History events
682 — (18th Shevat 4442) Visigoth King Erwig pressed for the «utter extirpation of the pest of the Jews,» and made it illegal to practice any Jewish rites in an area that corresponds to much of modern-day Spain. This put further pressure on the Jews to convert or emigrate
1119 — (18th Shevat 4879) Callixtus II began his papacy. In 1120, Calixtus II issued the first of the bulls called “Sicut Judaeis” (As the Jews) which in his case was intended to protect Jews from the consequences of the First Crusade “during which over five thousand Jews were slaughtered in Europe.”
1682 — (3rd of Adar, 5442) Asser Levy, the «founding father» of North American Jewry passed away. Нe was one of the 23 Jewish refugees who fled from Recife after the end of Dutch rule in the area although is not listed in the extant congregational minute books of the Brazilian Jewish community. It is known that he eventually went to New Netherland, possibly arriving in New Amsterdam aboard the St. Catherine or St. Charles in early September 1654
1685 (7 Adar 1, 5445) — Louis XIV issued the so‑called Black Code, which among other provisions forbade Jews from living in France’s New World colonies
1761 (27 Shevat, 5521) — The last documented reference to the Nevis synagogue (a lease agreement). There are no precise records of when the synagogue was built. However, by comparing the earliest date (1679) on a surviving Jewish gravestone and a mention of the Nevis synagogue in Amsterdam community archives (1684), historians estimate it was constructed in the late 1670s to early 1680s. In 1772, a hurricane destroyed the Nevis synagogue, and the Jews left the island. Ruins of the synagogue were noted in 1809, and by 1846, no trace of it remained
1831 (18 Shevat, 5591) — France passed a law establishing equality before the state for Christianity and Judaism
1832 (30 Shevat, 5592) — The first official Jewish wedding in Australia took place in Sydney
1840 — (27th Shevat 5600) In what would be the opening of the Damascus Blood Libel, “Father Thomas, a Roman Catholic priest and a” long-time resident of Damascus “suddenly disappeared today
1860 (8 Shevat, 5620) — At the opening of the 36th session of the U.S. House of Representatives, a prayer by New York Rabbi Jacob Rachall was recited for the first time
1882 — (12th Shevat 5642) “The French Catholic newspaper La Croix publishes an article by Father Francois Picard, head of the Assumptionist order behind the journal, declaring that Jewish bankers and that they are behind all of Europe’s problems,”
1882 — (12th Shevat 5642) Mass-meetings held at New York and London expressing sympathy with the persecuted Jews of the Russian empire
1882 (12 Shevat, 5642) — A public meeting in London condemned Tsar Alexander III’s policies toward Jews. A sum of £100,000 was raised in donations, and a letter was sent to the tsar—which he returned via the Foreign Ministry
1935 — (28th Shevat 5695) At the annual convention of the Palestine Jewish Farmers Federation, Moshe Smilansky, veteran farmer economist, poet, writer and journalist, shocked the assembled gathering when in his opening address as president he announced that in the present circumstances in Palestine Jewish farmers and colonists should employ only Jewish labor
1938 — (30th Shevat 5698) In Berlin, the Ministry of the Interior published a new law today empowering “German courts to revoke previous rulings permitting Jews to changes their names” which means that “a Jew who changed his name years ago can be compelled to resume his original names; The German government published a decree officially notifying banks “that any company that has one Jewish director” or in which Jews have a 25 per cent ownership stake “must be classified as a Jewish concern.”
1942 (14 Shevat, 5702) — During the Shoah, another 2,256 Jews were deported from Odessa. On the same day, the Jewish council in Lviv issued 97,000 food ration cards to the city’s Jews for the month of February
1944 — (7th Shevat 5704) Today, the Irgun proclaimed a revolt against the British mandatory government
1948 — (21th Shevat 5708) The Arabs bombed the Palestine Post (a.k.a. Jerusalem Post) building in Jerusalem
1948 (21 Shevat, 5708) — At this point, the armed forces in the Land of Israel numbered 16,500 personnel
1959 (23 Shevat, 5719) — Food rationing was abolished. The austerity regime had been introduced in 1949. In cities, each family received a booklet with tear‑off coupons specifying the type and quantity of goods. The holder would then go to a store, queue up, and receive whatever had been delivered that day. The austerity measures were sometimes eased or tightened: in 1950, milk was restricted to young children; meat distribution was suspended and later reinstated in 1952; in the same year, rations of chocolate, tomato paste, jam, sugar, and cornmeal for infants were increased; and in 1956, egg rations were raised.
