History events
70 — (13th of Elul, 3830) On the secular calendar the date on which a Roman army under Titus occupied and plundered Jerusalem
1307 — (10th of Tishrei, 5068) Alexander Susskind passed away. ….. Susskind gave his whole fortune as ransom for the body of Rabbi Meir of Rottenberg. Rabbi Meir ben Baruch of Rothenburg was a Tosaphist (codifier and commentator on the Talmud), as well as a liturgical poet. He was imprisoned in the town of Ensisheim, which was located in Alsace in 1286. When he died in 1293, the authorities refused to release the body. Fourteen years later the authorities succumbed to their greed and allowed Susskind to buy it back. The remains were given a proper burial at the town of Worms
1434 — (4th of Tishrei, 5195) The Council of Basle instituted new measures against the Jews. The council, aside from adopting many of the old measures preventing interaction between Jews and Christians, prohibited Jews from entering Universities, and were forced to listen to conversion sermons. The council encouraged Christian study of Hebrew in order to «combat Jewish Heresy.»
1777 (5 Elul 5537). The first ascent of Hasidim to the Holy Land, led by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, following the cherem of the Vilna Gaon. Tiberias became the Hasidic center in Palestine.
1906 (17 Elul 5666). D. Ben‑Gurion arrived in the Land of Israel
1926 — (28th of Elul, 5686) JTA published figures portraying the employment picture in Palestine. ….. Unemployment has increased since the cessation of the building activity in the country. In July 1925, the number of unemployed was 300, in August 950, September 975. October 1,750, November 2,000. December 2,700, in January 1926, 4,729, February 4,741, March 4,902, April 5,657, May 6,113 and June 6,400. Most of the unemployed are in Tel Aviv where they number 3,500; in Haifa there are 1,500 unemployed and in Jerusalem 300. About 2,000 of the unemployed in Tel-Aviv belong to the building trades In the period from January to June 1926, over 5,000 immigrants are reported to have entered Palestine, about 1,400 of them being absorbed in the colonies
1929 — (2th of Elul, 5689) Based reports published today there are now 9,200 refugees scattered throughout Palestine as a result of Arab terror and violence. Of this number 2,500 are gathered in Jerusalem, 1,500 at Tel Aviv, 2,700 at Haifa and 2,500 at Safed
1941 (15 Elul 5701). The Shoah. In Ovruch (Zhytomyr Oblast), the headquarters of the 1st Motorized Infantry Brigade of the SS shot 18 Jews.
1942 (25 Elul 5702). The Shoah. From Kolomyia (Ivano‑Frankivsk Oblast), 4 769 Jews were deported to Bełżec, and 300 were killed on the spot. An operation to seize Jews in settlements around Kolomyia began.
1945 (29 Elul 5705). In Kyiv, the funeral of murdered antisemites (see ) turned into a pogrom — the first under Soviet rule. In response to the surge of antisemitism in Ukraine, Jewish front‑line soldiers sent a letter to Stalin, Beria, and Pospelov, the editor of Pravda.
1947 (22 Elul 5707). The Exodus refugees arrived in Hamburg, were disembarked, and sent to camps.
1948 — (3th of Elul, 5708) An undisclosed number of casualties were inflicted on Israeli troops and civilians today while Arab forces in northern Jerusalem suffered three killed and six wounded in a violent artillery and machine gun battle in Jerusalem that continued from dawn until almost noon
1951 — (6th of Elul, 5711) Spurred by the current food crisis, Israel has signed a contract with a private Ethiopian group for the purchase within the next year of 10,000 tons of meat equal to six months’ rations for the entire Israeli population. Shipments from Eritrea through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba to the Israeli port of Elath are expected to begin in a few months.
1955 (20 Elul 5715). Israel. A demonstration at an exhibition of construction equipment featured a special boiler for heating water using solar energy and a “gun” for driving nails; these particularly impressed the visitors
1969 — (24th of Elul, 5729) During the ‘War of Attrition “Shayetet 13 carried out Operation Escort, raiding the Egyptian anchorage at Ras Sadat and destroying a pair of Egyptian P-183 torpedo-boats
1972 (28 Elul 5732). In Israel, a day of mourning was held for the Olympians who died in Munich.
2004 (21 Elul 5764). An IDF retaliatory operation following the 31 August terrorist attack in Beersheba. A missile strike was carried out on Hamas camps in Gaza; 14 terrorists were killed and 20 wounded.
2004 (21 Elul 5764). The largest synagogue in Central Asia, “Beit Rachel–Chabad Lubavitch,” was opened in the capital of Kazakhstan.
2004 (21 Elul 5764). The fifth “Youth Cinema and Communication Media” festival opened in Dimona. It directly involved 3 000 students from all over the country, who presented 150 films.
2011 (8 Elul 5771). The European Open Water Swimming Championship opened in Eilat. Teams from 22 countries took part in the competition.
2017 (16 Elul 5777). At 2:42, Israeli Air Force aircraft launched several missiles from Lebanese airspace at a facility located near Masyaf. The facility belonged to the Syrian Scientific Research Center, where, with the assistance of Iranian specialists, not only chemical but also biological weapons were being developed
People
1307 (10 Tishrei 5068). Alexander Ziskin Wimpfen died. He had given his entire fortune for the body of Rabbi Meir (Maharam) of Rothenburg, requesting as a reward that his ashes be buried next to those of the renowned rabbi.
1609 (18 Elul 5369). Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel — the famous Maharal of Prague — died at the age of 84.
1654 (6 Tishrei 5415). Yom‑Tov Lipmann Heller, an outstanding rabbi and public figure, died at the age of 75.
1842 (3 Tishrei 5603). J. Zukertort was born — a chess grandmaster. After a series of his victories in major international tournaments, a match between Zukertort and Wilhelm Steinitz took place in 1886. Steinitz, the winner, was proclaimed the first world champion. Zukertort died on 20 June 1888
1848 — (9th of Elul, 5608) Forty-one year old Abraham Kohn, the leading Reform Rabbi in Lemberg died today after having been poisoned yesterday Abraham Ber Pilpel who had been hired by traditionalist offended by impact that Reform was having on their concept of Judaism.
1861 (3 Tishrei 5622). Idel Tzllichin Yehuda was born — a pioneer of the First Aliyah, a member of the BILU movement; he purchased land in Israel for immigrants, including the land of Kibbutz Ruhama. He died on 19 September 1941.
1865 (16 Elul 5625). Rabbi and thinker Abraham Isaac Kook was born. He died on 1 September 1935.
1891 — (4th of Elul, 5651) Hirsch (Heinrich) Graetz, Jewish historian, died
1902 (5 Elul 5662). Isabella Yuryeva, a Russian variety and pop singer, was born. She died on 20 January 2000.
1912 (25 Elul 5672). David Packard, an American engineer and co‑founder of Hewlett‑Packard, was born. He died on 26 March 1996.
1955 — E. Zelmanov was born — a mathematician and recipient of the 1994 Fields Medal (the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for mathematicians)