History events
1147 — (22th of Adar, 4907) In Wurzburg, Germany, a rumor began that a Christian corpse was found in the river which could perform miracles. The Jews were accused to killing the person. In the ensuring riots, twenty two Jews were murdered including the rabbi, Isaac ben Elyukem. After the riot the survivors fled to a local Castle
1901 — (5th of Adar, 5661) It was reported today that Jews have been excluded “from all the professional schools in Romania” as well as “the college for preceptors,” the naval and military schools” and “from all boarding schools.”
1904 — (8th of Adar, 5664) Herzl writes, «Yesterday I had a most curious visitor: Ali Nuri Bey … His proposal … comes to this: Sail into the Bosporus with two cruisers, bombard Yildiz, let the Sultan flee or capture him, put in another Sultan (Murad or Reshad), but first form a provisional government — which is to give us the Charter for Palestine….»
1912 (6 Adar 1 5672) — In New York, 38 women led by Henrietta Szold founded the Daughters of Zion organization, aiming “to support Jewish institutions and enterprises in Palestine and Jewish ideals.” In 1914, the organization was renamed Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America
1935 — (21th of Adar-1, 5695) “A drive to place 10,000 new contribution boxes in homes and offices was begun” tonight” by the Jewish National Fund in conjunction with its campaign to raise $500,000 this for land purchases in Palestine.”
1936 — (1th of Adar, 5696) In Jaffa, Arabs picketing construction sites where schools were being built “stoned Jewish laborers and policemen, dangerously wounding one British constable and seriously damaging” at least one building
1937 — (13th of Adar, 5697) The anti-Semitic student demonstrations that took place today in Hungary included driving Jews from classrooms, interrupting professors’ lectures, smash windows in Budapest’s main synagogue, and the rector of the University of Budapest forcing threes Jewish students to “absent themselves from graduation ceremonies in order to prevent disturbances
1939 (5 Adar 1 5699) — At the London Conference on resolving the Jewish‑Arab conflict in Palestine, Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald presented the British government’s plan: Palestine was to become a single independent state within ten years, with Jews relegated to the role of a national minority with special status. The Jewish delegation categorically rejected the plan; the Arab delegation did so as well. Arabs demanded immediate independence and refused to grant special status to the Jewish community in a Palestine under their control
1941 — (27th of Shevat, 5701) Following a two-long pogrom in Amsterdam, “an open-air meeting was held on the Noordermarkt to organize a strike to protest against the pogrom as well as the forced labor in Germany.
1942 — (7th of Adar, 5702) The Struma was torpedoed and sunk by the Soviet submarine SC 213. Approximately 769 illegal Jewish immigrants aboard the Struma perished on their way to Palestine. The Struma was one of a series of ships filled with Jews that attempted to run the British blockade. The blockade was part of the British commitment to the Arabs to keep Jews out of Palestine in violation of the Balfour Declaration and the terms of the Mandate. The British slavishly enforced the blockade during and after World War II. The Struma traversed the Black Sea and attempted to stop at Istanbul. But the British told the Turks that the Jews would not be allowed to land in Palestine, so they turned the ship back in the Black Sea. It was there that the ship was sunk, reportedly torpedoed by a Nazi submarine. Exodus by Leon Uris is based on another blockade running episode that took place in 1947
1942 (7 Adar 1 5702) — The Shoah. The Thessaloniki Ghetto was established
1946 — (23th of Adar-1, 5706) In Tel Aviv, a throng of more than 50,000 Jews attended the funeral of four men killed during an attack on several RAF airfields. For more than six hours, this “all-Jewish” city was truly in control of the Jewish people as there were no signs of any British police or soldiers. Jewish newspapers published black-bordered obituaries for each of the deceased. During the funeral, the Haganah distributed leaflets, giving further proof that the airfield attacks were not the work of the Irgun, but were the work of a broader-based Jewish resistance movement. The attack and the public outpouring of grief seemed to indicate a change in mood among the Jewish population who were now apparently willing to support more aggressive tactics designed to secure their national home in light of what they have come to view of as the British betrayal of the Zionist cause and their support for the Arabs
1948 (14 Adar 1 5708) — Less than three months before Israel’s declaration of independence, the decision was made to establish the Armored Corps in Israel, under the command of Y. Sadé
1949 — (25th of Shevat, 5709) «Under the auspices of the United Nations Mediator Dr. Ralph Bunche, an armistice was signed between Egypt and Israel.» This marked, more or less, the end of Israel’s War for Independence; President Weizmann entrusted David Ben-Gurion with the task of forming Israel’s first government
1950 (7 Adar 1 5710) — A non‑aggression agreement was initialed between Jordan and Israel
1971 (29 Shevat 5731) — Twenty‑four activists of the refusenik movement—Soviet Jews denied permission to emigrate to Israel—entered the reception office of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. They declared they would not leave the premises and read out the “Statement of the 32” regarding emigration to Israel. That evening, Deputy Head of the Reception Office A. S. Dumin announced that within four days (by 1 March), the Presidium would review each applicant’s case and provide a reasoned response.
1976 (23 Adar 1 5736) — Five Jewish activists demonstrated in Moscow near the V. Lenin Library, demanding that all Jews in the USSR who wished to do so be allowed to emigrate to Israel. Participants M. Nashpitz and V. Tsitlenok were sentenced to five years of internal exile in May 1976.
1980 (7 Adar 1 5740) — Israel replaced the lira with a new currency unit: the shekel
2010 — (10th of Adar, 5770) A bill that allows civil marriage in Israel to couples who could not be married by the rabbinate failed by a large margin in its initial reading
2014 (24 Adar 1 5774) — The Israeli Air Force struck a convoy carrying ballistic missiles near the Lebanese village of Nabi Shaithna; the missiles were being transported by Hezbollah from Syria to Lebanon. This was Israel’s first strike against a Hezbollah target since the Second Lebanon War of 2006
2017 — (27th of Shevat, 5777) “Major roads and key thoroughfares were blocked to traffic in Tel Aviv today for the city’s marathon, with an estimated record number of 40,000 runners from across the country and abroad taking part in the annual event” which was won by Ethiopian runner Balata Mekonnen
People
1688 — (23rd of Adar) Portuguese poet and grammarian Moses Gideon Abudiente passed away
1874 (7 Adar 1 5634) — Moshe Smilansky, Israeli public figure, one of the first planters in the Land of Israel, writer, and publicist, was born. He died in 1953
1882 — (5th of Adar, 5642) Moritz Oppenheim, German painter of Jewish family life, died
1885 — (9th of Adar, 5645) Birthdate of Joseph Sprinzak, first Speaker of Israeli Knesset. He died in 1959”
1913 — Emmanuil Kazakevich, Soviet writer, was born, died in 1962
1922 (26 Shevat 5682) — Pnina Zaltsman, musician and pianist, laureate of the Israel Prize, was born in Tel Aviv. She died on 16 December 2006.
1932 — Maya Kristalinskaya, Soviet stage artist and singer, was born. She died on either 17 or 19 June 1985.
1946 — G. Margulis, mathematician, professor at Yale University, and 1978 Fields Medal laureate (the most prestigious award in mathematics), was born.
1954 — Lyubov Zalmanovna Uspenskaya (née Sitsker), Soviet, Russian, and American singer of urban romances and Russian chanson, was born.
2024 (15 Adar 1 5784) — Gaza War, Day 141. Major Eyal Shuminov (24), from Karmiel, was killed in northern Gaza