History events
1349 — (6th of Cheshvan, 5109) Jews of Krems massacred
1612 — (13th of Tishrei, 5373) Vincent Fettmilch a former pastry cook and leader of the «Guilds», calling himself the «new Haman of the Jews» attacked the Frankfurt synagogue while the community was at prayer.
1785 — (25th of Tishrei, 5546) The Chasidic sect was excommunicated in Cracow, Poland. This was part of the clash between the Mitnagdim and Chasidim that plagued the Jews of Eastern Europe.
1860 — (13th of Tishrei, 5621) In Odessa, Alexander Zederbaum “founded Ha-Melitz, the first Hebrew newspaper published in the Russian Empire.”
1907 — (21th of Tishrei, 5668) A group of Poalei Zion members gathered at Yitzhak Ben-Zvi’s unfurnished apartment in Jaffa apartment formed Bar-Giora, ….. a Jewish self-defense organization named for Simon Bar Giora, one of the leaders of the Jewish Revolt against the Romans. The founding members were Israel Shochat, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, Mendel Portugali, Israel Giladi, Alexander Zaid, Yehezkel Hankin, Yehezkel Nissanov and Moshe Givoni. The goal of the organization was settling the land and guarding it from Arab attackers. Previously, Arab guards had been hired for protection. Many Jews refused to employ members of Bar- Giora fearing it would cause more friction with the local Arabs.. Bar-Giora chose a line from Yaakov Cohen’s poem, Habiryonim as its motto. «In fire and blood did Judea fall; in blood and fire Judea shall rise.» This was one of the mottos of the Jewish defenders during the pogroms in the Russian Empire. Members swore an oath of secrecy, discipline, selfless service, devotion to the cause and loyalty. All decisions had to be ratified by unanimous vote. All members were required to have least a year’s experience in farming. Guarding was put off until the members of the organization had gained enough experience and knowledge of the land. When Hashomer was formed in 1909, Bar-Giora was absorbed into it
1941 — (8th of Tishrei, 5702) The two day massacre of the Jews began at Babi Yar.
1943 — (29th of Elul, 5703) Нolocaust. On the day before Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Marcus Mechior of Copenhagen announced that services for the New Year would not be held. ….. Thus began one of the heroic stories of the Holocaust. During the next few weeks almost all of the 7000 Danish Jews were to be hidden and smuggled to Sweden. After the war the Danish Government restored all Jewish property to their original owners. George Duckwitz, a German who had been living in Copenhagen since 1928 and who had become a member of the German government in occupied Denmark, warned Danish leaders about plans for the roundup of the Jew. In turn, they warned the leaders of the Jewish community. Whatever else one may say about Duckwitz he risked his life to save the lives of the Danish Jewish community
1944 — (12th of Tishrei, 5705) Jewish commercial and residential sections of Jerusalem are under day and night curfew following the fatal shooting of Assistant Police Superintendent T. J. Wilkin who was killed as he was walking to his office at police headquarters” in Jerusalem. The curfew included the closure of all synagogues; a fact that could cause undue hardship since Sukkoth i will begin on the evening of October 1st.
1950 — (18th of Tishrei, 5711) The Israeli Cabinet announced plans to raise funds from foreign sources that will aid in the absorption of immigrants over the next three years. The government plans to aggressively seek out loans and foreign investments for this purpose and asking the Knesset to pass legislation that will make this financial activity a reality
1972 — (21th of Tishrei, 5733) Three people were injured today when terrorists bombed a supermarket in Jerusalem
1977 — (17th of Tishrei, 5738) The new civilian settlement of Tekoa was established just east of Bethlehem. It was named a after a biblical town believed to have been located nearby
1988 — (18th of Tishrei, 5749) An international arbitration panel ruled that Israel must turn Taba “a resort built by Israel’ in the Sinai Peninsula near Eilat” over to the Egyptians
People
1757 — (15th of Tishrei, 5518) Fanny von Arnstein, society leader at Vienna, born
1797 — (19 Tishrei 5558) Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman, otherwise known as Vilna Gaon, passes away. Born in 1720, he was the greatest Talmudic mind of his time. He had mastered the Bible and started on the Talmud at the age of six. Though he preferred to live in seclusion, his reputation grew until he was known as the unofficial spiritual head of Eastern European Jewry.
1865 — (9th of Tishrei, 5626) Samuel David Luzzatto, Italian Jewish scholar, died
1867 — (29th of Elul, 5627) Mathilde Nachmann and Emil Rathenau, ….. a prominent Jewish businessman and founder of the Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG), an electrical-engineering company gave birth to Walter Rathenau, a “German statesman, industrialist and philosopher.” Rathenau’s life and death epitomize the absurd nature of Jewish life in Germany. During World War I, this successful industrialist used all of his acumen and skills to mold the German economy to meet the needs of the military. Despite the British naval blockade, the German economic machine functioned until the last months of the war. But in 1922 he was assassinated by right-wing anti-Semitic army officers because of his work as part of the Weimar government
1902 — (27th of Elul, 5662) French novelist, journalist and social critic Emile Zola passed away
1912 — (18th of Tishrei, 5673) Birthdate of Gershom G. Schocken, an influential Israeli journalist who was the editor and publisher of the daily newspaper Haaretz for half a century