Today in Jewish History

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Tevet 23 

 

Yahrtzeit of Nathan Straus (1848-1931), an American merchant and philanthropist. Straus was a co-owner of R.H. Macy & Co., yet he never amassed personal wealth because he was always using his money to help people. For example, in New York's winter of 1893, he gave away more than two million five-cent tickets good for coal, food and lodging. His greatest devotion, however, was to Israel. He gave more than two-thirds of his fortune and devoted the last 15 years of his life to this cause. The Israeli city of Netanya is named for "Nathan" Straus.

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Tevet 24

 

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler (1892-1953), an influential philosopher and dean of students at the Ponovezh Yeshiva in Israel. Rabbi Dessler was born in Lithuania and later moved to England, before finally settling in Israel. He was a student of the Mussar (ethics) movement, while also drawing from mystical teachings of the Maharal of Prague. Rabbi Dessler's legacy is recorded in the six-volume Michtav M'Eliyahu (translated in English as Strive for Truth), which illuminate ideas such as the Jewish philosophy of love: "The more you give to another, the more you will love that person." Tevet 24 also marks the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liady (1745-1813), author of the chassidic work, Tanya, and founder of the Lubavitch movement.

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Tevet 25

 

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Moses Levi Ehrenreich (1818-1899), chief rabbi of Rome. Through his efforts and under his direction, the Collegio Rabbinico Italiano was reopened in 1887. Rabbi Ehrenreich was also instrumental in translating part of the Bible into Italian.

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Tevet 26

 

In 1826, Maryland adopted a law which allowed Jews to hold public office, on condition that they accept the concept of reward and punishment in the afterlife. Maryland was founded as an asylum for Catholics in 1634, and in the early days the denial of Christianity was a capital crime in Maryland. Anyone speaking negatively about Mary or the Apostles was subject to a fine or public whipping. The practice of Judaism was finally legalized in Maryland in 1776, but other restrictions remained in place. It was not until 50 years later that Jews became qualified for public office.

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Tevet 27

 

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch (1808-1888), the leader of Torah Judaism in Germany during the tumultuous times of Enlightenment. Rabbi Hirsch argued that the era of Enlightenment meant not that Jews should abandon Jewish practice, but that religious freedom was an opportunity to observe Judaism without persecution and ridicule. He promoted a philosophy of "Torah im Derech Eretz" -- combining Torah with the modern world. Rabbi Hirsch's written works include: a six-volume commentary on the Torah; Horeb, a philosophical analysis of the 613 mitzvot; and an etymological analysis of the Hebrew language.

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Tevet 29 

 

In 1808, Ezekiel Hart, the first Jew elected to Canadian Parliament, was denied his seat when he swore the oath of inauguration on a Jewish Bible. At the time, British laws prohibited Jews and Roman Catholics from such positions, and Hart was expelled from the assembly. Hart returned to private life and enjoyed success as a businessman until his death in 1843.

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Tevet 28 

 

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi David Nieto (1654-1728), leader of the Sephardic community in London. Rabbi Nieto came from Venice and was highly respected as both a rabbi and a medical doctor who wrote extensively on scientific topics. In 1698, Nieto became spiritual leader of the Bevis Marks Synagogue, the oldest Jewish synagogue in London that came to be regarded as the religious center of the Anglo-Jewish world. Today, the original building is still in use, and the synagogue interior retains its original furnishings. In the 1990s the synagogue was badly damaged by terrorist bombings in London; the structure has since been renovated and repaired.

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Shevat 1

 

On this date, as the Jewish people were completing 40 years of wandering in the desert, Moses gathered the entire the nation and began his farewell address. Moses' speech would continue for 40 days until his death, as described in the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses reviewed the commandments of the Torah, gave a historical reflection, prophesized about future events, and offered poetic blessings. Also during this time, Moses wrote 13 Torah scrolls -- one for each tribe, plus one to place in the Ark of the Covenant.

