History events
-1589 — (14 Nisan 2171 or March 12, -1590 BCE). Isaac, who was already 123 years old, sensing the approaching end of his life, blessed his sons. Initially, he intended to pass his main blessing — which granted the right to the Land of Canaan — to his eldest son, Esau
1218 — (2th of Nisan, 4978) Henry III of England enforced the Yellow Badge Edict. The badge was a piece of yellow cloth in the shape of the Tablets of the Law and was worn above the heart by every Jew over the age of seven
1492 — (2th of Nisan, 5252) King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella signed a decree expelling the Jews from Spain
1526 — (16th of Nisan, 5286) In Antwerp, Belgium, Emperor Charles V issued a general safe-conduct to the Portuguese «New Christians» and Marranos allowing them to live and work there
1581 — (26th of Nisan, 5341) Pope Gregory XIII issued a Bull banning the use of Jewish doctors
1930 — (1 Nisan 5690). Near Nes Tziona, Ada Maimon founded the Ayannot agricultural school. On January 12, 1932, Maimon, ten girls, and a guard moved to Ayannot and settled in a cowshed. Today, it is a boarding school for 180 students.
1936 — (7 Nisan 5696). Yishuv. Radio broadcasting began in the Land of Israel. The Palestine Broadcasting Service initially aired several hours a day in the three official languages — English, Arabic, and Hebrew.
1943 — (21 Adar II 5703). Shoah. A train carrying 1,255 Dutch Jews was sent from the Dutch transit camp Westerbork to the Sobibor death camp. Upon arrival in Sobibor on April 2, all were immediately sent to the gas chambers.
1948 — (19 Adar II 5708). War of Independence. One‑day Operation “Destruction” by the 53rd Battalion of the Givati Brigade on the coastal highway. The objective was to disrupt the Arab transportation system on the southern section of the coastal road between Yavne and Ashdod and to attack units of the Arab Liberation Army in Yavne
1948 — (19th of Adar II, 5708) Because no supply convoys have reach Jerusalem from the Tel Aviv area with commodities since March 24 because of attacks by Arab troops, there has been a “growing shortage of fresh food for the Jewish inhabitants of the city resulting in the “introduction” today “of bread rationing and the restricting of the amount of butter given to children; the Yishuv extended the call to active duty to “men and single women” between the ages of 26 and 25
1951 — (22th of Adar II, 5711) Neve Shalom, a new synagogue, was dedicated in Istanbul,.The building holds more than 1,000 people, and the 400,000 Lira it cost to be built was raised by the Jewish community of Galata, Pera, and Chichli
1968 — (1 Nisan 5728). Nasser’s speech at a press conference: “Gentlemen, the ceasefire agreements no longer exist. We will continue on the path to victory through seas of blood and under skies ablaze. We will fight until we achieve our goal…”
1976 — (28 Adar II 5736). Severe clashes between police and Arabs on “Land Day”.
1993 (8 Nisan 5753). Terrorist attack. Two police officers were killed by Arab terrorists.
2002 — (17 Nisan 5762). Terrorist attack. A suicide bomber detonated in Tel Aviv, at the corner of Allenby and Bialik streets. Thirty people were injured.
2002 — (17 Nisan 5762). Attacks on Jews and Jewish targets in France: in Lyon, Villeurbanne, Toulouse, and Strasbourg
2003 — (26th of Adar II, 5763) A suicide bombing in the pedestrian mall entrance of a cafe in Netanya wounded more than 40 people. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it a “gift to the Iraqi people.”
2013 — (19th of Nisan, 5773) Natural gas flow from the Tamar natural gas field began flowing this afternoon
2015 — (10th of Nisan, 5775) The festive opening of The Gazelle Valley Urban Wildlife Park took place this afternoon with birdwatching workshops, music and theater, and art projects
2026 — (12 Nisan 5786) The Knesset passed the law on the death penalty for terrorists in its second and third readings. The law was supported by 62 members of parliament; 48 voted against
People
1135 — (14th of Nisan, 4895) On the secular calendar, birthdate of Maimonides (Moses Ben Maimon)
1739 — (2th of Nisan, 5439) Rabbi Moses Meir Perles of Prague, author of Megillat Sofer passed away
1804 — (18th of Nisan, 5564) Solomon Sulzer, reformer of synagogal music, born
1872 — (20 Adar II 5632). Abraham Solomon, an Ottoman and French public figure and banker from the Camondo dynasty, died at the age of 92.
1874 — Franz Oppenheimer, a German sociologist and economist, was born in Berlin. He died in 1943.
1882 — Melanie Klein, a psychoanalyst and one of the pioneers of child psychoanalysis, was born in Hungary. She died on September 22, 1960.
1884 — (4 Nisan 5644). Avraham Yaakov Brawer, an Israeli historian and geographer, was born in Galicia. Many generations of students learned from his geography textbooks. He died on November 8, 1975.
1895 — (5 Nisan 5655). Padre Maria Benedetto, a Franciscan friar, was born. He helped smuggle about 4,000 Jews to safety from Nazi‑occupied Southern France. On December 1, 1966, he was awarded the Medal of the Righteous Among the Nations for his courage and self‑sacrifice. He died on February 5, 1990.
1895 — Carl Lutz, a Swiss diplomat and vice‑consul in Budapest during World War II, was born. A Righteous Among the Nations, he saved more than 62,000 Jews by issuing protective certificates and establishing “safe houses”. For instance, after receiving 8,000 certificates from the authorities — which allowed the same number of Jews allegedly intending to travel to Palestine to avoid deportation to death camps — he significantly increased the number of people saved by duplicating names and issuing certificates for entire families instead of individuals. He died on February 12, 1975, in Bern.
1961 — (13 Nisan 5721). I. Bar, an IDF colonel and KGB agent who had served as an advisor to the Minister of Defense on military history, was arrested. He died in prison on May 1, 1965.
2002 — (17 Nisan 5762). Senior Sergeant K. Danilov of the Israel Defense Forces was killed in combat with terrorists
2026 — (12 Nisan 5786) In southern Lebanon, Sergeant Liran Ben‑Zion, 19 years old, from Holon, was killed. In the same battle, an officer of the armoured corps was also seriously wounded