History events
68 — (24 Iyar 3828) Jewish War. Vespasian set out from Caesarea against the still unconquered districts of Judea… and advanced toward Jerusalem itself.
516 — (27 Iyar 4276) Pogrom in Clermont (France), synagogues destroyed.
1288 — (11th of Sivan, 5048) Thirteen Jews in Troyes, France were burned at the stake by the inquisition
1590 — (20th of Iyar, 5350) On this date the Sumptuary Laws were enacted aimed at the Jews of Casale (Italy). These were laws regulating what Jews may wear, how they may marry, what they may serve at a wedding, and all manner of what might be called social intercourse
1637 — (1 Sivan 5397) Jews in Venice were denied the right to practice law.
1807 — (6 Iyar 5567) A decree from the Duke of Baden established tolerance toward the «Jewish Church.»
1874 — (27 Iyar 5634) A law in Russia allowed Jews to engage in alcohol trade only within the Pale of Settlement, and only in their own homes; this rule applied to both retail and wholesale trade. From 1882, «own» homes were defined as homes built on owned land, not leased land
1894 — (8th of Iyar, 5654) A summary of the statistics that first appeared in the “new journal, the Rundschau” published by “the Jew-baiter” Herman Ahlwardt that the Jewish population in Berlin has gone from 6,500 in 1840, to 30,000 in 1870 to 75,000 in 1890 and that “46 per cent of all the houses in Berlin belong to Jews.” (This compares to a total population of 322,626 in 1840, 826,341 in 1871 and 1,578, 794 in 1890)
1924 — (10th of Iyar, 5684) Establishment of the city of Bnei Brak. Bnei Brak is mentioned in the Bible as one of the cities of the tribe Dan. Later it was famous as the site of Rabbi Akiva’s academy. The city is mentioned in the Haggadah as the place where the all-night Seder of the Rabbinic sages took place. The modern city was founded by charedi Jews from Poland and is famous for its yeshivot and Chassidic communities. Bnei Brak is northwest of Tel Aviv
1934 — (29th of Iyar, 5694) A natural disaster occurs in Tiberius when cloudbursts cause flooding and rockfalls. Homes are swept into Lake Kinneret
1935 — (11th of Iyar, 5695) “Ghetto Law obligating the Jewish population to wear speech clothes with red flags across their breasts and with a rope around their hips have been enacted by the government of Afghanistan according to a report which Palestine today.”
1935 — (11 Iyar 5695) The chairman of the court in the city of Bern, Meyer, announced the verdict. Two of the defendants were fined lightly because more than two years had passed since they published the «Protocols.» The other three defendants were acquitted. However, the «Protocols» were condemned. «It has been established,» said the judge, «that no evidence was provided to prove the authenticity of the ‘Protocols.’ The ‘Protocols’ are a forgery, plagiarism, and a ridiculous nonsense.»
1936 — (22 Iyar 5696) Terrorist attack. Four Jews were killed in a car heading from Haifa to the settlement of Yaarot ha-Carmel
1940 — (6th of Iyar, 5700) One very last transport left on the freighter Bodegraven from Ymuiden on May 14, 1940 – the day Rotterdam was bombed, one day before Holland surrendered – raked by gunfire from German warplanes. The eighty children on deck had been brought by earlier transports to imagined safety in Holland. Altogether, though exact figures are unknown, the Kindertransports saved around 10,000 children, most of them Jewish, from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. None were accompanied by their parents; a few were babies carried by children.
1941 — (17th of Iyar, 5701) Approximately 4000 Jews are deported from Paris, most to a camp at Pithiviers, France. “Pithiviers, near Orleans, was one of the infamous concentration camps where children were separated from their parents and imprisoned, while the adults were processed and departed to camps further away, usually Auschwitz.” This camp, like the one at Drancy, was operated by the Vichy French and their collaborators. Contrary to the image that the French have concocted about their behavior during World War II, French fascists, led by Petain and Laval, were active participants in the Nazi New World Order. As to the Jews, the French were already handing them over even before the Germans asked for them; The decision was made in Tel Aviv to establish the Palmach (Plugot Mahatz or ‘striking companies’ of the Haganah.
