History events
-164 BCE (23 Heshvan 3598) Eleven months after the victory of the Maccabees, the Temple in Jerusalem was purified and rededicated. The altar stones of the Temple, which were defiled by the Greeks, were removed and placed in a storage chamber on the Temple Mount
694 — (15st of Cheshvan, 4455) Opening meeting of the Seventeenth Council of Toledo during which the Visigoth Catholic monarch, King Egica publicly charged the Jews with planning to «exterminate and (destroy) their homeland.» This charge was the excuse for the enactment of some of the most stringent laws aimed at the Jews of Iberia. The Jews and their property essentially became the possession of the crown, allowing the King to dispose of them as he saw fit. Furthermore, any Christian found helping Jews would be punished
1382 — (3th of Kislev, 5143) Publication date for the Cambridge Yiddish Codex, “the oldest surviving document written in Yiddish
1491 — (7th of Kislev, 5252) Azriel Günzenhäuser printed “Avicenna Canon” at Naples Italy. Azriel Günzenhäuser was a 15th century German printer who was also known as the “Ashkenazi
1526 — (4th of Kislev, 5287) The Jews were expelled from Hungry after being falsely accused of aiding the Turks in the war against Hungary.
1526 — (4th of Kislev, 5287) The Jews of Pressburg (now Bratislava) left the city a month to the day after it had received permission from Queen Maria to expel the Jews “living within its territory.”
1720 — (19th of Cheshvan, 5481) The Rabbi Yehuda Hasid Synagogue in Jerusalem, which later became known as the Hurva Synagogue was set afire. ….. Rabbi Yehuda Hasid and a small group of a few hundred followers arrived in Eretz Israel. The rabbi purchased the courtyard in the Old City for the synagogue, and construction of the facility was started after his death, but was never completed. Due to the non-payment of a loan taken by Jews from Arabs for the construction of the synagogue, Arabs burned down the site, desecrating its 40 Torah scrolls. The destruction wrought at the time became the root of the name of the «Hurva» (ruin) synagogue, and building recommenced in the late 1830s, by Perushim followers of the Vilna Gaon. After its completion in 1864, the Hurva loomed as a cultural and religious symbol in Eretz Israel and Jerusalem. The Hurva retained its status as Jerusalem’s leading synagogue, and public gatherings and celebrations were held in it. Among other events, a prayer gathering to mark the coronation of King George V was held at the Hurva. Two days after the Jewish Quarter fell to Jordanian legionnaires during the 1948 war; the Jordanians blew up the Hurva. The Jordanian commander on the scene reported to his superiors: «For the first time in 1,000 years, there’s not a single Jew left in the Jewish Quarter, and not a single building that hasn’t been damaged. This will make the return of Jews here impossible.» After the 1967 Six-Day War, the Hurva became a memorial to the fall of the Jewish Quarter in 1948. A large square was created around the site of the Hurva; and visitors could measure the dimensions of the synagogue which once stood at the locale. An arch was built at the site which rose to about half the height of the destroyed building, which is as high as the top of the synagogue’s dome. In 2002, the Israeli government adopted a NIS 28 million plan to restore the Hurva synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem and the newly rebuilt synagogue was dedicated on March 15, 2010
1802 (14 Heshvan 5563) A decree by Alexander I established the Jewish Committee, which included several people from his inner circle known for their liberal views. In the depths of the Committee, in particular, a «Regulation on the Organization of Jews» was developed, which was approved by Alexander I in 1804
1855 — (28th of Cheshvan, 5616) The London School of Jewish Studies was founded as Jews’ College in 1855, a rabbinical seminary in London
1869 (5 Kislev 5630) Emperor Franz Joseph arrived in Jerusalem through the port of Jaffa. He was greeted with ovations and triumphal arches, the most beautiful and lavish of which was built by the Jerusalem Jews. Franz Joseph dedicated four days to touring Jerusalem, visiting not only Christian but also Jewish sites, and even donated a thousand guilders for the construction of a roof for the «Tiferet Yisrael» synagogue. When visiting the Western Wall, he asked why Jews keep returning to Jerusalem, no matter how many times they are expelled. The Emperor’s companion, H. Bak, replied, «God simply entrusted us with the keys to this city; without us, its gates would remain locked.» The answer was not well received
1885 — (1th of Kislev, 5678) The Auckland Synagogue was opened
1917 — (24th of Cheshvan, 5616) In London, the British Government made public the letter sent a week earlier which is known as the Balfour Declaration. ….. Herbert Samuel spoke at a thanksgiving rally at Covent Garden in which he finished by intoning, in Hebrew, the age old declaration, “Next Year in Jerusalem.” The declaration was published in the Jewish Chronicle. According to one source, the government had deliberately delayed the public announcement so that it would appear for the first time in a Jewish paper
1937 — (5th of Kislev, 5698) Five members of the Gordonia group working on a Jewish National Fund afforestation project near Kiryat Anavim were ambushed and murdered by Arabs
1937 (5 Kislev 5698) The kibbutz Usha was founded using the «Fence and Tower» method
1938 — (15th of Cheshvan, 5699) Нolocaust. Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) occurs across Germany and Austria. Ninety-one Jews are killed; others are beaten. Thirty thousand male Jews are sent to concentration camps, though most will be released in a few weeks. 267 synagogues are desecrated and destroyed (almost all of the synagogues of Germany and Austria).
