History events
1422 — (28th of Adar-1, 5182) Pope Martin V (1417-31) issued a Bull reminding Christians that Christianity was derived from Judaism and warned the Friars not to incite against the Jews. The Bull was withdrawn the following year amidst allegations that the Jews of Rome attained the Bull by fraud
1495 — (26 Adar-1, 5255) “The Jew Mekl, son of Jontoffa, gave a mortgage of 60 schock of Meissen thalers on his Jewish house at number 263, on the corner of what are today Solní Road and Sedláčková Road in Pilsen, to his stepmother Lea, giving her the right to live there before gentiles and Jews»
1863 — (1 Adar, 5623) Ha-Levanon, the first Hebrew language periodical in Palestine, was published today
1879 — (27th of Shevat, 5639) “The Jews Oath” was “abrogated” today in Dresden, Germany: in 1847, the citizens of London elected its first Jew, Lionel de Rothschild, to the House of Commons. Rothschild, however, refused to take the Christian oath required of all members, and resigned without taking his seat in Parliament. He was immediately reelected a second and even a third time until the Jews’ Disabilities Act was passed on July 23, 1858, allowing Rothschild to represent Londoners without sacrificing his Jewish principles
1935 — (17 Adar-1, 5695) “Jewish physicians still practicing in the Reich are progressively poisoning the German people, Julius Streicher, anti-Semitic agitator, charged today in a sensational article appearing in the medical review German Health from Blood and Soil, of which he is editor.”
1936 — (27th of Shevat, 5696) Bronislaw Huberman, the Polish violinist and founder of the Palestine Symphony Orchestra, announced today that “the first concert of the newly organized Palestine Symphony Orchestra will be broadcast to the United States from Tel Aviv late in October over the facilities of the National Broadcasting Company.” He also said that “negotiations have been started for regular visits of the orchestra to Egypt and Greece” as well as a world tour that would include a visit to the United States
1937 — (9 Adar, 5697) Tiberias, one of the towns of Palestine known for its friendly relations between Arabs and Jews, was the scene of disorder today. Thirty Jews, thirty Arabs and two British policemen were slightly injured and two Jews were seriously hurt before order was restored
1938 — (19 Adar-1, 5698) The Palestine Post reported that one British officer was shot dead and two others wounded when their car was shot at in the vicinity of Haifa. British troops and police cordoned off the whole area and one Arab was shot dead when he tried to break through. A number of Arab suspects were arrested. There were many other cases of sniping at traffic and sabotage throughout the country
1938 — (19 Adar-1 5698) Athens. A rematch in the qualifying tournament for the 1938 World Cup: Greece — Palestine 1:0. The team featured players from «Maccabi» in Tel Aviv and «Hapoel» from Tel Aviv and Haifa
1941 — (23th of Shevat, 5701) The Nazis ordered Polish Jews barred from using public transportation
1953 — (5 Adar, 5713) The Jerusalem Post reported that The Jewish Agency opened a hostel in Tel Aviv for skilled Western immigrants
1953 — (5 Adar-1 5713) The newspaper «Pravda» published an article by O. Chechetkin titled «The Mail of Lydia Timashuk»: “Yes, she faced an enemy, not just one, but a gang of enemies of the Soviet Union, malicious, cunning, and well disguised”; “She helped to tear off the mask from the American mercenaries, monsters who used the white coat of a doctor to murder Soviet people.”
1955 — (28 Shevat 5715) The Tel Aviv municipality prohibited parking on Dizengoff, Ben Yehuda, and Allenby streets, allowing stopping only for the boarding and alighting of passengers
1978 — (13 Adar-1 5738) The 29th Zionist Congress opened in Jerusalem.
1980 — (3 Adar-1 5740) The government approved the decision of Defense Minister E. Weizman to develop the indigenous fighter «Lavi.»
2005 — (11 Adar-1, 5765) “Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won cabinet approval today for two sweeping plans intended to reshape Israel’s relations with the Palestinians: the withdrawal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, and a revamped route for the separation barrier in the West Bank.”
2009 — (26th of Shevat, 5769) A barrage of 10 mortar shells was fired at Gaza Belt communities, in what military sources said might have been the first stage of an attempted two-part combined terrorist attack. The attack, which was preceded by a Grad missile attack on the Negev town of Netivot, was repulsed by IDF forces operating near the Kissufim Crossing, who returned fire
2014 — (20 Adar-1 5774) In Sderot, the Azrieli Park was inaugurated in a ceremonial setting; its creation was part of the Jewish National Fund’s program for greening, beautifying, and developing the Negev
2023 — (29th of Shevat, 5783) In Israel the government is scheduled to advance the first elements of its judicial overhaul package through the first of three necessary Knesset votes today, after pushing them through a parliamentary committee earlier in the month. (As reported by Ash Obel); The movement protesting the government’s judicial overhaul package is scheduled mark today as a day of “national struggle” that will include a large rally outside the Knesset, as well as demonstrations in various cities and the shuttering of some businesses.”
2024 — (11 Adar-1 5784) War with Gaza. Day one hundred thirty-seven. Hostilities continued in the north, center, and south of the enclave. The last 646th reserve brigade was withdrawn from the sector. Only regular forces remained.
