History events
76 BCE — (2 Shevat 3684) Alexander Jannai, king of Judea from the Hasmonean dynasty and High Priest from 103 to 76 BCE, the third son of John Hyrcanus, died
1412 — (26th of Tevet, 5172) In Spain, the regent Donna Catalina acting in the name of the child-king Juan II issued an edict of twenty-four articles intended to impoverish and humiliate the Jews and to reduce them to the lowest grade in the social scale
1493 — (23th of Tevet, 5253) After the expulsion of the Jews from Sicily had been postponed been twice after the payment of thousands of gulden, the Jews were scheduled to be expelled today from Sicily, which had become a province of Aragon in 1412
1510 — (1 Shevat 5270) The Jews were expelled from the German city of Colmar. This occurred after three years of deliberation by Emperor Maximilian I over the townspeople’s petition. Jewish communities in Germany attempted to overturn the decree, and with the help of Rabbi Joselman of Rosheim, leader of the Alsatian Jews, its enforcement was postponed until St. George’s Day (April 23), 1512
1808 — (12th of Tevet, 5568) «Jerome…issued an edict declaring all Jews of his state without exception to be full citizens, abolishing Jew-taxes of every description, allowing foreign Jews to reside in the country under the same protection as that afforded to Christian immigrants and threatening with punishment the malicious who should derisively call a Jewish citizen of his state ‘protection Jew’ (Schutz-Jusde).» Jerome is Jerome Bonaparte, the youngest of Napoleon’s brothers who was King of Westphalia from 1807 to 1813
1862 — (11th Shevat 5622) Members of Congregation Beth Elohim laid the cornerstone for the first synagogue built on Long Island on two lots at the corner of State Street and Boerum Place in Boerum Hill.
1903 — (13th of Tevet, 5663) Herzl arrives in London in his continuing quest to gain governmental support for a Jewish homeland in Eretz Israel
1904 — (24th of Tevet, 5664) In Great Britain, the Limerick Pogrom, the name given to a wave of anti-Jewish violence in Wales that followed a failed miners’ strike, takes place
1914 — (14th of Tevet, 5674) “The formal opening of the first exhibition of Jewish arts and crafts” which including works by “craftsmen at the Bezalel School in Palestine” and “several important sculptures and by Professor Boris Schatz’ is scheduled to take place this evening “in the Concert Hall of Madison Square Gardens.”
1917 — (18th of Tevet, 5677) First provisional council of Palestinian Jewry was established. (The Jews were the Palestinians long before the name was usurped by the Arabs.)
1918 — (28th of Tevet, 5678) Finland’s «Mosaic Confessors» law went into effect, making Finnish Jews full citizens. “Under the Act, Jews could for the first time become Finnish nationals, and Jews not possessing Finnish nationality were henceforth in all respects to be treated as foreigners in general.”
1924 — (6th Shevat 5684) It was reported today that Federal Judge Know has heard an argument “on a motion to vacate an attachment on $150,000 of Henry Ford that was obtained in an action instituted by Herman Bernstein , editor of the Jewish Tribune for $200,000 for the libel by Mr. Ford’s paper The Dearborn Independent which had charged among other things that “Mr. Bernstein was a spy for international bankers who were all said to be Jews
1930 — (12th of Tevet, 5690) According to dispatches from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency published today, “Achduth Avodah, representing the industrial workers and Hapoel and Hazaif” joined together at a meeting in Tel Aviv last week to for the Palestine Jewish Labor Party. Among those sending congratulatory telegrams to the new organization were Leon Blum, Chaim Wiexann and PIincus Rutenberg
1936 — (17th of Tevet, 5696) “Testifying before the royal inquiry commission today, Haj Amin el Husseini, Mufti of Jerusalem said Palestine Arabs’ demands were: Abandonment of the Jewish national home policy in Palestine; Complete stoppage of Jewish immigration; Prohibition of the sale of land to Jews; Termination of the period of mandatory rule; A treaty between Great Britain and Palestine: the establishment of an independent government constitutionally elected government.”
1938 — (10th Shevat 5698) The Palestine Post reported that John Llewellyn Starkey, 50, one of the most distinguished archaeologists conducting excavations in Palestine, was shot and killed by a gang of Arab terrorists on the Beit Guvrin track, northwest of Hebron. Starkey was returning to Jerusalem from Tell el-Duweir, the site of the ancient Lachish, where he discovered inscribed tablets from the period of Jeremiah. Starkey was buried in Jerusalem
1942 — (23th of Tevet, 5702) The first of 19,582 Odessa Jews were transported in cattle trucks to Berezovka and then onto two concentration camps elsewhere. Most would die within the year of starvation, cold, untreated disease, or executions. The Jews of Odessa were no longer; While working as part of burial duty at Chelmno, Michael Podklebnik found the remains of his wife, daughter and son. He buried them amongst the other corpses of those just gassed
1947 — (20th of Tevet, 5707) Members of Lehi blew up a police station in Haifa
1948 — (1 Shevat 5708) War of Independence. Three hundred Arabs attacked a convoy returning from Gush Etzion. Two escorts were killed
1949 — (11 Tevet 5709) A government inspector in charge of food distribution announced that ration packages would now be sold to Israeli citizens. Each package would include a portion of frozen chicken and a portion of fish fillet. The price: 250 grams of fillet for 70 mils, 200 grams of chicken for 220 mils. Packages would be sold upon presentation of card No. 13 from the citizen ration booklet
1953 — (25th of Tevet, 5713) Nine «Jewish» physicians were arrested for «terrorist activities» in Moscow. This was part of the so-called “Doctors’ Plot” that existed only in the twisted minded of Joseph Stalin. Stalin planned to use the plot as a springboard for creating a wave of virulent anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union. Stalin died before he could bring his plans to fruition
1956 — (28 Tevet 5716) Israel’s egg ration was increased from 9 to 10 eggs. Egg prices also dropped slightly.