1942 — (27 Iyar 5702) Shoah. A group of Jews was shot in Novy Bug (Mykolaiv region)
1946 — (13th of Iyar, 5706) The SS Max Nordau, a Haganah ship containing 1,750 men women and children (300 of whom were orphans) was intercepted by the British off the coast of Palestine. The refugees were shipped off for detention at Atlit while the crew was arrested and the ship confiscated by the British. The vessel joined other such ships, including the Enzo Sereni, the Tel Hai and the Orde Wingate at a dock in Haifa. The Palmach responded by simultaneously, blowing up eleven bridges that connected Palestine with surrounding countries. This spectacular event came at the cost of 14 Palmach lives.
1948 — (5th of Iyar, 5708) In one of the most stirring moments in Jewish history David Ben-Gurion led the ceremony establishing the State of Israel. The British Mandate actually ended on May 15, 1948. But that was a Saturday and the Jewish State would not be declared on Shabbat, so it was done the afternoon before. Herzl’s prediction was off by one year; Three resolutions were defeated at the United Nations by the Arabs and their allies to ensure that Jerusalem would be an international city governed by the U.N. The Arabs insisted that Jerusalem must be an “Arab city” even though it had a Jewish majority. This lack of will on the part of the U.N. and Arab intransigence are the animating force by the refusal of Israeli governments to ever give up the city; Egyptian planes bomb Tel Aviv, the first time the city had been bombed since the Italians flew over in 1940; The first broadcasts by Kol Yisrael, Israel’s radio station. Kol Yisrael is Hebrew for the Voice of Israel; ‘River Lady” a western film photographed by cinematographer Irving Glassberg was released today in the United States; Jordan’s Arab Legion captured the Jewish settlement of Atarot
1948 — (5th of Iyar, 5708) When the Israeli flag was unfurled outside the Jewish Agency building in New York City, throngs of Jewish youngster danced the hora outside and traffic on East 68th Street came to a halt.; The bitter battle to keep the road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem took a positive turn for Jewish forces as they occupied Beit Dagan the British police fortress. At the same time, the Arabs were poised to seize the vital airport at Lydda; As of today, Milt Rubenfeld, Modi Alon, Ezer Weizman, Lou Lenart, and Eddie Cohen and four S-199’s “constituted the entire Israeli Air Force
1948 — (5 Iyar 5708) Declaration of the State of Israel. In honor of the declaration of the State, Jews from Rome marched under the Arch of Titus. Eleven minutes after the declaration, U.S. President Harry Truman announced recognition of Israel. The Israeli flag was hoisted over the Jewish Agency building in New York. Mass celebrations of local Jews took place. Traffic was blocked on East Street due to overwhelming emotions.
1948 — (5 Iyar 5708) The Voice of Israel radio station began its operations, opening its broadcasts with a live transmission of the independence declaration ceremony.
1948 — (5 Iyar 5708) War of Independence. Agents of the Haganah, «in agreement» with British soldiers dealing with the disposal of old military equipment as part of the evacuation of British troops from Israel, acquired a Sherman tank, which was later named «Meir.» Despite being unsuitable for combat, «Meir» was restored and participated in the War of Independence, forming a heavy tank company in the 82nd Battalion of the 8th Brigade along with two Cromwell tanks, also «borrowed» from the British. The defenders of the Gush Etzion settlements (Kfar Etzion, Masuot Yitzhak, Ein Tzurim, Revadim) surrendered. The commander of the «Negev» brigade reported that all of the Negev was under Israeli control, the Bedouins recognized its authority, and the water supply was functioning. The Egyptian regular army had not yet invaded Israeli territory. At that time, there were 24 settlements in the Negev, consisting of several barracks surrounded by barbed wire. Each housed a few boys and girls, and in some places, there was a PALMAH unit stationed.
1948 — (5 Iyar 5708) War of Independence. The «Trident» operation was launched by the Alexandroni Brigade, along with Etzel and Lehi units in Jerusalem, to seize buildings vacated by British forces. The operation lasted two days. The railway station, the Russian Compound, the Allenby military base, the mint, and the government printing press were captured. The «Desert Viper» operation to capture the Old City of Jerusalem failed. Fighting began for the police station at the 11th kilometer of the road from the coast to Jerusalem. There were a total of 8 assaults on the station. Only the last, on November 9th, ended in victory.