2025 — (22 Shevat 5785) The bodies of four hostages were returned to Israel from Gaza: Shiri Bibas, aged 33, kidnapped on October 7, 2023, from her home in the kibbutz Nir Oz, and her two sons – Kfir Bibas, who was nine months old at the time of the abduction, and Ariel Bibas, aged five. The fourth victim, Oded Lifshitz, was also abducted at the age of 83 from the kibbutz Nir Oz. Forensic examinations identified the bodies of Oded Lifshitz, Ariel, and Kfir. They had been killed by Hamas operatives back in November 2023. The body that was presented as that of Shiri Bibas (the mother) did not match her DNA. The Arabs returned an unidentified body.
2025 — (22 Shevat 5785) Terrorist attack. Explosions occurred in buses at two stations in Bat Yam and Holon. During the explosions, there were no passengers on the buses. No one was injured. Security services urged bus drivers who were on the route to stop and check the interior. This led to the discovery of two additional unexploded devices in buses entering Holon and Tel Aviv. The unexploded devices bore inscriptions in Arabic and Hebrew: «Revenge for Tul-Karem.» Each explosive device contained five kilograms of explosives and was equipped with a timer. Presumably, all devices were meant to detonate simultaneously at 9 a.m., during rush hour, but this did not occur due to a malfunction or an error in setting the time
People
1640 — (20 Adar-1 5401) Rabbi Yoel bar Shmuel Yaffe (Yoel Sikris; Bach), an outstanding halachic authority, passed away at the age of 80.
1662 — (11 Adar-1 5422) Shabtay ben Meir ha-Kohen, a renowned Lithuanian rabbi, died at the age of 41
1667 — (26th of Shevat, 5427) Rabbi David ben Samuel Halevi passed away. Born in Cracow in 1586, he was known as TA»Z an acronym for his response Turei Zahav – Rows (or Rock) of Gold. During the Chmelnitsky Uprisings which resulted in the massacre of thousands of Jews he found refuge in the castle of Prince Radziwill in a narrow room at the top, near the clock – the symbol of the Polish eagle that could be seen for miles. A folktale says that when Chmelnitsky and his hooligans approached the town Olyka, the rabbi and a large number of Olyka Jews took refuge in the Prince’s castle and prayed to God. They fought alongside the Prince’s men against the cruel enemy. Two ancient huge cannons that were not even usable suddenly shot out by themselves and killed off many of the enemy. In any event, the fear of God befell the hooligans and the quickly retreated and ran away. In memory of this miracle, Rabbi David composed special penitential prayers for the 20th of Nisan, the day the miracle occurred. The descendants of Rabbi Ha-Levi were the Russian rabbinical family Paltrowitch. This family produced 33 rabbis over several generations. One of these rabbis, Simcha Paltrowitch (1843-1926) served the Pine street “shul” in Buffalo
from 1890 to 1914. His brother’s descendant is the producer-director Bruce Paltrow (Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere), the father of the actress Gwyneth Paltrow
1813 — (20 Adar-1 5573) Based on a recommendation from Field Marshal Kutuzov, a silver medal inscribed «For Diligence» on an Anna ribbon was awarded to Berke Neyman, a resident of Kovna and the steward for the supplier to the Russian army, Nathan Meierovich, for serving as an «agent with the highest military police… in Moscow during the presence of the French» in 1812.
1856 — (14 Adar-1 5616) Zalman David ha-Kohen Levontin was born in Orsha — a Jewish public figure and financier, the first head of the administrative council of Rishon LeZion, founder of the Anglo-Palestine Bank, and one of the initiators of the creation of the Jewish Legion. He passed away on June 19, 1940.
1877 — (7 Adar-1 5637) Meir Balaban, a historian, was born. He died on February 26, 1942, in the Warsaw Ghetto
1886 — (15 Adar-1, 5646) Birthdate of Béla Kun head of Hungarian Soviet Republic formed in 1919 in the aftermath of World War I. Neither the Soviet nor Kun survived for very long
1887 — (26 Shevat 5647) Ben-Tzion Israeli was born in Ukraine — a public figure who initiated the cultivation of date palms and bananas in Eretz-Israel. He died on July 30, 1954.
1901 — Louis Kahn, an architect and one of the authors of Philadelphia’s urban plan, was born. He passed away on March 17, 1974.
1909 — (29 Shevat 5669) Ephraim Ilan, a businessman and philanthropist who made immense contributions to the creation and establishment of Israel, was born. He died on September 17, 2010
1948 — (10th of Adar I, 5708) “Kibbutz member Naftali Friedlander was killed today when “a battalion of the Arab Liberation Army led by Muhammed Safa unsuccessfully attacked Kibbutz Tirat Zvi
1959 — (12 Adar-1 5719) Zalman Shneur, a playwright, poet, and prose writer, passed away at the age of 72.
2024 — (11 Adar-1 5784) War with Gaza. In a battle in the northern sector, Senior Sergeant Avraham Vovagen, 21 years old, from Netanya, was killed, and three soldiers were seriously injured