History events
1306 — (5th of Shevat, 5066) Phillip the Fair of France issued secret orders today for his officials to prepare for the expulsion of his Jewish subjects and the confiscation of their property. Phillip found that his treasury had been depleted by his wars with the Flemish and he saw this as a way of replenishing his treasury. Under the terms of the expulsion any Jews found after the July 22, 1306 (10th of Av) were to be executed
1349 (1 Adar I 5109) — Jews in the German towns of Messkirch and Waldkirch were burned at the stake, accused of poisoning wells and spreading the plague
1393 — (7th of Shevat, 5153) The Jews of Majorca were guaranteed protection by the governor who “issued an edict for their protection, providing that a citizen who should injure a Jew should be hanged, and that a knight for the same offense should be subjected to the strappado”
1786 (22 Shvat 5546) — A senate decree in Russia permitted Jews to live in villages and to take over the production and sale of alcoholic beverages
1871 — (28th of Tevet, 5631) Establishment of Emanuel Jewish Cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa. The site is adjacent to the northwest corner of Woodland Cemetery at Woodland and Harding, just northwest of downtown Des Moines
1882 (1 Shvat 5642) — The BILU movement was established in Kharkiv
1910 — (11th of Shevat, 5670) The Angel Island Immigration Station opened today. Prior to the opening of the Immigration Station, immigrants landed directly in San Francisco. Jews immigrated through Angel Island primarily in two waves: in the 1920s from Russia to escape the Bolshevik revolution, and between 1938 and 1940, when German and Austrian Jews crossed Asia to flee the Nazis. In some ways, Angel Island was the Ellis Island of the West. But because of the politics and laws of its time, unlike Ellis Island, many immigrants were detained on Angel Island for weeks or months at a time, particularly Chinese and other Asian immigrants. According to Judy Yung, a retired professor at U.C. Santa Cruz and co-author of a new book about Angel Island’s history, Jewish immigrants had it better. The average stay for Russians and Jews on Angel Island was two to three days, and less than 2 percent were deported. “Overall, the Russian and Jewish experiences on Angel Island were very similar if not better than those of their counterparts on Ellis Island, where their rejection rate was almost twice as high,” she writes. “For the overwhelming majority who were coming to escape religious or political persecution, Angel Island was truly a gateway to the promised land of freedom and opportunity.” However, it wasn’t an easy gateway to pass through. Many immigrants — including Jews — were detained. In some instances, representatives from Jewish and Hebrew benevolent societies felt compelled to come to Angel Island to testify on behalf of Jewish detainees
1913 — (13th of Shevat, 5673) At the request of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 156 women from 52 congregations around the country met in Cincinnati, Ohio, to create the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods (NFTS). While local women’s groups had been formed in individual synagogues in the 1890s, the NFTS was the first national body to bring these groups together.
1917 — (27th of Tevet, 5677) Hadassah issued “an appeal for $75,000 for the equipment and support for one year of a medical unit to be sent to Palestine” which will provide treatment “for Jews, Christians and Mohammedans.”
1917 (27 Tevet 5677) — A private polytechnic institute with no quota system opened in Yekaterinoslav (Dnipro). It admitted 300 first‑year Jewish students. The institute’s charter included the study of Jewish history and literature, and Saturday was designated a day free from classes. The institute later joined the state university network
1918 — (8th of Shevat, 5678) Following the lead of Reform Jewish sisterhoods, and at the behest of Solomon Schechter, Conservative synagogue sisterhoods joined together to form the National Women’s League of the United Synagogue.
