History events
649 (19 Shevat 4409) — Recceswinth became king of the Visigothic Kingdom (southern France). During his reign, he ordered baptized Jews to return to the Church, if necessary by force. They had to sign a pledge to abandon all Jewish customs; however, these “new converts” were allowed not to eat pork. Those attempting to return to their former faith were to be executed. Jews who had not converted to Christianity were not forcibly baptized, but they were forbidden to observe the Sabbath, Jewish holidays, and circumcision. Nevertheless, many feudal lords supported and protected Jews, seeing them as allies against the king’s unchecked power, so anti not many of the anti‑Jewish laws were actually enforced. He died on 17 September 672
1190 — (28th of Shevat 4950) In England, the Jews of Norwich were massacred by a mob following a similar attack in Lynn
1413 — (4th of Adar 5173) The first sitting of a “disputation” in which the Jews must listen to the Treatise of Geronimo De Santa, a convert to Christianity, contend that the Talmud recognized Jesus as the Messiah. This disputation was ordered by Pope Benedict XIII and would last until November of 1414 with a total of 68 sittings
1640 — (23th of Shevat 5400) Rabbi Israel Samuel Kalihari, author Yismah Yistrael passed away
1901 — (17th of Shevat 5661) Herzl travels to London and tries to win Rothschild for his plan. Despite the efforts of British Zionists, Rothschild refuses to receive him
1917 — (14th of Shevat 5677) The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) was founded today “by Jacob Landau as the Jewish Correspondence Bureau with the mandate of collecting and disseminating news among and affecting the Jewish communities of the Diaspora.”
1928 — (15th of Shevat 5688) In Hungary, “the Jewish cemetery…near Husi was desecrated” tonight by unknown vandals” who “completely destroyed” the cemetery
1932 — (29th of Shevat 5692) In Berlin, the “leaders of the Jewish community visited the Minister of the Interior today to protest against the National Socialist or Nazi agitation against Jews, which they said was causing
1938 — (5th of Adar-1 5698) The Palestine Post reported that High Commissioner Sir Arthur Wauchope had opened the first automatic telephone exchange in Tel Aviv
1939 — (17th of Shevat 5699) On the eve of the start of talks in London about the future of Palestine, Arabs, under the leadership of the followers of Mufti of Jerusalem went on strike today which forced the British to impose a twenty-four-hour curfew
1940 — (27th of Shevat 5700) In Berlin, “the Reich Association of Jews announced today that the Jews would be allowed to have a ration of twenty pfeddings worth of sewing materials each three months to repair clothes” but “as before, Jews will receive no rations cards for clothes, textile goods, shoes or shoe soles.”
1942 (19 Shevat 5702) — The Shoah. In Sumy, Sonderkommando 4a shot several hundred Jews. Probably around the same time, about 25 Jews were killed in Okhtyrka (Sumy Oblast). On the same day, the deportation of Jews from Odessa appears to have resumed
1943 — (1th of Adar-1 5703) Himmler received a report on the quantity of garments collected from Birkenau. The list included: 97,000 sets of men’s clothing, 76,000 sets of women’s clothing, 132,000 men’s shirts, 155,000 women’s coats and 3,000 kilograms of women’s hair. The hair filled an entire railroad car. Children’s items included 15,000 overcoats, 11,000 boys’ jackets, 9,000 dresses and 22,000 pairs of shoes. The clothing filled 825 freight cars. Included in this inventory was also close to a half of million in American currency and $116,420 dollars in gold; Fifteen trains of deportees reached Birkenau from Holland, Drancy (Paris) and from Berlin. Five thousand on board were gassed
1948 — (26th of Shevat 5708) The Arab Higher Committee of Palestine sent a “a formal declaration of war” to Trygve Lie, Secretary General of the United Nations “against any attempt to partition” Palestine
1953 (21 Shevat 5713) — The Israeli government decided to abolish the special tax on Israeli‑made perfumes; the tax on imported perfumes remained in effect.
1970 (30 Shevat 5730) — War of Attrition. Egyptian underwater saboteurs attacked Israeli vessels in Eilat port. The auxiliary ship Bat Galim was damaged.
1974 (14 Shevat 5734) — Prime Minister Golda Meir, speaking before the Agranat Commission, noted that a second war launched by Israel against Arab countries would be negatively perceived by the international community. “If we had struck first in 1973, no one would have helped us, and we don’t know how many of our sons would have died because they lacked the weapons needed for final victory.”
1984 (3 Adar 1 5744) — The Sephardi party Shas was founded
2001 — (13th of Shevat 5761) Ariel Sharon was elected Israeli prime minister in a landslide over Ehud Barak
2007 (18 Shevat 5767) — Work began in Jerusalem on reconstructing the bridge near the Mughrabi Gate at the Temple Mount. This prompted Arabs to launch hostile actions, claiming that Jews were trying to harm Al‑Aqsa Mosque. These actions continued throughout the work, despite archaeologists installing live‑streaming video cameras to broadcast the excavations online.
2012 (13 Shevat 5772) — Twelve residents of the village of Tur’an in Samaria were arrested on suspicion of damaging nature. The Arabs had been cutting pieces of rock and valuable tree species from several groves and forests in Samaria.
2015 (17 Shevat 5775) — The Jewish National Fund announced the opening of a new bicycle path in Shokeda Community Forest, 18 km long.
2017 (10 Shevat 5777) — The Knesset approved a law to legalize outposts mistakenly built on land belonging to Arabs. The law applied only to settlements established on state initiative (not private settlers’ initiative), and only to those already existing—not to future ones.
2024 (27 Shevat 5784) — Gaza War, Day 123. Fighting took place across the Gaza Strip: in the north, in Gaza City, in the south (Khan Yunis and Rafah), near the Egyptian border, and along the coast
People
1838 (11 Shevat 5598) — Israel Meir Kagan‑Pupko, rabbi, Talmudist, and righteous man, author of the foundational halakhic work Mishnah Berurah, was born. He died in 1933
1867 — (1th of Adar-1 5627) Solomon Munk, French Arabic scholar, died
1900 — (7th of Adar-1 5660) Elijah Benamozegh, Italian rabbi and cabalist, died
1920 (17 Shevat 5680) — A. Sher fell in the defense of Tel Hai during the war with Arabs over Upper Galilee, which had fallen into a power vacuum because the British army had withdrawn south under the Anglo‑French agreement, while the French army lacked the strength to establish itself. Four settlements in Upper Galilee were cut off from the rest of the Yishuv and could not defend themselves against numerically and militarily superior Arab forces
1955 — (14th of Shevat 5715) Birthdate of Avraham “Avram” Grant the Petah Tikva native who became a successful “football” manager. (In the U.S. this football is called soccer)
2000 (30 Shevat 5760) — Sergeant Yaakov Gefen of the Israel Defense Forces (from Jerusalem) died in southern Lebanon.
2003 (4 Adar 1 5763) — Lieutenant A. Ben‑Arie and Sergeant I. Suzin of the Israel Defense Forces died in combat with Arabs near Shechem.
2024 (27 Shevat 5784) — Gaza War, Day 123. Major David Shakuri (from Rehovot) fell in combat in the north