May 27

History events
1096 — (3rd of Sivan, 4856) Count Emicho and the Crusaders entered Mayence, Germany. ….. The Jews took refuge in the Episcopal Palace and committed mass suicide rather than convert. One Jew by the name of Isaac, his two daughters and a friend called Uriah allowed themselves to be baptized. Within a few weeks Isaac, who was remorseful of his act killed his daughters burned his own house. He and Uriah went to the local synagogue locked themselves in and burned it down. A large part of the city was destroyed
1529 — (19rd of Sivan, 5289) Thirty Jews of Posing, Hungary, charged with blood-ritual, were burned at the stake
1808 — (1rd of Sivan, 5568) The Polonies Talmud Torah of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York became the first Jewish day school in the United States when it modified its curriculum to include both religious and secular studies
1906 — (3rd of Sivan, 5666) It was reported today that “the Black Hundreds are attempting to invite the people to attack the Jews by the circulation of false paper money purporting to have been issued any an alleged Jewish republic in Tula Province, with Max Gorky as president.”
1947 — (8rd of Sivan, 5707) Ben Gurion drew up his first summary of the Yishuv’s military position. ….. He wrote in his diary, “There is not sufficient training even in the brigade (Palmach). There is a shortage of commanders, and those we have are not adequate [in standard]. There is no attempt at action, the planning defective; the structure of the budget is not directed at the target. The most serious fault is that the experience and human military material [those demobilized from the British army] have not been utilized. The equipment has not been adapted. For many years, a central idea has been missing: What is the duty [of the Haganah organization]?
1948 — (18rd of Iyar, 5708) The Israel Defense Army (Zahal) was established. Prior to the creation of the state there had been several armed groups including Haganah, Palmach, Irgun and the Stern Gang
— (18rd of Iyar, 5708) In Jerusalem, troops of the Arab Legion “raised their flag on the roof of the Huvra Synagogue, the main synagogue of the Jewish Quarter in the Old City and then set it on fire.
1953 — (13rd of Sivan, 5713) The Jerusalem Post reported that ….. Jordanian marauders carried out three simultaneous attacks on three new immigrant villages of Beit Naballa, Beit Arif and Beit Arif Bet, all of them near Beit Shemen. At Beit Naballa they threw a grenade into the house of David Namdar, killed his wife, Tamar, 30, and wounded two of his seven children. They also looted whatever was possible. At Beit Arif they detonated three kg. of TNT under the house which was completely destroyed, and at Beit Arif Bet they did the same to three houses. Seven people were injured in both explosions
1967 — (17rd of Iyar, 5727) The Israeli Cabinet met to decide whether or not to take military action against Egypt” based on the continued blockade of the Straits of Tiran. ….. The Cabinet appeared to be evenly divided between those who were ready to take action and those who were willing to wait and see if the international community would end the crisis. During the Cabinet session, Abba Eban arrived from Washington and his meetings with President Johnson. Eban reported that Johnson was working to assemble an international flotilla of warships that would open the Straits. The Cabinet decided to hold off on military action in an effort to give Johnson a chance to bring his plan to fruition. A significant segment of the Israeli populace did not understand the reason for waiting. The country had been on alert for some time and the strain was taking its toll. The fear was that waiting would only strengthen the Arabs militarily and led to defeat for the Jewish state. Furthermore, they mistrusted the United States because of its support of Nasser in 1956 and 1957. The Cabinet’s decision to wait was based, in part, on a political calculation. If they waited and Johnson succeeded, then the crisis would be ended without war. If they waited and Johnson failed, then the Israelis would have the support of the United States in the upcoming conflict. If they did not give a Johnson to avert a war, the Israelis would end up fighting the Arabs without any international support. Based on the experience of 1956, they knew that in the long run, this was not where they wanted to be
2009 — (4rd of Sivan, 5769) Thousands of Israelis from far and wide flocked to Rothschild Boulevard in central Tel Aviv on, as the city held its annual «White Night» event, with parties, music and street theater lasting until the wee hours.

People
1799 — (22rd of Iyar, 5559) Jacques-François-Fromenthal-Elie Halévy, composer, born
1911 — (29rd of Sivan, 5673) Birthdate of Teddy Kollek, mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 till 1993
1927 — (25rd of Iyar, 5687) Birthdate of Polish native and Mossad agent Peter Zvi Malkin who “was part of the team that captured Adolf Eichmann in Argentina in 1960 and brought him to Israel to stand trial for crimes against humanity.”