1919 — (20th of Shevat, 5679) Today, during the fund raising drive of the ZOA the Palestine Restoration Fund received $46,000 from San Francisco and $15,000 from Los Angeles
1921 — (12th of Shevat, 5681) King Constantine donates 10,000 Drachmae for the relief of Jewish sufferers of the fire in Salonica
1934 — (5th of Shevat, 5694) The New York Times correspondent in Jerusalem suggests that “the division of Palestine into Jewish and Arab canton with each of these peoples living as a separate entity” would be “a solution to the Arab Jewish problem.” Based on reports from other sources, the Arab canton would include Jerusalem, Haifa and Jaffa while the Jewish canton would be limited to Tel Aviv, which virtually an all-Jewish city any way, and a narrow strip of land stretching from Betsian to Tiberias to the swamps around Lake Huleh
1941 — (22th of Tevet, 5701) In Rumania, the Iron Guard raided thousands of Jews, destroyed hundreds of shops, and looted or burned twenty-five synagogues. In addition, 120 Jews were cruelly tortured and killed; Bulgaria enacted its first anti-Jewish measures.
1942 — (3th of Shevat, 5702) In the Vilna Ghetto, the Jews established the United Partisan Organization (Fareynigte Partizaner Organizatsye, FPO), the only organization in the ghettos that included all the Zionist youth movements; After having completely surrounded Novi-Sad, Yugoslavia, Hungarian troops started what would be a three day long killing spree where Jews were dragged from their homes in 20° below zero and in heavy snow slaughtered at the “killing pits” along the banks of the Danube River
1942 (3 Shvat 5702) — The Shoah. In Theofipol (Khmelnytskyi region), 970 Jews were shot; in Kolomyia (Ivano‑Frankivsk region), about 400 Jews; and in Avdiivka (Donetsk region), 9 Jews from the village of Novoselovka‑1. The «Jewish action» began in Kobelyaky (Poltava region)
1943 — (15th of Shevat, 5703) The Shoah. In Warsaw, the Germans opened fire in the ghetto. Resistance was given by Jews seizing weapons and firing from rooftops with only 10 pistols. The Germans retreated after twelve were killed
1943 (15 Shvat 5703) — A PALMACH maritime course opened in Caesarea. Thirty‑five young people spent three months learning navigation, maritime transport and sabotage, and amphibious operations
1945 — (7th of Shevat, 5705) Ninety-six Hungarian Jews interned at Auschwitz and working at a quarry at Golleschau, Germany, are sealed inside a pair of cattle cars labeled «Property of the SS.» Half of the prisoners freeze to death as the train travels aimlessly for days. At Zwittau, Germany, the cattle cars are detached from the train and left at the station. Manufacturer Oskar Schindler alters the bill of lading to read «Final Destination—Schindler Factory, Brünnlitz.» After unsealing the cars at his factory, Schindler frees the Jews.
1953 — (5th of Shevat, 5713) The Jerusalem Post reported on the worsening security situation along the country’s borders, especially the Jordanian-Israeli no-man’s-land dividing Jerusalem. This security deterioration, infiltration and frequent robberies may have been directly influenced by an intensified anti-Israeli activity of the Arab states at the UN General Assembly. Jordan prevented any cement or building materials from being transported to the Israeli enclave on Mount Scopus, urgently needed there to repair damaged buildings, claiming that Israel wished to fortify the enclave
1953 (5 Shvat 5713) — Soviet newspapers published a decree awarding the Order of Lenin to physician Lydia Timoshchuk «for her assistance to the Government in exposing murderous doctors». After the «Doctor’s Plot» case was closed, the order was revoked
1963 (25 Tevet 5723) — The Knesset raised the President’s salary from 540 to 1,500 lira. President Ben‑Zvi objected to the decision and announced he would donate half his salary to the Land of Israel Research Fund.
1968 (20 Tevet 5728) — Three Israeli left‑wing parties, including MAPAI, merged to form the Labour Party (Avoda).
1970 (14 Shvat 5730) — War of Attrition. Israeli naval commandos landed on Sheduan Island, south of Sharm el‑Sheikh. They held the island for two days, destroying its garrison and all military installations
1991 — (6th of Shevat, 5751) Orders to stay home from work were canceled for the rest of Israel today, but not for Tel Aviv, which appears to be the main Iraqi target. Scud missiles came down here Friday and Saturday with miraculously little effect and no deaths thus far; one hit the only vacant lot for blocks, another an empty bomb shelter.
