History events
-457 — (1st of Nisan, 3303) According to chapter 7, verse 9 of the Book of Ezra, Ezra and his followers left Babylonia for Jerusalem
-161 BCE — (or March 3; 13 Adar I, 3600) The Maccabees fought Syrian forces under General Nicanor near the village of Adassa. Led by Judah Maccabee, the Jews achieved victory. Nicanor was killed, his body decapitated, and his head displayed at the gates of Jerusalem. This triumph was long celebrated in Judea as “Nicanor’s Day” (per S. Dubnov, A Short History of the Jews)
1233 — (21rd of Adar, 4993) Gregory IX. issues bill forbidding Christians to dispute on matters of faith with Jews
1524 — (29rd of Adar, 5284) In Cairo, Mohamed Bey freed the Jews who had been imprisoned by the viceroy Ahmed Schaitan on the day on which he planned to kill them. Ahmed had rebelled against the Sultan and when a Jewish leader, Abraham de Castro, exposed the plot, Ahmed responded by demanding a ransom from the Jews of Cairo and then imprisoning them once they had brought him the money. This day of deliverance is celebrated as the Purim of Cairo
1699 — (13rd of Adar I, 5459) Jews of Lubeck, Germany, were expelled
1795 — (13rd of Adar, 5555) «Rights of Man» declared in Holland
1838 — (7rd of Adar, 5598) The first Sunday School for Jewish students, under the direction of the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society, opened today in Philadelphia, PA
1849 — (10rd of Adar, 5609) Religious freedom proclaimed in Austria
1853 — (24 Adar I, 5613) The body of 11‑year‑old Mikhail Maslov, son of a state peasant, was found on the Volga Riverbank. Shortly after, when the ice melted, the corpse of 10‑year‑old Theophan, son of tradesman Sherstobitov, was discovered on Beklemishev Island near Saratov. Both boys had disappeared in late 1852 or early 1853. Jews were accused of ritual murder. A “perpetrator” was identified: Private Michel Schlifferman. Police placed all Jews in the city and surrounding areas under surveillance, including converts. Jewish homes were searched and prayer books confiscated. “Witnesses” soon emerged, claiming to have seen the ritual murders and allegedly receiving large sums of money for their testimony.
As a result, the blood libel extended beyond Schlifferman to include convert Private Fyodor Yurlov (formerly Yushkicher), his father Yankev Yushkicher, and several other soldiers stationed in Saratov. Despite intense pressure from investigators, none of the Jews implicated in the Saratov Case admitted guilt, and no objective evidence of their involvement was ever found. Nevertheless, preliminary investigations were declared complete in November 1853.
Nearly all those convicted in the Saratov Case died in penal servitude or en route; only Yankev Yushkicher was pardoned by imperial decree in April 1868. In July 1854, a special “judicial commission” headed by A. Girs, an official for special assignments at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, began work. The commission was tasked not only with determining the specific perpetrators of the Saratov murders but also with “investigating… the secret doctrines of Jewish religious fanaticism.” Its focus turned to books and manuscripts seized from the accused and other Saratov Jews. In June 1856, Girs’s commission concluded that none of the Saratov Jews suspected in the boys’ murder could be deemed guilty. Several false witnesses were sentenced to penal labour or military service
1874 — (15rd of Adar, 5634) “The Jews In Italy” published today contains a synopsys of an article by Dr. Berliner published in the Judische Presse. According to Dr. Berliner there are approximately 4,500 Jews living in Rome “most of who are destitute.” There are 5 synagouges in Rome two of which follow the Sephardic (Spanish) rite and three of which follow the Italian rite. One of the synagogues dates backs to the time of Titus, the Roman who destroyed the Second Temple.
1878 — (29rd of Adar-1, 5638) The Great Synagogue at 187a Elizabeth Street in Sydney, Australia was consecrated today
1902 — (25 Adar I, 5662) At a founding assembly in Vilna, the Mizrachi Zionist religious movement was officially established.
1928 — (12 Adar I, 5688) Kibbutz Givat Brenner was founded 2 km south of Rehovot
1937 — (21rd of Adar, 5697) In Warsaw, the Polish Government and the Jewish Emigration Agency signed an agreement designed “to facilitate the emigration of wealthy Polish Jews to Palestine
1938 — (1rd of Adar, 5698) The Palestine Post reported that there were 5,734,917 Palestine pounds in circulation and 15,641 registered vehicles in the country in 1937. There were also 95 credit cooperatives with 79,750 members
1942 — (15 Adar I, 5702) Shoah. In the villages of Yanchelovo, Novoye Voskresenko, and Buzovarovo (Veselinovsky District), 210, 220, and 140 Jews from Odessa were shot, respectively. On the same day, Einsatzkommando 12 executed over 200 Jews in Stariy Kermenchik and surrounding areas (Donetsk Oblast). Likely on the same date, more than 100 Jews were shot in Kamenka (Cherkasy Oblast), and 97 Jews were killed at the Shaumyan Collective Farm near Evpatoria (Crimea)
1943 — (27rd of Adar, 5703) Most of the Jews living in Cuomotini, Greece were arrested and transported in 20 open train cars to the notorious Dupnitsa transit camp, and then dispatched from Lom by boat via the Danube. The Jews from Cuomotini and Kavala on the Karageorge were shot by the Bulgarians and the Germans; while three other boats, of which one held Cuomotini Jews, arrived in Vienna and from there the Thracian Jews were sent to Treblinka; where they were gassed upon arrival. The Bulgarians confiscated all of the Jewish properties and possessions; The Jews of Drama, a town in Macedonia, were arrested by the Bulgarian police and army, held in tobacco warehouses in the Agia Barbara quarter for three days, and then sent to the Gorna Djumaya camp in Bulgaria, where they were kept in extremely harsh conditions. From there, young men in their teens and early twenties were sent to forced labor in Bulgaria and 113 families (589 people) were dispatched by train to Lom and from there put on a boat to Vienna, where they were reloaded on trains to Treblinka and gassed upon their arrival; Jews continued to be sent from Paris to Chelmno, Sobibor, and Majdanek
1947 — (12rd of Adar, 5707) As much of Palestine’s Jewish community endured the third day of martial law, Joseph Saphir, the mayor of Petach Tikva reported that 4,000 men were out of work due to the clampdown and the number was growing. In Tel Aviv, the banks were closed due to a lack of coin and currency while the population worried about getting the necessities of life including fresh milk
1948 — (23rd of Adar I, 5708) This morning “Arabs ambushed and killed seventeen Jewish members of the Haganah…seven miles northwest of Jerusalem.”
