History events
70 — (12 Iyar 3830) Jewish War. The Jews lost but recaptured the second wall around Jerusalem
1415 — (2th of Sivan, 5175) Today, in the hope of mass-conversions, Benedict issued a bull consisting of twelve articles, which, in the main, corresponded with the decree («Pragmática») issued by Catalina, and which had been placed on the statutes of Aragon by Fernando. By this bull Jews and neophytes were forbidden to study the Talmud, to read anti-Catholic writings, in particular the work «Macellum» («Mar Jesu»), to pronounce the names of Jesus, Maria, or the saints, to manufacture communion-cups or other church vessels or accept such as pledges, or to build new synagogues or ornament old ones. Each community might have only one synagogue. Jews were denied all rights of selfjurisdiction, nor might they proceed against «malsines» (accusers). They might hold no public offices, nor might they follow any handicrafts, or act as brokers, matrimonial agents, physicians, apothecaries, or druggists. They were forbidden to bake or sell matzot, or to give them away; neither might they dispose of meat which they were prohibited from eating. They might have no intercourse (sex) with Catholics, nor might they disinherit their baptized children. They should wear the badge at all times, and thrice a year all Jews over twelve, of both sexes, were required to listen to a Catholic sermon
1475 — (5 Sivan 5235) The printer of books from Mantua, Abraham Konat, completed the first printed edition of «Josephus.»
1881 — (12 Iyar 5641) Russian Emperor Alexander III received a delegation led by Baron Ginzburg, who expressed «loyal feelings and boundless gratitude for the measures taken to protect the Jewish population (from pogroms).» In response, it was said that the monarch views «all loyal subjects without distinction of faith and tribe,» and that «in the criminal riots in southern Russia, Jews serve only as a pretext and that this is the work of anarchists.»
1903 — (14th of Iyar, 5563) The El-Arish project fails. Herzl writes in his diary: «I thought the Sinai plan was such a sure thing that I no longer wanted to buy a family vault in the Döbling cemetery, where my father is provisionally laid to rest. Now I consider the affair so wrecked that I have already been to the district court and am acquiring vault No. 28.»
1905 — (6 Iyar 5665) A second pogrom in Zhytomyr (see April 23, 1905).
1910 — (2 Iyar 5670) By Imperial command, Jews – lower ranks, «regardless of their faith,» were no longer allowed to take officer exams in Russia.
1942 — (24 Iyar 5702) Shoah. 800 Jews from Bohorodchany and 76 Jews from Lysychansk were relocated to Ivano-Frankivsk
1942 — (24th of Iyar, 5702) The Biltmore Program is adopted in an emergency meeting (at the Biltmore Hotel in New York) of the Conference of American Zionists. The program proposed by Ben Gurion and Abba Hillel Silver totally rejected the British White paper and called for the establishment of a Jewish state. There was opposition to the proposal by the «non- Zionists» and those who believed in a bi-national state (HaShomer HaZair)
1948 — (2th of Iyar, 5708) Haganah took control of the port of Haifa
1948 — (2 Iyar 5708) Egyptian Prime Minister Nokrashi Pasha asked Parliament to approve a declaration of war against the yet-to-be-proclaimed Israel.
1948 — (2 Iyar 5708) War of Independence. A decisive offensive by the Haganah in Safed.
1948 — (2 Iyar 5708) War of Independence. The «Givati» Brigade launched Operation «Gideon» in Galilee to capture Beit She’an and its surroundings.
1948 — (2 Iyar 5708) War of Independence. To liberate western Galilee, the «Carmeli» Brigade began Operation «Ben-Ami,» which lasted until May 19. Acre and the entire coastline up to the Lebanese border were captured.
1949 — (12th of Iyar, 5709) Israel is admitted as the 59th member of the U.N.
1953 — (26th of Iyar, 5713) The Jerusalem Post reported The Israeli Cabinet decided to impose a «special unemployment relief tax» after the number of jobless reached 16,000. The Jerusalem Labor Exchange which had been closed for a week, following an attack by a mob of unemployed, reopened and offered forestation jobs to 30 workers. Over 550 workers were already employed in forestation projects carried out by Keren Kayemet
1955 — (19th of Iyar, 5715) Israel attacked Gaza. In 1955, Gaza was under control of Egypt. It was a base for fedayeen (from Israel’s point of view, terrorists) who would cross into Israel planting roadside bombs and shooting up passing vehicles. Israel’s move into Gaza was temporary, lasting only long enough to destroy the bases from which these people operated. David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, was always adamant that Israel should never want to hold on to Gaza
1960 — (14th of Iyar, 5720) Adolf Eichmann, charged with the implementation of the «final solution», was captured in Buenos Aires, Argentina
1965 — (9 Iyar 5725) The Israel Museum was opened in Jerusalem. Representatives of religious circles expressed dissatisfaction with the statues on the museum grounds, while some secular individuals felt that it was not the time to throw millions on such projects
1967 — (1 Iyar 5727) Israel warned the UN Security Council that if provocations from Syria continued (it had moved heavy artillery into the demilitarized zone), it «would consider itself entitled to resort to self-defense.»