1994 (9 Shvat 5754) — Israel’s first Russian‑language TV programme, Kaleidoscope, aired. It covered political, cultural, and sports news and aired every Friday at 3 pm.
2001 (26 Tevet 5761) — Another round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority began in Taba. They ended without results six days later.
2008 (14 Shvat 5768) — An Indian launch vehicle placed Israel’s TECSAR reconnaissance satellite into Earth orbit. Developed and built by the Israel Aerospace Industries, TECSAR had superior technical capabilities in space photography, including high‑quality images at night and under heavy cloud cover.
2011 (16 Shvat 5771) — Tu Bi‑Shvat celebrations organised by the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemet le‑Israel) took place all day. Tens of thousands participated, and about 200,000 people visited KKL forests and parks.
2015 (1 Shvat 5775) — Terrorist attack. Eleven people were stabbed when an Arab from Tulkarm attacked passengers on a Dan cooperative bus in Tel Aviv. The terrorist was wounded by Nahshon special forces and arrested.
2019 (15 Shvat 5779) — In response to a mid‑range Iranian‑made missile fired from Syria at Israel on 20 January, Israeli Air Force jets attacked Iranian forces near Damascus International Airport in three waves over one hour.
2019 (15 Shvat 5779) — Ramon Airport opened 18 kilometres from Eilat.
2024 (11 Shvat 5784) — Gaza War, Day 107. Fighting continued across the Gaza Strip. A change in the «format» of the war in the northern Gaza Strip was announced: targeted raids based on specific intelligence were now conducted to minimise risks to soldiers’ lives.
2025 (21 Tevet 5785) — The Israel Defence Forces announced the start of an anti‑terror operation in Jenin, codenamed Iron Wall. The operation involved the IDF, MAGAV, and the Shin Bet
People
1596 — (1th of Adar-1, 5356) Rabbi Judah Leib Hanlish author of Vaygash Yehuda, passed away
1643 (11 Shvat 5403) — Avraham Nathan ben Elisha Chaim ha‑Levi Ashkenazi, known as Nathan of Gaza (a Sabbatean prophet), was born in Jerusalem. He died on 12 January 1680 in Skopje
1716 — (8th of Shevat, 5476) Birthdate “British businessman” and descendant of “Portuguese Sephardic Jews” Joseph Salvador, a supporter of the “1753 Jew bill,’’ the sole Jewish “director of the British East India Company” and active supporter of the colonization of Georgia and South Carolina where a large number of Sephardim settled including his nephew Francis was reputed to have been “the first Jew to be elected public office” what became the United States and the first Jew to die during the American Revolution
1749 — (13th of Shevat, 5509) Birthdate of Chaim Volozhin, a disciple of the Valna Gaon. Also known as Reb Cahim he was the founder of the Volozhin Yeshiva, which provided the “template” for similar academies throughout much of what was at that time part of Poland and the Russian Empire
1812 (7 Shvat 5572) — Moses Hess, writer and author of Rome and Jerusalem, was born.
1874 (3 Shvat 5634) — Isaac Carasso, Turkish and Spanish physician and entrepreneur, founder of the Danone yoghurt company, was born. He died on 19 April 1939.
1887 — Meir Rotberkh, Zionist, participant in the Second Aliyah, co‑founder of Kvutza Kinneret, and member of the Haganah, was born in Vinnytsia. He died on 2 August 1951
1890 — (29th of Tevet, 5650) Nathan Marcus Adler, chief rabbi of the British empire, died
1908 — (18th of Shevat, 5668) Birthdate of Mordechai Surkis, the first mayor of Kfar Saba. Date of death — 26 May 1995
1912 — Konrad Emil Bloch, American biochemist and Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine, was born. He died on 15 October 2000.
1921 (12 Shvat 5681) — Dan Tolkovsky, Major General in the Israel Defence Forces, was born in Tel Aviv. He served as Commander of the Israeli Air Force from May 1953 to July 1958, including during the Sinai Campaign. He died on 28 November 2025.
1921 — Samuel Cohen, American physicist and inventor of the neutron bomb, was born. He died on 28 November 2010