History events
1273 BCE — (1 Shevat 2488) Moses gathered all the sons of Israel and began preparing them for the crossing of the Jordan
1272 BCE — (1 Shevat 2488) “On the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year after the Exodus from Egypt, Moses began to recount the entire Torah to the sons of Israel. He reproached them for their transgressions before God and urged them to observe His sacred covenants for all eternity. Calling heaven and earth as witnesses, Moses warned the Jewish people of the inevitable punishment awaiting them if they were to forget the Torah and fail to keep God’s commandments. The Jews would then lose their land, their homes, and their independence, and would be persecuted and driven by a cruel world. Yet God would never utterly abandon them. When their suffering reached its extreme limit, they would return to God, and He would save them from extinction and restore them to a glory greater than before.” (Alternatively dated January 6, 1273 BCE.)
1256 — (9th of Shevat, 5016) Berechiah De Nicole, the Chief Rabbi of Lincoln was released after having been imprisoned in London on charges related to the death of “Little Hugh of Lincoln.” The son of Rabbi Moses ben Yom Tov of London, Reb Berechiah was an English Tosafist who was considered an authority on ritual matters. “He decided that the evening prayer might be said an hour and a quarter before the legal time of night…and declared that nuts prepared by Gentiles might not be eaten by Jews.” In August, 1255, the body of gentile boy named Hugh was found in Lincoln (a town called Nicole in Norman-French). This discovery gave rise to charges of ritual murder for which all the Jews of Lincoln were seized and imprisoned in Lincoln. Berechiah reportedly some time during 1256, but the exact date and cause are unknown
1413 — (4th of Shevat, 5173) Disputation at Tortosa, Joseph Albo being one of the participants
1502 — (27th of Tevet, 5262) Birthdate of Pope Gregory VIII, famed for the creation of the Gregorian calendar, a method of tracking time has had a unique impact on Jewish historians trying to match events that occurred before 1752 (5512) on the Jewish calendar with the civil calendar
1775 — (6th of Shevat, 5535) For the second time in two months, Empress Maria Theresa banished all the Jews of Bohemia and Moravia
1843 — (6th of Shevat, 5603) The first Jewish service was held at the Wellington Hebrew Congregation in Wellington, New Zealand under the leadership of Abraham Ort
1884 — (9th of Tevet, 5644) The Hebrew Technical Institute, a vocational High School in New York City was founded on today. The school was founded after three Hebrew charity organizations formed a committee to promote technical education for the many Jewish immigrants arriving in New York at the time. The school closed in
1895 — (11 Tevet 5655) The world’s first fully Jewish sports club, Israelitischer Turnverein (“Jewish Gymnastics Club”), was founded in Istanbul. It existed for 13 years and in 1908 was renamed the national Jewish society Maccabi
1896 — (21th of Tevet, 5656) Herzl’s article «Die Lösung der Judenfrage» — «The Solution of the Jewish Question» appears in «The Jewish Chronicle» in London
1904 — (19th of Tevet, 5664) “Kishineff Fears Not Ended” published today described precautions being taken by Jews in Kishinev to avoid the consequences of another outbreak of violence which included leaving town, staying at home as much as possible if leaving was not an option and by being “circumspect” as “to avoid givng a pretext for misunderstanding to their Christian fellow-townsmen.”