1938 (15 Heshvan 5699) The Woodhead Commission published its findings: The Mandate could very well lead to a practical division into Israel and an Arab state, and that conditions for this exist. Regarding the recommendations of the Peel Commission (see July 7, 1937), its experts included about 50% Arabs in the Jewish state, who hold nearly 80% of the land, while the territory designated for the Arab state contained practically no Jews. Therefore, the Woodhead Commission emphasizes, population exchange between the two sides does not seem possible if following the Peel Commission’s plan. Accordingly, this plan for the partition of Palestine is unacceptable. Britain offered the conflicting parties to «negotiate» again. The conference opened in London on February 7, 1939
1941 (19 Heshvan 5702) Shoah. 1500 Jews from Mira, a town in the Grodno region of Belarus, were executed. 850 were confined in a ghetto.
1941 (19 Heshvan 5702) Shoah. In Shchors (Chernihiv region), about 40 Jews were shot. In Tarashcha (Kyiv region), a unit of operational command 5 shot several hundred Jews
1942 — (29th of Cheshvan, 5703) Нolocaust. The Nazis opened another death camp named Majdanek Four thousand Lublin Jews already deported to two other concentration camps, were sent to open Majdanek. Majdanek joined Chelmno, Treblinka, Sobibor and Belzec as factories of death.
1943 — (11th of Cheshvan, 5704) Нolocaust. Two hundred Jews from Venice, Italy, are deported to Auschwitz. Four hundred Jews from Florence and Bologna, Italy, are deported to Auschwitz.
1948 — (7th of Cheshvan, 5709) During the War of Independence Operation Yoav comes to a successful close; The IDF launched Operation Shmone to capture the Tegart fort in the village of Iraq Suwaydan; Israeli forces ended the Arab siege of Negbah
1948 (7 Heshvan 5709) The first exhibition of the artists’ association «New Horizons» opened in Tel Aviv.
1949 (17 Heshvan 5710) Yigael Yadin was appointed Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, replacing Yaakov Dori, who was seriously ill.
1952 (21 Heshvan 5713) H. Weizmann, one of the founders of Zionism and the creators of the State of Israel, its first president, passed away.
1987 (17 Heshvan 5748) A settlement called «Picturesque» was established in western Galilee.
2006 (18 Heshvan 5767) A synagogue opened in the center of Munich, 68 years after the previous one was demolished by Hitler’s order during «Kristallnacht.» The synagogue is named after its predecessor — «The Tent of Jacob.»
2023 (25 Heshvan 5784) War with Gaza. Day thirty-four. After 10 hours of fighting, Israel Defense Forces fighters completely captured «Outpost 17,» a strategically important Hamas military stronghold located in Jabalia in the north of the sector. Sergeant Eliyahu Benjamin Elmakais and Sergeant Gilad Rosenblit were killed. Rocket attacks on Israel continued. Hezbollah launched at least 8 anti-tank missiles into Israel, and machine-gun fire opened in the Metula area. The U.S. reported an agreement reached with Israel, whereby Israel would arrange daily four-hour humanitarian pauses in the northern part of the sector, with announcements to be made three hours in advance. The «Iron Dome» missile defense system intercepted a surface-to-surface missile launched from Yemen. An unknown drone crashed into the «Tzeelim» school in Eilat, causing significant damage
People
1571 — (21st of Cheshvan) Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn Abi Ziimra (Radbaz) passed away
1656 — (21st of Cheshvan) Rabbi Moses ben Isaac Judah Levy, author of Helkat Mehokek passed awaу
1866 (1 Kislev 5627) Florence Kahn was born — the first Jewish woman in the U.S. Congress. She died on November 16, 1948
1874 — (29th of Cheshvan, 5635) Israel Bak, the man who created the first Hebrew printing press, passed away
1914 (20 Heshvan 5675) Tsivia Lubetkin was born — a participant in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the only woman in the leadership of the Jewish Fighting Organization. She died on July 14, 1976.
1929 Imre Kertesz was born — a Hungarian writer and Nobel Prize laureate. He died on March 31, 2016.
1936 (24 Heshvan 5697) Mikhail Tal was born — the eighth World Chess Champion
1949 — (17th of Cheshvan, 5710) Yigael Yadin was appointed as the second Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, succeeding Yaakov Dori
1952 — (21st of Cheshvan, 5713) Chaim Weizmann First President of Israel and Zionist statesman passed away
1960 (19 Heshvan 5721) Israel’s vice-queen of beauty, Galya Golan, won second place in the «Miss Universe» contest in London
2002 — (4th of Kislev, 5763) Sgt.-Maj. Madin Grifat, 23, of Beit Zarzir was killed when a mine exploded during a routine patrol northeast of Netzarim in the Gaza Strip