1960 — (12 Tevet 5720) Oil exploration began in the Jaffa area. The results were minimal
1989 — (6th Shevat 5749) In “Soviet-Israeli Diplomacy Is Winner in a Court Test,” published today, Esther B. Fein describes the significance of the fact that an Israeli basketball team was playing on a court in the Soviet Union for the first time 21 years. The game represents a major step in the normalization of relations between the Soviet Union and Israel. Even more amazing than the game itself was the scene at courtside where “blue-and-white Israeli flags, large ones draped from poles, small paper ones, homemade ones painted on sheets were being waved to Hebrew chants of »Am Yisrael chai!» — The people of Israel lives! — and »Hevenu shalom aleichem!» — We bring you peace! -and to loud cries of Mac-CA-bee! Tonight’s game seemed less a sports event than an occasion for Soviet Jews to flaunt their pride in Israel. Stars of David and medallions with the word »chai,» Hebrew for life, were worn proudly. Heads bared of fur hats were covered with yarmulkes. Hebrew folk songs rang out spontaneously. People greeted one another by saying »shalom.» Soviet officials said 175 Israeli fans had been issued visas to attend the game, but the loudest Hebrew cheers in the audience appeared to come from Soviet Jews
1994 — (29th of Tevet, 5754) Moshe Becker of Rishon Le-Zion was stabbed to death by three Palestinian terrorist employees while working in his orchard. The Popular Front claimed responsibility for the murder
2009 — (16 Tevet 5769) Initial analysis of drilling at the “Tamar” offshore site near Haifa confirmed the presence of a new natural gas field at a depth of 5 kilometers, containing an estimated 109 billion cubic meters of gas.
2016 — (2 Shevat 5776) A pedestrian bridge connecting the Be’er Sheva–University railway station, Ben-Gurion University, and the Hi-Tech Park was inaugurated in Be’er Sheva.
2024 — (2 Shevat 5784) War with Gaza. Day ninety-eight. Fighting continued in the areas of Khan Yunis and al-Maghazi
People
1565 — (29th of Tevet, 5325) Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen, the Meir of Padua, passed away
1712 — (15th Shevat 5472) Moses Ben Mordecai Susskind Rothenburg the German rabbi who had served in Brest-Litvoks and Altona passed away today
1780 — (5th Shevat 5540) Birthdate of German theologian and biblical scholar Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette whom Julius Wellhausan described as «the epoch-making opener of the historical criticism of the Pentateuch.»
1797 — (14th of Tevet, 5557) Birthdate of Gideon Brecher, the “Austrian physician and writer” who “was also known as Gedaliah ben Eliezer” best known for his commentary “on the ‘Cuzari’ of Judah ha-Levi.”
1800 — (15 Tevet 5560) Rabbi Meshulam Zusha, one of the founders of Hasidism, died.
1893 — (24 Tevet 5653) M. I. Gurevich, scientist and aircraft designer, co-creator of the MiG fighters, was born. He died on November 25, 1976.
1895 — Leon Aryeh Meyer was born—Israeli historian and orientalist, an expert on Islam. He died in 1959.
1903 — Benjamin Mintz was born—Israeli public and political figure, Knesset member, and Minister of Communications. He died in 1961.
1906 — Emmanuel Levinas was born in Kovno (Kaunas)—French philosopher. He died in Paris on December 25, 1995.
1906 — Yechiel Charles Guggenheim was born—Israeli nutrition scientist, professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, specialist in healthy and school nutrition. He died in 2002.
1915 — V. Shefner, Soviet poet, was born. He died on January 5, 2002.
1920 — S. Lungin, screenwriter and playwright, was born. He died on January 29, 1996.
1928 — Rabbi Israel Dan Taub was born. He died in 2006
1966 — (20th of Tevet, 5726) Golda Meir completed her service as Foreign Minister. She was the second person to hold that post and the first women to hold it. It would be forty years before another woman would hold this post
1994 — (29 Tevet 5754) Israel Defense Forces General Nehemia Tamari was killed. The helicopter returning him from a trip to Beit She’an crashed into a high-voltage power-line tower due to poor visibility. Born in 1946, Tamari participated in Operations “Rooster 53,” “Entebbe,” and others. He served for many years in the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal), which he commanded in 1978–1980. From 1993 to 1994 he commanded the Central Command.
2005 — (2 Shevat 5765) A jeep belonging to the IDF Golani Brigade hit a mine near the settlement of Morag in the Gaza Strip. The driver was killed. Officer O. Levius, who was nearby, was seriously wounded; doctors amputated his right leg above the knee. Despite this, Levyus set himself a goal: to return to service in a combat unit. A custom-made prosthetic leg was produced in the United States, and in October 2008 Lieutenant Colonel Ofir Levyus was appointed commander of a battalion of the Golani Brigade. In IDF officer training courses, soldiers are taught: a commander does not give the order “Forward!”—a commander gives the order “Follow me!”