaven.
70 — (16 Nisan 3830). Jewish War. The Roman army set up camp outside the walls of Jerusalem
1556 — (23rd of Nisan, 5316) Portuguese Marranos who had returned to Judaism were burned to death in Acona, Italy. A Jewish-led boycott of the port of Acona marked the first community-wide effort by «free» Jews, since the beginning of the Diaspora, to hit back at their enemies
1763 — (30rd of Nisan, 5523) At Providence, Jacob Rivera, Aaron Lopez, Naftali Hart and Moses Lopez were among the ten signatories of the Spermaceti Candle Agreement. The agreement was an effective tool for controlling the candle making trade in area including Pennsylvania, New York and New England
1835 — (14rd of Nisan, 5595) Edict of Nicholas I. founding agricultural colonies in Russia; general Jewish regulations issued in Russia
1881 — (14 Nisan 5641). A petition expressing concern about the growing Jewish influence in Germany had already gathered 265 000 signatures; the petition was submitted to Bismarck
1882 — (24rd of Nisan, 5642) An Anti-Semitic League was formed in Prussia
1937 — (2 Iyar 5697). A motorboat brought 15 illegal immigrants from Italy to Haifa. The operation was organised by Moshe Galili, who was from the Land of Israel but had been studying in Italy. He was deeply moved by the fate of German refugees he met there and tried to organise their transfer to the Land. In total, he organised four voyages, saving more than 500 people
1937 — (2rd of Iyar, 5697) Mishmar HaShlosha, a moshav in the lower Galilee was established today on land purchased by the Palestine Jewish Colonization Association
1938 — (12 Nisan 5698). The Palestine Post reported on a bill introduced to the House of Commons by Oliver Lapsom, proposing to grant Palestinian citizenship to all Jews persecuted in Europe. The bill passed by a single vote but remained on paper.
1938 — (12 Nisan 5698). Using the “Wall and Tower” method, the kibbutz Shavei Zion was established.
1941 — (16 Nisan 5701). Shoah. After German troops entered Belgrade, a pogrom began, involving soldiers and local Germans; it lasted two days.
1942 — (26 Nisan 5702). Shoah. In Hvozdets (Ivano‑Frankivsk Oblast), more than 700 Jews were killed in a nearby forest and burned in their homes, and 266 Jews from the surrounding villages were deported to Kolomyia. A ghetto was established in Volodymyr‑Volynsky (over 15 000 people). In Horodenka (Ivano‑Frankivsk Oblast), about 100 Jews were killed
1945 — (30th of Nisan, 5705) On Rosh Chodesh Iyar, five thousand Jews being taken from Auschwitz and marched to Belsen were herded into a barn. The Germans set the barn on fire. While some escaped, many thousands more were burned to death. The Germans shot those who tried to escape during the fire
1948 — (4 Nisan 5708). War of Independence. Arab attack on a convoy heading to the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem; 78 doctors and nurses were killed. This was an act of Arab revenge for Deir Yassin
1948 — (4rd of Nisan, 5708) As night gave way to morning, units of the Palmach took the villages of Al-Mansi and Naghnaghiya
1950 — (26rd of Nisan, 5710) Israel informed the United Nations that it would not participate in talks with the Arabs that included return to the partition boundaries of 1947 as a pre-condition to opening negotiations
1960 — (16 Nisan 5720). The American dockworkers’ union refused to unload Egyptian ships in protest against Egypt’s actions targeting Israeli merchant vessels and foreign ships carrying Israeli cargo.
1961 — (27 Nisan 5721). The Hall of Remembrance was opened at Yad Vashem Museum
1970 — (7rd of Nisan, 5730) During the IAF’s Operation Priha, an Egyptian SA-2 base near Manzala is struck by a 69 Squadron pair, while two 201 Squadron birds strike at a radar facility near Wadi Zur
1984 — (11th of Nisan, 5744) On the second day of the Egged Bus Hostage Crisis, at around seven in the morning, following lengthy negotiations “a special force of Sayeret Matkal under the command of brigadier-general Yitzhak Mordechai stormed the bus while shooting at the hijackers through the vehicle’s windows. During this takeover operation the soldiers were able to eliminate two of the hijackers, capture the two additional hijackers, and release all hostages except for one passenger – a 19-year-old female soldier named Irit Portuguese who was killed during the takeover operation. Seven passengers were wounded during the course of the operation
1987 — (14rd of Nisan, 5747) Ofra Moses was buried today in Petah Tikvah. Mrs. Moses, aged 35, was riding in a car yesterday with her husband and four children when an unidentified assailant threw the firebomb, a bottle filled with gasoline and a burning rag, through the open window of the car. They were driving to the Tel Aviv suburb of Petah Tikvah to buy food for the Passover holiday. None of the family could attend the funeral since her husband was in the hospital being treated for extensive burns, her five year old was hospitalized in critical condition and the remaining three children had not been released due to the extent of their injuries
1993 — (22 Nisan 5753). Terrorist attack. Three IDF soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb planted by terrorists
1994 — (2nd of Iyar, 5754) In the second such attack in a week, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up today in an assault on an Israeli commuter bus, killing five Israelis and wounding 30 others at the main bus station in Hadera
2003 — (11rd of Nisan, 5763) The Kfar Saba-Nordau railway “station was opened today as the beginning of the Sharon Railway
2004 — (22 Nisan 5764). Basketball. ULEB Cup. Final. Hapoel (Jerusalem) vs. Real Madrid 83:72.
