History events
1241 — (6th of Sivan, 5001) The community of Frankfort-on-Main was attacked after Jews tried to prevent a child from being baptized. As a result, a number of townspeople were killed. Seeing no option, the Jews set fire to their houses. The fire spread to the rest of the community destroying nearly half the city. One hundred and eighty Jews died while twenty-four agreed to be baptized
1490 — (4th of Sivan, 5250) In Toledo, Spain 21 Jews or Judaizers were burned at the stake and another “eleven were sentenced to imprisonment for life.”
1494 — (19th of Sivan, 5254) Having already issued a five Pentateuch with Haftorah, and a Pentateuch with Psalms, Gerson ben Moses Soncino began issued a complete Bible today
1917 — (3th of Sivan, 5677) The Times of London published an anti-Zionist manifesto issued by the Conjoint Foreign Committee of British Jews. read more Lucien Wolf, historian, author and advocate for Jewish rights was a leading member of the Conjoint Foreign Committee of British Jews. He had already written to James de Rothschild, arguing against Zionism which he believes sees «Jews as aliens in foreign lands» thus making it similar to anti-Semitism in insisting that Jews will never be integrated into other cultures. David Lindo Alexander and Claude Montefiore, the president of the Anglo Jewish Association were co-signatories of this document
1943 — (19th of Iyar, 5703) A Jewish partisan group organized by Judith Nowogrodzka escapes from the Bialystok (Poland) Ghetto. The escape is led by Szymon Datner
1945 — (12th of Sivan, 5705) According to figures released by the Jewish Agency, of the 1,500,000 Jews who appear to have survived in Europe 30,000 are in Rumania, 175,000 “in Budapest and elsewhere in Hungary,” 170,000 in France and “250,000 Polish-Jewish refugees inside Russia.”
1947 — (5th of Sivan, 5707) Jewish underground fighters, believed to be Stern Gang members, raided two bridge clubs in the all-Jewish city of Tel Aviv early today and escaped with $3,200 in cash from one of them
1947 — (5th of Sivan, 5707) The British loaded 1,457 Jewish refugees onto a ship that would take them to detention camps on Cyprus. According to the British, some of the Jews used crowbars in an attempt to break down the barbed-wire enclosures in the hold of the vessel but the Tommies were able to subdue them with water hoses and the firing of weapons in the air. The Jews had been caught the day before trying to enter Palestine in violation of the British blockade.
1948 — (15th of Iyar, 5708) South Africa recognized Israel
1948 — (15th of Iyar, 5708) The Egyptian army captured Yad Mordecai. read more Yad Mordecai was one of the kibbutzim blocking the road to Tel Aviv. The Egyptian army and air force had attacked Yad Mordecai on May 19. The Jewish force was the size of a company composed of farmers and handful of Haganah troops. For five days the Jews fought off the Egyptians. Before dawn, on May 24 the final Egyptian assault began with two infantry battalions, one armored battalion and one artillery regiment. That night, having used all of their ammunition, the defenders snuck through the Egyptian lines carrying their wounded with them. Four hundred Egyptian soldiers lay dead. More importantly the defenders of Yad Mordecai had bought the Israelis five precious days to strengthen their position at Ashdod and Tel Aviv. According to at least one expert, those five days saved Tel Aviv
1948 — (15th of Iyar, 5708) Yitzhak Rabin, commander of the Jewish forces in Jerusalem sends Ben Gurion a desperate plea for help. While the Israelis had been able to thwart an attack by Jordanian armored forces at the New Gate, Rabin feared they could not beat back an additional attack. Also, the city was faced with Egyptian forces to the south which had attacked Ramat Rahel
1948 — (15th of Iyar, 5708) In the evening, the Seventh Brigade begins its attack on the fortress at Latrun that is blocking the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. One of the first companies into the fray was led by a sabra named Ariel Sheinermann. Sheinermann would survive the wounds he suffered that day and as Ariel Sharon, would become one of Israel’s most daring and controversial generals
1950 — (8th of Sivan, 5710) According to Health Minister Moshe Shapiro the Polio outbreak continues to spread with 191 cases reported in May as opposed to 83 cases in April. The outbreak in Israel follows the pattern seen in nations in Western Europe and the United States
1991 — (11th of Sivan, 5751) Israel conducts Operation Solomon, evacuating Ethiopian Jews to Israel
2000 — (19th of Iyar, 5760) Israeli troops leave southern Lebanon after 18 years
People
1293 — (17th of Sivan, 5053) Rabbi Meir of Rothenberg passed away
1810 — (20th of Iyar, 5570) Abraham Geiger, Jewish scholar and reformer, born