History events
1263 — (17th of Elul, 5023) The Jews in Barcelona received permission to build a new synagogue. Four years later the building needed repairs, and the government authorized the Jewish community to go ahead with the repairs on March 24, 1267
1349 — (9th of Elul, 5109) Three thousand Jews slaughtered in Erfurt; Some ten thousand Jews were massacred during riots in two of the largest communities of Germany — Mainz and Breslau. They were killed because the Jews were deemed responsible for the bubonic plague that was sweeping Europe
1391 — (23th of Elul, 5151) On Majorca, ….. Jewish homes were sacked; and even the houses of Christians sheltering Jews in concealment were not spared. About 300 Jews were put to death, 800 saved themselves in the royal castle, and the rest underwent baptism. When Queen Violante was informed of the outrage, she condemned the inhabitants of the islands to pay a fine of 150,000 florins (or, according to some authorities, 104,000 florins). A year later (1392), however, Juan I. granted full amnesty to all who had practiced violence against the Jews or «the Calle,» because they had done it for the welfare of king and state; and he further declared all debts of the Christians to the Jews to be null and void
1489 — (27th of Elul, 5249) In a letter written to his brother from Jerusalem” Obadiah ben Abraham Bartenura, a 15th century Italian rabbi known for his commentary on the Mishnah” a leader who helped to rejuvenate Jerusalem’s Jewish community “mentions that Jews flock to Jerusalem from Egypt, Damascus, Aleppo and other places in order to worship God
1855 — (10th of Elul, 5615) Publication of the first issue of «Die Deborah» a German-language newspaper focused on serving women’s interests. ….. Die Deborah, the most important German-Jewish newspaper in the U.S. in its time. Reform leader Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise served as editor and published Die Deborah as a German-language supplement to his English-language The Israelite (later The American Israelite) and designed it particularly for «the instruction and the intellectual entertainment of the ladies»
1929 — (18th of Av, 5689) Arab attacks continued on Jews living in the section of Jerusalem known as Talipot. ….. Women and children had to be evacuated to the New City. Arab mobs looted Jewish homes including that of the author S.J. Agnon. They destroyed his collection of rare documents related to the history of Palestine; By August today, another 17 Jews had been killed in the Jerusalem area. The worst killings occurred in Hebron and Safed while others were killed in Motza, Kfar Uria, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv; (18th of Av, 5689): On Shabbat, Arab mobs killed five members of the Maklev family and their two house-guests one of whom was an 85 year old Rabbi; Arab rioters attacked Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, laying waste to the three year old settlement; In Hebron, Arabs massacred fifty-nine Jews including five rabbis and eight American students studying at a local Yeshiva. This slaughter would lead to Jews being driven out of the city putting an end to this ancient Jewish community and making the home of the Cave of Machpelah “Jew free” except for the remains of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. Jews would not be able to return to their ancient community until after the 1967 war
1936 — (6th of Elul, 5696) Two more Jews fell victim tonight to the murderous Arab violence that began on April 19, bringing the Jewish death toll to sixty-six. One of the victims was Julius Vagshall, “an employee of the Palestine Electric Company was murdered…near Mikveh Israel
1950 — (11th of Elul, 5710) Operation Magic Carpet, ….. which brought 45,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel, was concluded. This rescue of the ancient Yemenite community began shortly after the creation of the Jewish states. Anti-Jewish riots broke out even though the Jews of Yemen had done nothing. The easiest way would have been to bring them to Israel by ship, but the Egyptians would not let the Israelis use the Suez Canal. So the Israelis mounted an airlift (hence the name magic carpet) and flew the people to safety with between 500 to 600 Yemenites on each flight. Many had never seen a plane before. Many people remembered the words of the prophet who said the Jews would be redeemed on Wings of Eagles. This was the first large scale saving of a Jewish community
1980 — (12th of Elul, 5740) One person was killed and twelve were injured when a terrorist bomb went off in Jerusalem gas station
People
1844 — (9th of Elul, 5604) Aaron Chorin (Choriner), Hungarian rabbi, died
1941 — (1th of Elul, 5701) Eighty-six-year-old Dr. Jacob Wigodsky, longtime leader of the Jews of Vilna, Lithuania, is arrested and imprisoned. He will be executed a week later at Ponary, Lithuania