1950 — (27 Iyar 5710) In Jaffa, the police raided a brothel: two prostitutes and three men were arrested, one of whom was suspected of being the organizer and one of the owners of the establishment
1951 — (8th of Iyar, 5711) A group of Orthodox Jews calling themselves the «Zealot Union» planned to set off a smoke bomb in the Knesset plenum as a protest against the impending discussion on conscripting girls for national service. Knesset Speaker Yosef Sprinzak adjourned the session before the plan could be carried out. Today, in Israel the Shabak arrested Mordechai Eliyahu and othermembers of the Brit Hakanim “a radical religious Jewish underground organization which operated against the widespread tread of secularization” by torching cars of people who on drove on Shabbat and butcher shops where non-kosher meet was sold.”
1951 — (8 Iyar 5711) The Knesset passed the Work and Rest Hours Law
1953 — (29th of Iyar, 5713) The Jerusalem Post reported on the first visit to Israel of the U.S. Secretary of State, Mr. John Foster Dulles, who arrived, accompanied by a large entourage «for a frank exchange of views.»; The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel received from West Germany $75m. on account of reparations; The Jerusalem Post reported that 102 new immigrants arrived from Iran
1953 — (29th of Iyar, 5713) “The first railway line built by the State of Israel – 28 and a half miles of track running parallel to the coast between Hadera and Tel Aviv – was dedicated by Mrs. David Remez, widow of Israel’s first Minister of Communications who conceived the line in 1948.” The opening of the rail connection will shorten the time it takes to travel between Haifa, Israel’s major port and Tel Aviv
1967 — (4th of Iyar, 5727) According to statements made by Nasser in justifying the blockade of the Straits of Tiran, this is the day on which he discussed the Soviet report of the Israel’s planned invasion of Syria with the government in Damascus and formulated their military response
1967 — (4 Iyar 5727) Nasser began moving infantry and tank units into the Sinai. This rather unusual movement did not cause any extraordinary alarm in Israel—military intelligence assured the government that Egypt did not intend to go to war at that time. The program to re-equip the Egyptian army had not yet been completed, and its finish was not expected before 1970. Furthermore, nearly three Egyptian divisions and a considerable portion of the Egyptian air force were engaged in Yemen
1974 — (22 Iyar 5734) Terrorist attack. Three Arabs took hostage a group of schoolchildren from Tzfat who were on a field trip in the town of Ma’alot. Prior to this, they had killed an entire family—a father, mother, and two children—in one of the town’s houses. The Arabs demanded the release of their comrades from Israeli prisons
1977 — (26th of Iyar, 5737) The first official images of the Merkava were released to the American periodical Armed Forces Journal
1989 — (9 Iyar 5749) The Israeli government adopted the so-called Shamir Plan, which declared a desire to establish normal relations with neighboring Arab countries, agreed to hold free elections in the territories after the cessation of unrest, and to enter negotiations with a Palestinian delegation that would not include representatives of the PLO or residents of East Jerusalem. Shamir’s refusal to make concessions in negotiations with Arab countries and the Palestinians drew sharp criticism from the United States, Western Europe, Arab countries, as well as from some parties within the government (see March 15, 1990).
1998 — (18 Iyar 5758) Traditional Arab riots on Independence Day; 5 Arabs were killed, 150 were wounded, and 13 soldiers were injured
2008 — (9th of Iyar, 5768) A shopping mall in Ashkelon was hit this afternoon by a long-range rocket fired from the Gaza Strip injuring around 90 people, four of them seriously
2010 — (1 Sivan 5770) The traditional marathon took place in Tel Aviv.
2018 — (29 Iyar 5778) Riots on the border with the Gaza Strip. Between 30,000 and 40,000 residents of the Strip participated in the «Great March» on the border as part of the «March of Return» initiated by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, gathering at approximately 20 collection points. The event was timed to coincide with «Nakba Day» and the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.
