History events
1255 — (24th of Elul, 5015) The body of a little boy who had disappeared was found in a well at Lincoln. ….. The boy would become known as Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln (England) was the subject of an infamous ritual murder libel. It was alleged that Jews enticed the boy and while starving him, invited Jews of Lincoln to murder him ritually. (Jews did come to Lincoln at that time to attend a wedding.) His body was cast into a well and a month later, «miracles» followed the discovery of his corpse. On the basis of the alleged «confession» by Jopin (Jacob), the secular authorities (for the first time) and the Church sent 91 Jews to the Tower of London. Eighteen were executed before Richard and the friars stopped the killings. This incident provided Chaucer with the idea for his Prioress Tale and the hero of the popular ballad, «Little Sir Hugh»
1477 — (20th of Elul, 5237) T’hilim with Kimchi’s commentary was published for the first time in Bologna, ….. Italy by Hayyim Mordecai and Hezekiah de Ventura. T’hilim is the Book of Psalms. Kimchi is David Kimchi also known as RaDAK. He was the third in a line of grammarians, lexicographers and Biblical commentators. RaDAK’s more accurate renderings of the ancient texts helped to fuel the Protestant Reformation
1897 — (1th of Elul, 5657) The First Zionist Congress (Basle, Switzerland) was convened by Theodore Herzl. ….. It was represented by one hundred and ninety-seven delegates. This was one of the most important yet unexpected convocation in modern Jewish History. Against all odds, Herzl had Jews from twenty-four different states as varied Palestine, the United States and an array from across Europe. The Congress adopted a document known as the Basile Program that declared, «The task of Zionism is to secure for the Jewish people in a Palestine in a publicly recognized legally secure homeland.» The Congress also announced that it would dedicate itself to strengthening Jewish consciousness and national feeling»
1929 — (23th of Аv, 5689) The day began with an Arab attempt to massacre the Jewish population of Safed, ….. one of the sacred cities of Palestine and the center of study of the Kaballah. Initially nine Jews were killed and thirty wounded. As day turned into night the attack continued with the Arabs killing twenty-two Jews, wounding scores more and burning the whole town except the government buildings. Fighting proceeded for eight hours before British troops arrived from Tiberias. At least one American was found among the wounded. According to reports circulating in the ancient Jewish settlement 3,000 have been left homeless and some of the wounded were tortured by the Arab raiders; After a week of Arab riots that started on August 23, as of today, 113 Jews had been killed and 339 wounded. As a result of the riots, Sir Walter Shaw headed a commission which urged the banning of Jewish immigration and absolved the Arabs and the Mufti of guilt. Another commission led by Sir John Simpson declared that the entire Zionist operation was unsound and undesirable. Both of these commissions were under the auspices of Lord Passfield, the British Colonial Secretary; In a letter to The Times of London, British Zionist Harry Sacher refuted Arab claims that the Wailing Wall was part of the Mosque of Omar and that the Jews had no right to be there. The Mufti had claimed that the Arab Riots were provoked by Jews marching to the Wailing Wall and violating the law by hosting a Zionist flag
1936 — (11th of Elul, 5696) Arabs attacked Jewish settlement in the Sharon Valley in southern Judea and in the Jordan Valley tonight
1942 — (16th of Elul, 5702) Occupation officials in the East inform Berlin that the «Jewish problem» has been «totally solved» in Serbia. Since German occupation, 14,500 of Serbia’s 16,000 Jews have been murdered
1944 — (10th of Elul, 5704) The last transport left the Lodz Ghetto after two months of final liquidation of the Jewish population. Only 600 Jews remained from 76,000 who were still alive there on June 15, 1944
1961 — (17th of Elul, 5721) The Sixth Maccabiah opened today in Tel Aviv
People
1854 — (5th of Elul, 5614) Birthdate of Joseph Jacobs an Australian literary and Jewish historian, who was a writer for the Jewish Encyclopedia
2003 — (1st of Elul, 5763) The Fatah al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility for the murder of 25 year old Shalom Har-Melekh and the wounding of his wife Limor who was seven months pregnant