1959 (23 Shevat, 5719) — A terrorist attack: three Israelis were killed by a landmine near the moshav of Zavdi’el.
1960 (3 Shevat, 5720) (or January 31) — An IDF retaliatory operation against the Syrian village of Tawfiq in the Golan Heights, from which Syrians had repeatedly shelled Israeli settlements near the Sea of Galilee, including Kibbutz Tel Hatzor.
1961 (15 Shevat, 5721) — Ikhilov Hospital opened in Tel Aviv
1970 — (25th Shevat 5730) Oil was pumped for the first time in the newly completed 42-inch Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline
1993 (10 Shevat, 5753) — During secret negotiations with the PLO, Israel presented a draft proposal for Arab autonomy in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza
2006 — (3th Shevat 5766) Despite violent protests, Israel successfully completed the evacuation of the West Bank outpost of Amona
2007 (13 Shevat, 5767) — The Israeli Ministry of Defense concluded a competition to select the best weapon system capable of protecting the country from short‑ and medium‑range missiles. The Rafael defense concern won with a proposal combining combat lasers and missiles. The project was named Iron Dome (Kipat Barzel).
2008 (25 Shevat, 5768) — A terrorist attack: six Arabs shouting “Allahu Akbar!” opened fire with automatic weapons on the Israeli embassy in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania.
2011 (27 Shevat, 5771) — Arabs launched three Grad rockets from the Gaza Strip. They exploded near Netivot, Ofakim, and in the Eshkol region. Rocket warning systems failed to activate. Four people were hospitalized suffering from shock. In Netivot, shrapnel damaged several cars. The explosion occurred near a wedding celebration.
2011 (27 Shevat, 5771) — A travel pass valid on all Israeli railway routes—urban and intercity, including intermediate stations—was introduced. The pass offered an overall discount of 25 % off the full fare.
2017 (5 Shevat, 5777) — The forced evacuation of residents from the so‑called illegal outpost of Amona in Samaria was completed. The Israeli Supreme Court had ordered the evacuation of settlers from their homes.
2024 (22 Shevat, 5784) — Gaza War, Day 118. The IAF carried out strikes on targets in Khan Yunis; fighting took place in the al‑Sina’a and al‑Talatani streets in Gaza City; clashes occurred in the center of the Gaza Strip; and the Israeli Navy shelled targets along the coast near Nuseirat
People
1605 — (23th Shevat 5355) Birthdate of Aboab de Fonseca, the Portuguese born Dutch Rabbi and Mystic
1816 (2 Shevat, 5576) — Shmuel Salant, Talmudic scholar and public figure in Eretz Israel, was born in Białystok. He died on August 16, 1909
1872 — (22th Shevat 5632) Bogumil Dawison, German actor, died
1882 — Marie Majerová, Czech writer and People’s Artist of Czechoslovakia, was born. She died on January 16, 1967
1885 — (16th Shevat 5645) Perez Smolenskin, Russian Hebrew writer, died
1905 — Emilio Segrè, American physicist, professor, and Nobel Prize laureate in Physics, was born. He died on April 22, 1989.
1900 (2 Adar 1, 5660) — Jānis Lipke, a Riga docker whose family saved 55 Jews during the war, was born. In 1966, Lipke was awarded the title Righteous Among the Nations. Of the 80,000 Latvian Jews, only 162 survived. He died on May 14, 1987.
1923 (15 Shevat, 5683) — Ben Weider, one of the founders of bodybuilding and brother of Joe Weider, was born. He died on October 17, 2008.
1924 (26 Shevat, 5684) — Emanuel Schäfer, Israeli football coach and head coach of the national team at the 1970 World Cup, was born in Germany. He died on December 28, 2012.
1935 (28 Shevat, 5695) — Ze’ev Almog, who served as commander of the Israeli Navy from 1979 to 1985, was born.
2025 (3 Shevat, 5785) — As part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza, hostages Ofer Kalderon (54), Shmuel Keith Sigal (65), and Yarden Bibas (35) were released