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Shevat 2

 

This date marks the death of evil King Alexander Yannai (Jannaeus), a Hasmonian king of Judea from 103 BCE to 76 BCE. While serving as High Priest at the Temple in Jerusalem, Yannai mocked the Sukkot service, at which point the crowd showed their displeasure by pelting him with etrogs. Yannai responded by having his soldiers kill 6,000 people in the Temple courtyard. Yannai aligned himself with the Hellenist faction known as the Sadducees, and opposed the mainstream rabbis, the Pharisees. On various occasions Yannai ordered the killing of Pharisees, and feasted while watching the executions. According to traditional sources, Yannai later repented and cooperated with the Pharisees.

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Shevat 3

 

In 1933, Adolph Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany. The November 1932 elections saw the Nazis emerge as the largest party in the Reichstag. Leading German politicians and businessmen persuaded President Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor, as a way to stabilize the government and economy. Hindenburg reluctantly agreed. Two months later, the Nazis passed the Enabling Act, giving Hitler dictatorial authority. Hitler's government then banned all other political parties, and in July 1933, a Concordat (agreement) was signed with the Vatican. Hitler secured popular support by persuading Germans that he was their savior from the Depression, the Communists, the Versailles Treaty, and the Jews. Hitler would use this power to launch World War II and oversee the murder of 6 million Jews.

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Shevat 4

 

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yisrael Abuchatzeira, the great Sephardic sage and kabbalist known as the Baba Sali (1889-1984). Born in Morocco, the Baba Sali made aliyah following the creation of the State of Israel, eventually settling in the Negev town of Netivot. There he served as a central address for Jews seeking advice, blessings, and in many cases, miracles. Stories abound of his supernatural abilities -- if someone complained about a physical malady, he would prescribe a spiritual action to rectify it. If he was presented with money as a gift, he could identify if it was earned in a "kosher" way or not. He had elevated beyond the physical to the extent that he would eat only small morsels each day. Today his grave in Netivot is a popular place of pilgrimage and prayer.

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Shevat 5

 

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter (1847-1905), leader of the Ger chassidic dynasty. Rabbi Alter is better known as the "Sfas Emes," the title of his book of insights into the Bible, Jewish thought and holidays. Sfas Emes was orphaned as a baby and raised by his grandfather, the saintly Chiddushei HaRim. At age 23, Sfas Emes was selected by the chassidim to become their "rebbe," or spiritual leader. He built up Ger as the largest chassidic group in Poland prior to the Holocaust, numbering 250,000. The son of Sfas Emes escaped the Nazis, and came to Israel, where he oversaw the rebuilding of the Ger community, which remains vibrant till today.

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Shevat 6

 

In 1393, following a massacre of Jews at Majorca, an edict was issued guaranteeing the Jews protection. (Majorca is one of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea.) In just a few short years the protective decree was forgotten; persecution of the Jews began again in 1413. By 1435, the Jewish community had been completely destroyed, with many Jews forcibly converted to Christianity. These forced converts retained Jewish practice in private, but they publicly boiled pork lard in large pots, as a way to appear non-Jewish. (Hence these Jews were nicknamed Chuetas -- "pork lard.")

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Shevat 7

 

In 1943, plans were finalized to deport the Jews of Athens, Greece. From 1941-1943, Greece was under control of the Italians, who by and large protected the Jews against the Germans. But in 1943, things changed for the worse; as punishment for Greece's fighting against the Axis, freedom of movement was restricted for all Jews. Some Jews fled and hid in the countryside, but most were deported to Auschwitz. Jews had lived in Athens since the 3rd century BCE -- the longest continuous Jewish presence in Europe; the remains of an ancient synagogue were found at the foot of the Acropolis. In the Holocaust, 77 percent of Greek Jewry were murdered -- 60,000 Jews.

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Shevat 8

 

On this date in 1960, Jonas E. Salk finalized a proposal to build the Salk Institute for Biological Studies near San Diego. Salk (1914-1995) had achieved fame as the physician who discovered the first polio vaccine while working at the University of Pittsburgh. Polio was a widely-feared disease that caused paralysis and oftentimes death. A polio outbreak in 1916 left 6,000 Americans dead and 27,000 paralyzed. (President Franklin Roosevelt had contracted polio at age 39.) In 1952, some 57,000 cases of polio were recorded in the U.S. After the vaccine became available, the numbers dropped by 90% in two years. (Another Jew, Dr. Albert Sabin, developed the first oral polio vaccine.) Since its founding, Salk's Institute has focused on molecular biology and genetics, and has trained more than 2,000 scientists including numerous Nobel Laureates.