1921 — (27th of Tevet, 5681) Publication of the first edition of the resurrected Yiddish language newspaper Der Emmes (The Truth) published by Yevsektsiya, the Jewish section of the Communist Party. An earlier version of the paper had been published in 1918 in Moscow. The paper would cease publication in 1939 when it fell victim to an anti-Yiddish campaign in the Soviet Union
1932 — (28th of Tevet, 5692) Chaim Arlosoroff, head of the Political Department of the Jewish Agency, wrote a letter to High Commissioner Viscount Ord Plumer proposing that the municipal region of Jerusalem should be divided into two boroughs: West Jerusalem, which was mostly Jewish and the Old City which was largely Arab. A United Municipal Council would oversee these to two sub-entities. The British rejected the proposal lest it anger the Arabs
1936 — (12th of Tevet, 5696) Speaking at a luncheon given in her honor by the Survey Associates as part of the celebration of her 75th birthday, Hadassah founder Henrietta Szold “told a large group of leaders in social work that Youth Aliyah already had brought 950 German-Jewish children to Palestine and placed them in cooperative settlement camps” where it will cost $360 per child to provide for them over the next two years
1938 — (5th of Shevat, 5698) The Palestine Post reported that Romania started re-examining the naturalization of all «foreigners» who had settled there since 1913, in order to deprive them of their citizenship. The first victims of the new policy were Jewish doctors who lost their right to practice medicine. Jewish innkeepers were declared to be «dangerous». All Jews were divided into citizens and non-citizens, and the latter became the subject of a compulsory expulsion
1939 — (16th of Tevet, 5699) Official founding of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra
1942 — (18 Tevet 5702) Shoah. Executions of Jews continued in Kharkiv and Bohdanivka. On the same day, 500 Jews were shot in Turka (Lviv region). Also on this day, Jews of Artemivsk (Donetsk region) were ordered to appear on January 9 at a designated spot for “isolated resettlement.”
1947 — (15th of Tevet, 5707) “A government source said today the Foreign Secretary Bevin and Colonial Secretary Arthur Creech Jones had decided to recommend to the Cabinet that Palestine be divided into independent Arab and Jewish States.”
1949 — (6th of Tevet, 5709) During Israel’s War of Independence Operation Horev came to an end. At two o’clock in the afternoon, Israel accepts a ceasefire on the Egyptian front based on Egypt’s publicly announced willingness to negotiate an armistice. Egypt is left in control of Gaza, but Israel has driven the Egyptians from the Negev.
1951 — (29th of Tevet, 5711) As it starts its first post-independence tour in the United States, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) has its first performance at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C
1952 — (9 Tevet 5712) Debates in the Knesset regarding German reparations resumed
1970 — (29th of Tevet, 5730)In response to cross canal attacks by Egyptian forces, Israeli planes begin an in-depth bombing campaign against Egyptian military bases.
1978 — (28th of Tevet, 5738)Isaiah Sheffer and “his artistic partner…put on a marathon concert of Bach “at a grimy, derelict movie theater on Manhattan’s Upper West Side” that would become Symphony Space
2005 — (26 Tevet 5765) In Simferopol, a gang of neo-Nazi youth attacked a group of 12–13-year-old boys and girls returning from synagogue. Two girls were hospitalized with broken noses and concussions.
2009 — (11 Tevet 5769) IDF operation Cast Lead in Gaza — Day Twelve
2010 — (21th of Tevet, 5770) At least 10 mortar shells fired from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel.
2010 — (21th of Tevet, 5770) A breakthrough in the research of the Hebrew scriptures has shed new light on the period in which the Bible was written, testifying to Hebrew writing abilities as early as the 10th century BCE, the University of Haifa announced today
2011 — (2th of Shevat, 5771) Israel’s departing intelligence chief said he believes Iran will not be able to build a nuclear weapon before 2015 at the earliest, Israeli news media reported today, in a revised and surprisingly upbeat assessment of Tehran’s nuclear capabilities
2011 — (2 Shevat 5771) Israel began installing new speed-limit road signs.
• Highway 4 (Rishon LeZion–Ashdod, between the Ashdod and Ein HaKore interchanges): speed raised from 100 to 110 km/h.
• Highway 2 (Coastal Road, from Olga Interchange to the entrance to Haifa): from 90 to 100 km/h.
• Jerusalem–Tel Aviv highway, between Latrun Interchange and Highway 6 near Ben Shemen Interchange: from 100 to 110 km/h.
• Highway 77 (between Ishay Junction and HaMovil Junction): from 90 to 100 km/h.
• Highway 431 (Modiin–Rishon LeZion): from 100 to 110 km/h between Nes Tziona and Anava interchanges.
• Highway 5 (Hotsa‘ei Shomron) near the Hares Junction: from 90 to 100 km/h.