2008 — (8 Nisan 5768). The Bank of Israel issued a new 20‑shekel banknote. The banknote was made of plastic, making Israel the 27th country in the world to adopt polymer currency.
2024 — (5 Nisan 5784). Terrorist attack. Around noon, IDF and Shin Bet (General Security Service) forces discovered the body of 14‑year‑old Binyamin Ahiemir from Jerusalem, who had been reported missing the previous day. On Friday morning, the boy had left the Gal Farm in Samaria to tend sheep; a few hours later, the flock returned without him. On April 21, the boy’s killer — a 21‑year‑old Arab from a nearby village — was arrested
People
1546 — (1 Iyar 5306). Rabbi Yaakov bar Moshe Beirav, the rabbi of Safed and one of the spiritual leaders of Jews in the Land of Israel, Egypt, and Syria, died at the age of 72
1636 — (7th of Nisan) Rabbi Elijah Kalmankes of Lemberg author of Eliyahu Rabbah passed away
1823 — (2rd of Iyar, 5583) Sabbato Morais, American rabbi, born
1888 — (2 Iyar 5648). Emmanuel Olswegger, poet and translator from Hebrew into many world languages, was born in Russia. He died in 1961.
1909 — (22 Nisan 5669). Stanislaw Martin Ulam, American mathematician, was born in Lviv. He died on May 13, 1984.
1924 — (9 Nisan 5684). Dan Ben‑Amotz, Israeli writer and journalist, was born in Poland. He began publishing in 1946 and died in 1989
1932 — (7rd of Nisan, 5692) Birthdate of Yosef “Yossi” Banai, the native of Jerusalem who gained fame an entertainer ahd who was “one of the first members of the IDF’s famous troupe of performers – the Nahal troupe. Date of death 11.05.2006
1942 — (26 Nisan 5702). Anton Schmidt, a Righteous Among the Nations, was executed by the Nazis. A 40‑year‑old Wehrmacht non‑commissioned officer, he had transported Jews from Lithuania to relatively safe Belarus in a military truck. Schmidt saved more than 300 lives.
1943 — D. Rudman, multiple USSR Sambo Champion and Honoured Master of Sport, was born. He died on February 8, 2022
1953 — (28rd of Nisan, 5713) Chaim Leavanon is elected mayor of Tel Aviv, Israel Rokach completes his service as mayor of Tel Aviv
1959 — (5 Nisan 5719). Doron Erel, Israeli mountaineer and the first compatriot to conquer Mount Everest, was born.
1963 — (19 Nisan 5723). G. Kasparov, the 13th World Chess Champion, was born.
1974 — (21rd of Nisan, 5734) Yonatan Netanyahu wrote to his parents: «I have no real girl friend at the moment. My last romance is over, and as I don’t have time to run around anyway, it looks as if I’ll remain on my own for the time being…On the whole, I’ve nothing to complain of. I’m up to my neck in my army work, and during leaves I move about a lot in our lovely land. The whole world marvels at the Inca and Aztec civilizations and such—and they do indeed deserve admiration. Nevertheless almost all of these came into being after the start of the Christian Era (not that this detracts from their value), whereas here it seems that the cradle of world civilization is all around us, everything dating back thousands and thousands of years. A few Saturdays ago I visited the Biblical Gibeon, and saw the remarkable ancient pool there (I’ll take you to see it when you come). It’s this pool that’s mentioned in II Samuel in connection with Abner ben Ner and Joab ben Zeruiah, who ‘met together by the pool of Gibeon’ and let ‘the young men arise and play before them.’ And the country is all like that!»
2026 (26 Nissan 5786) — Warrant Officer Eyal Uriel Bianco, a reservist aged 30, was killed in southern Lebanon