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Shevat 9

 

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Eliezer Silver (1882-1968), who served the Jewish community of Cincinnati for four decades. Rabbi Silver is best known for spearheading efforts to rescue Jews from the Holocaust. As head of the "Agudas HaRabbanim," he tirelessly raised millions of dollars. He used the funds to produce counterfeit documents and pay off smugglers -- in the end directly saving at least 10,000 Jewish lives. In October 1943, Silver organized a rally of 200 rabbis in Washington; the effort prompted President Roosevelt to form the War Refugee Board, which rescued tens of thousands more from Hitler's ''Final Solution.'' After the war, Rabbi Silver traveled to DP camps to help Holocaust survivors start a new life. He also sought out hundreds of Jewish children who had been placed by their parents in Catholic orphanages, to spare them the horrors of the concentration camps. Often, the parents were killed during the war and there was no one to claim them. Rabbi Silver discovered that the priests operating the orphanages were often unable (or refused) to identify which children came from Jewish families. So Rabbi Silver had a solution: He strode into the lunchroom, stood on a chair, and proclaimed in his loudest voice: "Shema Yisrael, the Lord our God, the Lord is One!" Suddenly, the orphanage was filled with children's cries for their mother. Rabbi Silver looked at the priest, and said, "These children are mine."

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Shevat 10

 

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shalom Sharabi (1720-1777), known by the acronym of his name, Rashash. Sharabi was born in Yemen, traveled through India, and on to Damascus, before finally settling in Israel. He was a master kabbalist, and his prayer book, Nehar Shalom, includes mystical meditations on various prayers and mitzvot. He is buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

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Shevat 11

 

On this day in 1601, Hebrew books that had been confiscated by Church authorities were burned in Rome. This was an unfortunate theme throughout the Middle Ages: In 1592, Pope Clement VIII had condemned the Talmud and other Hebrew writings as "obscene," "blasphemous" and "abominable" -- and ordered them all seized and burned. Centuries earlier, Pope Gregory IX persuaded French King Louis IX to burn some 10,000 copies of the Talmud (24 wagon loads) in Paris. As late as 1553, Cardinal Peter Caraffa (the future Pope Paul IV) ordered copies of the Talmud burned in the Papal States and across Italy. Yet despite all attempts to extinguish our faith, the light of Torah shines brightly till today.

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Noah Weinberg, the founder and dean of Aish HaTorah. Rabbi Weinberg is widely regarded as the "father of the baal teshuva movement" that has profoundly transformed the Jewish people and the world. He began Aish HaTorah in 1974 with five students in a small apartment in Jerusalem's Old City. Under his tutelage, Aish HaTorah grew to branches on five continents with innovative educational programs like the Discovery Seminar, Jerusalem Fellowships leadership program, Hasbara Fellowships for Israel activism, HonestReporting.com, and of course, Aish.com. His warmth, wit, extraordinary wisdom, sense of responsibility, positive message and love for all people helped tens of thousands get more meaning out of life and experience a relationship with God. Much of his wisdom is encapsulated in the widely-circulated tape series, "48 Ways to Wisdom."

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Shevat 12

 

In 1945, the Russian army liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp. The gas chambers of Auschwitz II (Birkenau) were blown up by German troops in November 1944 in an attempt to hide their crimes. In January 1945 the Nazis began to evacuate the facility; most of the prisoners were ordered on a death march, which lasted for weeks in the cold and snow. In the end, some 7,000 people survived Auschwitz; over one million perished.