2011 — (2 Shevat 5771) Traffic opened on a newly built 13-kilometer section of Highway 1 from Lod to Tel Aviv, modernized and converted into a toll road
2013 — (25th of Tevet, 5773) December 2012 witnessed a 400% spike in the number of terrorist attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem compared to August, according to statistics published by the Shin Bet security service today
2015 — (16 Tevet 5775) Severe weather in Israel: snowfall on the Golan Heights, Upper Galilee, Jerusalem and surroundings, the Judean and Samaritan hills. A strong Mediterranean storm continued for the second day; heavy rains with hail; a dust storm had swept the southern and central regions the day before. Schools were closed. Around 20 people were injured by falling objects, and 17,000 households lost electricity.
2024 — (26 Tevet 5784) War with Gaza — Day Ninety-Three. IDF forces continued fighting throughout the Gaza Strip.
2025 — (7 Tevet 5785) War with Gaza — Day Four Hundred Fifty-Nine. The “Kfir” Brigade (162nd Division) completed a three-month operation in the northern part of the sector, operating in Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, Sheikh Zaid, and the so-called “officers’ quarter.” Four soldiers of the brigade were killed, dozens wounded
People
1800 — (10 Tevet 5560) Birth of Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, the first Jewish painter to receive an academic art education.
1817 — (19 Tevet 5577) Birth of Moshe Yehoshua Yehuda Leib Diskin, rabbi, halachic authority, and public figure in Eretz-Israel
1858 — (21th of Tevet, 5618) Birthdate of Eliëzer Ben-Yehuda. Born Eliezer Yitzhak Perelman, in what is now Lithuania; Ben-Yehuda was the father of Modern Hebrew. Ben-Yehuda adopted several plans of action to accomplish his goal. The main ones were three-fold, and they can be summarized as “Hebrew in the Home,” “Hebrew in the School,” and “Words, Words, Words.” By the time he died in 1922, Ben-Yehuda had almost singled-handedly transformed a “dead Biblical language” into a modern language that embodied the spirit of Zionism and the modern Jewish world
1894 — (29 Tevet 5654) Birth of Gershon Agron (Agronsky), Israeli journalist, editor of The Palestine Post, mayor of Jerusalem from 1955 to 1959. Died November 1, 1959
1895 — (11th of Tevet, 5655) Adolph Sutro began serving as the 24th mayor of San Francisco, CA making him the first Jew to be elected to this position
1896 — (21th of Tevet, 5656) Sir Julian Goldsmid, English member of Parliament, died
1899 — (25 Tevet 5659) Death at age 91 of Moses Levi Ehrenreich, Chief Rabbi of Rome, who in 1887 established the Collegio Rabbinico Italiano. He also played a major role in translating the Bible into Italian
1935 — (3th of Shevat, 5695) Birthdate of Noam Sheriff, one of Israel’s most versatile and world renowned musicians who studied composition and conducting in Tel-Aviv (Paul Ben-Chaim), Berlin (Boris Blacher) and Salzburg (Igor Markevitch) and philosophy at the Jerusalem University
1942 — (18 Tevet 5702) Isaiah Kozinets, one of the leaders of the Minsk underground resistance and organizer of about 100 acts of sabotage against the occupiers, was executed by the Nazis in a city square.
2011 — (2 Shevat 5771) At the Gaza border, 20-year-old IDF sergeant Nadav Rotenberg from Ramot HaShavim was killed in action. Three soldiers and an officer were wounded. All casualties resulted from friendly fire.
2019 — (1 Shevat 5779) Death at age 93 of Moshe Arens, Israeli statesman.
2024 — (26 Tevet 5784) During an anti-terror operation in Jenin, Border Police sergeant Shay Garmai was killed when a jeep was blown up; three comrades were wounded.
2025 — (7 Tevet 5785) War with Gaza — Day Four Hundred Fifty-Nine. In battle in the northern Gaza Strip, Staff Sergeant Ido Samiah, 20, from Ganei Tikva, a reconnaissance soldier of the Nahal Brigade, was killed. The “Kfir” Brigade completed its three-month operation; four soldiers were killed and dozens wounded