1969 — (29th of Iyar, 5729) Singapore officially recognized the State of Israel and diplomatic relations were established between the two countries
1975 — (1th of Sivan, 5735) Israel signed an agreement with European Economic Market. This helped the Israelis to increase their involvement in what was then a new and burgeoning market for its products including fresh flowers and fresh produce; Saboteurs derailed a freight train near Jerusalem
1976 — (11th of Iyar, 5736) Three people were injured when terrorist set off a bomb in a Tel Aviv movie theatre
1994 — (1 Sivan 5754) During a speech in Johannesburg, Arafat, speaking about agreements with Israel (see September 9, 1993), recalled the treaty that the Prophet Muhammad signed in 628 with the Quraysh. The Prophet promised the Quraysh peace for 10 years. But two years later, he changed his mind, slaughtered the entire Quraysh tribe, and captured Mecca. «So we,» said Arafat, «accept the agreement with the Israelis ‘only to pave our way to Jerusalem.'»
1994 — (1 Sivan 5754) The government submitted a message about the Cairo Agreement to the Knesset. 52 Knesset members supported this agreement, while 68 members were not present in the hall during the voting (see May 4, 1994).
1994 — (1 Sivan 5754) The establishment of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya was announced – a private higher education institution
1998 — (15th of Iyar, 5758) In his column for the Weekly Standard, Charles Krauthammer wrote: «Israel is the very embodiment of Jewish continuity: It is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did 3,000 years ago. You dig the soil and you find pottery from Davidic times, coins from Bar Kokhba, and 2,000-year-old scrolls written in a script remarkably like the one that today advertises ice cream at the corner candy store.»
2005 — (2 Iyar 5765) Late in the evening, a «Katyusha» rocket fired from Lebanese territory destroyed a house in the settlement of Shlomi.
2012 — (19 Iyar 5772) An earthquake occurred in Israel
2020 — (17 Iyar 5780) A high-speed rail line between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv was opened.
2021 — (29 Iyar 5781) The IDF launched Operation «Guardian of the Walls» against the Gaza Strip. On May 11, Arabs from Gaza fired about 1,000 rockets at Israeli territory. Near Ashkelon, a rocket hit an oil storage facility, causing a fire, and in Holon, a rocket struck a public bus. Three people died as a result of the rocket attacks. Ben Gurion Airport was temporarily closed, there were attempts at knife attacks; anti-Jewish demonstrations occurred in Lod and Beersheba, and a state of emergency was declared in Lod; as a result of arson committed by Arabs, about 40 fires occurred in Judea and Samaria; a call-up of 5,000 reservists was initiated.
People
160 — (17 Iyar 3920) Shimon Bar Yochai (acronym Rashbi) died at the age of 89 — one of the leading Jewish lawgivers and the founder of Kabbalah. He is mentioned numerous times in the Talmud. He is considered the author of the Zohar.
1572 — (18th of Iyar, 5332) Moses Isserles, “the Rema” passed away today in Cracow, Poland. Moses Isserles, also spelled Moshe Isserlis, who had been born at Cracow in 1520, “was an eminent Ashkenazic rabbi, Talmudist, and posek, renowned for his fundamental work of Halachah (entitled ha-Mapah (lit., «the tablecloth»), an inline commentary on the Shulkhan Aruch ( «the set table»)
1810 — (7th of Iyar, 5570) Abraham Geiger, Jewish scholar and theologian, born
1814 — (21th of Iyar, 5574) Birthdate of Wolf Pascheles, the native of Prague who went from selling Jewish books to printing them in a publishing house that he began, and which produced everything from prayer books for women to popular annotated calendars
1834 — (2 Iyar 5594) The Fourth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Shmuel, was born. He died on September 26, 1882.
1899 — (2 Sivan 5659) Sara Salkahazi was born — a Catholic nun who saved Jews during the Holocaust. She died on December 27, 1944, and is recognized as a Righteous Among the Nations.
1928 — (21 Iyar 5688) Yaakov Agam, an Israeli avant-garde artist, was born
2006 — (13th of Iyar, 5766) Writer, actor and singer Yossi Banai, one of Israel’s most beloved and admired artists passed away at the age of 74 after a serious illness
2020 — (17 Iyar 5780) During an IDF special operation to search for and capture terrorists in the village of Ya’bad, Golani Brigade fighter Amit Ben Yigal was killed.
2024 — (3 Iyar 5784) War with Gaza. Day two hundred eighteen. Senior Sergeant Ariel Tzim, 20, died from wounds sustained the day before.
2025 — (13 Iyar 5785) The office of the Prime Minister of Israel announced that as a result of a special operation by the Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces, the remains of Senior Sergeant Tzvi Feldman, who fell in battle in June 1982 during the First Lebanon War, were returned home
2026 — (24 Iyar 5786) Senior Warrant Officer Alexander Golovanev, 47, was killed during fighting near the Lebanese border