2018 — (29 Iyar 5778) The United States Embassy opened in Jerusalem, signifying the United States of America’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
2019 — (9 Iyar 5779) The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 began at the Ganei HaTaarucha exhibition center in Tel Aviv.
2021 — (3 Sivan 5781) The fifth day of Arab-Jewish hostilities in Israel and Operation Guardian of the Walls. Sirens sounded in Ofakim, Netivot, Ashdod, Beersheba, and the communities of Be’er Tuvia, Orot, Avigdor, Talmey Yafe, Shafir, Kisufim, Nahal Oz, Netiv HaAsara, and Meflasim. In Ashkelon, a rocket hit a residential building, seriously wounding a 60-year-old man with shrapnel.
2025 — (16 Iyar 5785) Terrorist attack. In Samaria, an Arab gunman opened fire on an Israeli car carrying a couple on their way to the maternity ward, where their fourth child was to be born. The woman, Tzeela Gez (37), who was in the final stage of pregnancy, was killed. The man was seriously wounded.
People
1141 — (6th of Sivan, 4901) As he journeyed towards Jerusalem, Yehuda Halevi set sail for Palestine today from Alexandria, Egypt. According to legend, Halevi was killed by an Arab horseman when as he reached his ultimate destination
1726 — (24 Iyar 5486) Rabbi Moshe Darshan, a writer, passed away.
1803 — (22th of Iyar, 5563) Solomon Munk, French Orientalist, born
1832 — R. Lipschitz, a German mathematician, was born. He died on October 7, 1903.
1836 — (27 Iyar 5596) W. Steinitz, the first World Chess Champion, was born. He died on August 12, 1900.
1867 — Kurt Eisner, a German politician and journalist, a participant in the November Revolution, and the first Prime Minister of Bavaria, was born. He was assassinated in Munich on February 21, 1919.
1868 — Magnus Hirschfeld, a physician, sexologist, researcher of human sexuality (particularly homosexuality), and advocate for the rights of sexual minorities, was born in Prussia. He died in 1935.
1884 — S. Samosud, a conductor and People’s Artist of the USSR, was born. He died on November 6, 1964.
1885 — Otto Klemperer, a conductor and composer, was born in Breslau. He died in Zurich on July 6, 1973.
1893 — Alexander Deitch, a literary scholar, theater critic, and writer, was born. He died on April 8, 1972.
1902 — Lev Stotsky, a Yiddish poet and translator, was born in Lithuania. He died on February 5, 1967.
1905 — (9 Iyar 5665) A. Sternfeld, a scientist and pioneer of cosmonautics, was born. The terms «cosmonautics,» «first cosmic velocity,» and «cosmodrome» were first introduced by him in his book Introduction to Cosmonautics. He died in July 1980.
1911 — The poet O. Mandelstam was baptized in the Methodist Church in Vyborg.
1920 — (26 Iyar 5680) David Kessler, an actor, playwright, and one of the pioneers of American Yiddish theater, passed away.
1921 — Mordechai Breuer, an Orthodox rabbi and one of the world’s leading experts on the Tanakh, particularly the text of the Aleppo Codex, was born. He died in 2007.
1936 — (22 Iyar 5696) Avigdor Ben-Gal, an Israeli military commander and hero of the Yom Kippur War, was born in Łódź. He died on February 13, 2016.
1942 — (27 Iyar 5702) H. Ehrlich, a member of the Bund, hanged himself in prison. He had been arrested by the NKVD and sentenced to death, but the execution was commuted on the condition that he lead the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee. Ehrlich agreed but proved too independent. He was re-arrested, and Mikhoels was appointed in his place.
1944 — L. Dodin, a theater director, was born.
1984 — Mark Zuckerberg, the developer and founder of the social network Facebook, was born in White Plains, New York.
1996 — (25th of Iyar, 5756) Seventeen year old Yeshiva student David Bum was murdered by a terrorist who fired on students “as a hitchhiking post at Beit El
2024 — (6 Iyar 5784) War with Gaza. Day 221. In the northern Strip, three soldiers were seriously wounded in battle, and five were moderately wounded. In a battle in the southern Strip, Sergeant Ira Yair Gispan was killed, and three soldiers sustained injuries ranging from minor to moderate