History events
42 — (14th of Adar, 3892) King Agrippa I began the construction of a gate for the city of Jerusalem
68 — (2th of Adar, 3828) During the Great Revolt, Vespasian occupied the city of Gadara as the legions made their slow, inexorable march to Jerusalem
1592 — (20th of Adar, 5352) Emperor Rudolph II invited Rabbi Judah ben Bezalel Lowe, known as the Maharal of Prague to his castle. The two men met for an hour and a half during which time they “developed a mutual respect for each other. Rabbi Judah Lowe made use of his excellent connections with the Emperor, often intervening on behalf of his community when it was threatened by anti-Semitic attacks or oppression. (As reported by Chabad Knowledge Base)
1846 — (27th of Shevat, 5606) In Poland, the National Government issued a proclamation “calling for the Jewish population to join the uprising and ensuring their full equality.”
1912 — (5th of Adar, 5672) A New York Ladino language newspaper called La Aguila hit the presses but failed due to lack of support and finished running on March 22 of the same year
1932 — (16th of Adar-1, 5692) In the Netherlands, the Jewish Historical Museum was officially opened. It was located in a single room on the top floor of the Amsterdam Historical Museum, which was housed in the Weigh House
1936 — (30th of Shevat, 5696) Sir Arthur Grenfell Wauchope the High Commissioner of the British Mandate of Palestine was booed by a crowd as he left a museum in Tel Aviv where he had just given a dedicatory address. The demonstration was prompted by reports that the mandatory government is about to implement new regulations designed to limit Jewish immigration and land purchases by Jews. The High Commissioner ordered the crowd to disperse but did not order any arrests
1938 — (22th of Adar-1, 5698) Today is the planned date on which passengers will begin debarking at the newly refurbished port of Tel Aviv. The event is viewed as “a milestone in the rebuilding of the Jewish National Home.”
1939 — (4th of Adar, 5699) “Under a decree that Field Marshall Goering announced today, all German or Stateless Jews must surrender with a fortnight all jewels,” “knives, forks, other tableware” “and other objects of gold, silver or platinum as well as all diamonds, pearls and other precious stones.”
1941 — (26th of Shevat, 5701) A large scale pogrom in Amsterdam continued for a second day
1942 — (6th of Adar, 5702) Struma, a ship chartered to carry Jewish refugees from Axis-allied Romania to British-controlled Palestine during World War II, with its engine inoperable, was towed from Istanbul through the Bosporus out to the Black Sea by Turkish authorities with its refugee passengers aboard, where it was left adrift
1944 — (29th of Shevat, 5704) It was reported today that “in a move to combat the wave of terror that flared up in Palestine this week, a Jewish vigilant organization calling itself ‘Yishuv’s Guard’ has been formed in Jersualem
People
1658 — (30th of Adar-1, 5418) Jacob (John) Lumbrozo, the first doctor in Maryland was tried for having, «Denied Jesus of Nazareth….» Lumbrozo was convicted, sentenced to death, and was to have all his property confiscated by the government. He was later freed from these penalties. Lumbrozo was born in Portugal. He then moved to Holland and finally settled in Maryland in 1656
1744 — (21th of Adar, 5504) In the ghetto of Frankfurt am Main, “Amschel Moses Rothschild and his wife Schönche Rothschild (née Lechnich) gave birth to Meyer Amschel Rothschild, the husband of Gutle Schnapper with whom he had ten children
1813 — (23th of Adar-1, 5573) Franz Delitzsch, Christian Hebraist, born
1824 — (24th of Adar-1, 5584) Sir George Jessel, master of the rolls, England, born
1865 — (27th of Shevat, 5625) Birthdate of pioneer baseball executive, Barney Dreyfuss, the owner of the Pittsburg Pirates and the “father” of the World Series.
1904 — (7th of Adar, 5664) Birthdate of Leopold Trepper, a Jewish James Bond. Trepper was born in Poland. During World War II he organized and ran one of the most famous espionage rings in history — The Red Orchestra. Operating in France in 1940, the ring penetrated German intelligence and was able to provide the Soviets with detailed information about the impending invasion of Russia by Germany. Unfortunately, Stalin refused to believe the warnings. Members of the Red Orchestra were captured in 1942. Trepper escaped and hid until the liberation of Paris in 1944. When he returned to Moscow, he was arrested along with thousands of others who had bravely fought the Nazis and spent ten years in prison. Eventually he moved to Israel where he died in 1982
2000 — (17th of Adar I, 5760) Ofrz Haza, popular Yeminite Israeli singer, passed away. Born in 1957, she made her international debut at the Eurovision Song Contest 1983, which she very narrowly failed to win for Israel with the song «Hi». Ofra Haza had a world-wide hit in 1988 with «Im Nina’lu» from the album Fifty Gates of Wisdom. Her international hits also included «Temple of Love (Touched by the Hand of Ofra Haza)» with the Leeds-based post-punk band, The Sisters of Mercy in 1992 and «My Love is for Real» with Paula Abdul in 1995. She also sang in the animated film The Prince of Egypt in 1998. Her Israeli hits include «Shir ha-Frekha» («The Bimbo Song», theme from the movie Shlager, in which she also acted) and «le-Orekh ha-Yam» («Along the Shore»). Haza, who came from the poor Hatikvah neighborhood of Tel-Aviv, at one time almost a slum, was a success story and the subject of pride on behalf of many Israelis of Yemenite origin. She died of AIDS