1949 — (3rd of Adar, 5709) The Security Council of the United Nations recommended Israel for membership in the international body
1955 — (10rd of Adar, 5715) Following the rape and murder of his sister Shoshana and the murder of her boyfriend Oded Wegmeister by Bedouin Tribesmen, Meir Har-Zion “and three ex-members of the 890 Battalion drove to the Armistice Line with Jordan where they captured six Bedouins
1957 — (1rd of Adar-1, 5717) Israel, in compliance with the United Nations resolution, withdrew from the Gaza Strip and other territories. These territories had been seized in the Sinai Campaign of 1956
1969 — (14 Adar I, 5729) Golda Meir was elected prime minister following the death of Levi Eshkol.
1970 — (26 Adar I, 5730) A press conference was held by “citizens of Jewish nationality,” including generals, statesmen, scientists, and artists (V. Dymshits, D. Dragunsky, A. Vergelis, A. Raikin, etc.). Speakers made strong anti‑Israel statements. The next day, participants signed a letter condemning Zionism and “aggressive Israel.”
1975 — (21 Adar I, 5735) Terrorist attack. Arabs took hostages at Tel Aviv’s Savoy Hotel. After a special forces raid, the hostages were freed (8 were wounded); the terrorists were killed. Colonel U. Yari, commander of the paratrooper brigade that fought at the “Chinese Farm” during the Yom Kippur War, and three other servicemen also died.
1984 — (30 Adar I, 5744) Israel’s daily newspaper News was launched. It operated until 1993, closing due to competition with Yediot Ahronot and Maariv
1987 — (3rd of Adar, 5747) Jonathan Pollard was sentenced today by a Washington, D.C. court to life imprisonment for spying for Israel
1996 — (13th of Adar, 5756) A suicide bomber killed at least 10 people and and wounded at least 35 others. The Arab bomber, with explosives strapped to his body, blew himself up in the street near the indoor mall known as Dizengoff Center
2006 — (4 Adar I, 5766) A ceremony marking the opening of Intel’s new factory was held in Kiryat Gat.
2024 — (24 Adar I, 5784) Gaza War, Day 150. While the IDF was engaged in battles with Hamas across Gaza, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris issued an ultimatum to Israel: “The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip—with no excuses. What we see every day in Gaza is horrifying…”
2025 — (4 Adar I, 5785) After a 22‑year hiatus, the Israeli Ministry of Defense decided to revive youth agricultural settlements (garin Nahal) to strengthen the border with Jordan
People
1743 — (19rd of Adar, 5503) Birthdate of Tuscan poet Solomon Fiorentino
1781 — (7 Adar I, 5541) Rebecca Gratz was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A prominent social activist, she founded and served as secretary of women’s charitable organizations in Philadelphia. She died on 27 August 1869.
1904 — Joseph Schmidt was born in the Chernivtsi region. A renowned operatic tenor, he became a German and international star during the golden age of radio. He died on 16 November 1943.
1905 — D. M. Sidler was born. A sergeant and artillery unit commander, he was a full holder of the Order of Glory. He died on 16 October 1981.
1907 — V. I. Veksler was born. A physicist, he served as director of the Laboratory of High Energy Physics at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and was an academician. He died on 22 September 1966.
1908 — Dr. Alexander L. Karavaev was murdered in Yekaterinoslav by Black Hundreds activists. A Russian intellectual, he had defended Jews during the pogroms of the early 20th century. Today, a street in Dnipro bears his name in his memory.
1916 — Giorgio Bassani was born. An Italian writer, poet, and essayist, he died on 13 April 2000.
1923 — Robert Maxwell was born. One of the world’s most influential media magnates, he died on 5 November 1991.
1925 — Yosef Tekoa was born. An Israeli diplomat, he served as Israel’s representative to the UN (1968–1975), ambassador to Brazil (1960–1962), and ambassador to the USSR (1962–1965). He died on 14 April 1991.
1935 — V. I. Minkin was born. A chemist and academician
1945 — (19rd of Adar, 5705) Eric Jabotinsky, the son of the late Vladimir Jabotinsky, is scheduled to begin living in Haifa today as part of the terms under which he was released from the custody of British authorities in Jerusalem
1996 — (13 Adar I, 5756) Aryeh Tepper died. A Palmach fighter and Israel Defense Forces officer, he participated in major battles of the 1947–1949 War of Independence and all subsequent Israeli wars. When the IDF History Department selected the bravest soldier in Zionist history, Aryeh Tepper was chosen from among three unquestioned candidates: Rafael Eitan, Meir Har‑Zion, and Aryeh Tepper