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Shevat 13

 

In 1790, France granted full and equal citizenship to Sefardi Jews. (Ashkenazi Jews gained citizenship a year and a half later.) The French Revolution, born of the ideals of Enlightenment, had become the first society to emancipate the Jews, permitting them to enter the highest levels of government and finance. In 1807, Napoleon created the French Sanhedrin -- a Jewish communal structure sanctioned by the state. (The French Sanhedrin sat in a semicircle, following the custom of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem that served as the Jewish supreme court during the times of the Holy Temple.) Despite these liberties, anti-Jewish measures were passed in 1808: Napoleon declared all debts with Jews annulled, which caused the near ruin of the Jewish community. Restrictions were also placed on where Jews could live in an effort to assimilate them into French society. The invective reached a head in the 1940s when the French Vichy regime took the initiative to round up and hand over 61,000 Jews to the Nazis.

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Shevat 14

 

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yaakov Yehoshua Falk (1680-1756), better known as the "Pnei Yehoshua," the title of his brilliant book of Talmudic commentary. Shevat 14 is also the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan (1934-1983), an American author and scholar who inspired thousands of Jews to return to Jewish observance. Rabbi Kaplan was a physicist, and applied the same analytical approach to the study of "metaphysics." He possessed an encyclopedic command of Jewish literature, and he produced 50 books on philosophy, Jewish law and kabbalah. The Jewish world mourned his untimely death at the age of 48.

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Shevat 15

 

Today is Tu B'Shvat, the New Year for the Trees. This is technically the day when trees stop absorbing water from the ground, and instead draw nourishment from their sap. In Jewish law, this means that fruit which has blossomed prior to the 15th of Shvat could not be used as tithe for fruit which blossomed after that date. The custom on Tu B'Shvat is to eat fruits from the seven species for which the Land of Israel is praised: "...a land of wheat and barley and (grape) vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey" (Deut. 8:8).

On this date in 1925, the Technion opened in Haifa, becoming Israel's first modern university. Albert Einstein served as president of the first Technion Society. Today, Technion graduates comprise the majority of Israeli-educated scientists and engineers, and Israel is now home to the greatest concentration of high-tech start up companies anywhere outside of the Silicon Valley. High-tech industry accounts for more than 54% of Israel's industrial exports. In Israel, nine out of every 1,000 workers are engaged in R&D, nearly double the rate of the U.S. and Japan. More achievements: The Technion is credited with the birth of fiber-optics. In 1998, the Technion became the fifth university worldwide to successfully design, build, and launch its own satellite. In 2004, two Technion professors received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their research in the protein breakdown in cells.

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Shevat 16 

 

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shalom Mordechai Shwadron (1835-1911), also known by the acronym of his name, Maharsham. He wrote an 8-volume work of rabbinic responsa, covering 3,800 topics on all areas of Jewish life. He was known for his incredible dedication to Torah scholarship; on his death bed it was revealed that he had studied the entire code of Jewish law, "The Tur," 101 times. (Many rabbis do not manage to complete this book even once.) In addition to his scholarship, Rabbi Shwadron was of exemplary character; he set aside time every morning to go into his yard and throw crumbs to the waiting birds.

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Shevat 17 

 

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Chaim Palagi (1788-1868), a prolific author who wrote 72 books on all topics of Jewish life. The Turkish government accorded Rabbi Palagi the honor due to royalty. When asked to what he attributed his long life, he enumerated 10 acts that bring longevity -- including attending to one's parents, despite their mental infirmity.

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Shevat 18

 

In 1980, following its peace treaty with Israel, the Egyptian parliament voted to end its economic boycott of Israel. The Arab boycott was formally declared in 1945, stating that Arab countries would not do business with Israel, nor with any company which sold products to Israel. (Officially, the boycott extended its blacklist one step further, to include any company that did business with a company that did business with Israel.) The objective of the boycott was to isolate Israel from the international community, and deny it the ability to build military and economic strength. In 1977, the U.S. Congress passed a law prohibiting American firms from cooperating with the Arab boycott. Companies such as Pepsi, which had long observed the boycott, now began selling in Israel. In recent years, with greater peace overtures between Israel and Arab neighbors, the boycott has withered in strength, though it remains official policy of most Arab countries.

In 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after the launch of its mission, when an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster failed. All seven crew members were killed, including Judith Resnik, 36-year-old Jewish American. Challenger was one of two space shuttles destroyed during a mission, the other being Columbia in 2003 which included Israeli Ilan Ramon.