May 28
1247: “Pope Innocent IV wrote to the archbishop of the French province of Vienne to protest Christian excesses in dealing with Jews accused of the blood libel.” Innocent share the anti-Semitic views of his contemporaries but had reservations about the severity of the physical assaults on the Jews. (As reported by Abraham Bloch)
1349: Sixty Jews were murdered in Breslau, Silesia in riots which followed a disastrous fire which had destroyed part of the city.
1588: The Spanish Armada, with 130 ships and 30,000 men, sets sail from Lisbon heading for the English Channel. The Armada has a two-fold purpose – the defeat of the Dutch and the conquest of England. A Spanish victory would doom the Jews who had taken refuge in Holland. The critical question for the English was when the Armada was leaving and when it was to reach the Channel. Marranos or Conversos reportedly supplied this desperately needed information which helped secure the ultimate English victory.
1524: Birthdate of Selim II, the Ottoman Sultan who named Joseph Nassi as Duke of Naxos. Nassi negotiated the treaty signed by Selim and Charles IX of France. Selim settled several hundred of Jewish families on the Cyprus after the Ottomans took control of the island. He saw the Jews as being loyal subjects who had the necessary business skills to develop this newly acquired possession.
1731: All Hebrew books in the
Papal States
were confiscated.
1764: Jews of
Frankfort
on the
Main
,
Germany
, were permitted for the first time to appear in public at the coronation of Joseph II.
1773: The first Jewish sermon preached and published in
America
was delivered by Rabbi Hayyim Isaac Carigal in the Newport Synagogue.
1788: Sarah Mendes da Costa married Jacob da Fonseca Brandon
1818: Former president Thomas Jefferson set forth in a letter to a Jewish journalist his opinion of religious intolerance: 'Your sect by its sufferings has furnished a remarkable proof of the universal point of religious insolence, inherent in every sect, disclaimed by all while feeble and practiced by all when in power. Our laws have applied the only antidote to this vice, protecting our religions, as they do our civil rights, by putting all on equal footing. But more remains to be done.'
1827: Birthdate of Gustav Gottheil, the Prussian born Rabbi, who come to New York City where he become one of the leaders of the Reform Movement. Gottheil was a bit of a maverick since he was a leader of the Reform Movement who attended the First Zionist Congress and supported Herzl.
1844: Adam Bernard Mickiewicz, the Polish nationalist who would later try and form a Jewish military unit called the Hussars of Israel to fight against the Czar, gave his last lecture as a professor of Slavic languages and literature at the Collège de France.
1858: Birthdate of Lizzie Black Kander, author of “The Settlement Cookbook.” “Like many middle-class Jewish women of her time, she was deeply involved in Progressive Era reform movements that sought to aid and Americanize immigrants. Kander first became involved in local reform efforts in 1878, when she joined
Milwaukee
's Ladies Relief Sewing Society. Under Kander's leadership, the Society evolved into the Milwaukee Jewish Mission. It was as president of "the Settlement," Milwaukee's first settlement house, a multi-purpose reform organization modeled on Jane Adams’s Hull House, that Kander made her most lasting contribution. Among the Settlement's programs was a series of cooking classes for immigrants. In 1901, Kander asked the Settlement's board for $18 to print a small booklet of recipes for her students. When the board refused, she raised money from the local business community and produced the first edition of The Settlement Cookbook, which combined her recipes with instructions on cleanliness and food storage and general housekeeping tips. The first edition of the Cookbook was published on
April 30, 19
01
. By 2004, “The Settlement Cookbook,” still in print, had gone through 40 editions and sold over 1.5 million copies, making it the most successful American Jewish charity cookbook of all time. The royalties from the cookbook, which reached $50,000 by 1925, were used to support the activities of the Settlement, including hygiene classes, free baths, and sewing and English instruction. These activities reflected the dual aims of many progressive-era reform projects: to help immigrants integrate into American culture both through practical instruction in English and by introducing them to American norms of cleanliness and nutrition that were considered superior to immigrant culture. While sometimes patronizing and ethnocentric, these efforts helped many immigrant families to survive their first years in a new country when jobs and money were often in short supply. Cookbook sales paid for the construction of the Abraham Lincoln Settlement House in 1910 and the Jewish Community Center of Milwaukee in 1931. Kander's community involvement stretched beyond the Settlement. During World War I, she headed
Milwaukee
's Food Conservation Council, teaching immigrants how to conserve food. During the Great Depression, she established one of the first food exchanges in the country, employing women to cook large quantities of food that were then sold at a low price. She also wrote a regular cooking column for the Milwaukee Journal. From 1909 to 1919, she served on the
Milwaukee
school board, helping to establish the
Girls
Technical
High School
to provide vocational training to young women. In 1939,
Wisconsin
honored her as one of the state's outstanding women. Kander died on
July 24, 19
40
1862: The Will of Commodore Uriah P. Levy was presented to the Surrogate today for probate. It includes the following provisions:
Mrs. Levy receives only her right of dower and all the household furniture, plate, &c., so long as she shall remain unmarried, excepting what is otherwise bequeathed to revert upon her death or marriage. Capt. Levy's nephew, Ashel S. Levy, receives the Washington farm, in Albemarle, Va., with all the negro slaves, &c., and $5,000 in cash; also, his gold box with the freedom of the City of New-York. He leaves to his brother, Joseph M. Levy, $1,000 in cash, and mortgage on his house in Baltimore; to his brother, Isaac Levy, $1,000, and all debts due him on notes; to Mitchell M. Levy, son of his brother, Joseph P. Levy, $1,000 in cash; to Eliza Hendricks, of Cincinnati, Ohio, the income of $1,000; to his nephew, Morton Phillips, of New-Orleans, his gold hunting-watch and $500; to Col. T. Moses, of South Carolina, a large silver urn, formerly belonging to Dr. Phillips, on which is to be engraved, "From Capt. Uriah P. Levy, United States Navy, to his kinsman, Col. Franklin Moses, State Senator of the State of South Carolina, as a testimony of my affection." There are also legacies of $100 each to Capt. John B. Montgomery, Capt. Lawrence Kearney and Capt. Francis Gregory, United States Navy, and Benjamin F. Butler, to purchase mourning rings. To Lieuts. Peter Turner and John Moffatt United States Navy, and Dr. J. Cohen and Jacob J. Cohen, Jr., Col. M. Cohen. United States Navy: Lieut. Lanier, Capt. William Mervine and Commodore Thomas Ap C. Jones, each $25, to purchase mourning rings. The will directs the executors to erect a monument at Cypress Hills, to consist of a full length statue of Capt. Levy, in iron or bronze, in the full uniform of a Captain of the United States Navy, and holding in his hand a scroll on which shall be inscribed: "Under this Monument," or, "In Memory of Uriah P. Levy, Captain in the United States Navy, Father of the Law for the Abolition of the Barbarous Practice of Corporeal Punishment in the Navy of the United States." The monument is to cost $6,000, and the body is to be buried under it. To the Historical Society are bequeathed three paintings -- "The Wreck of the Medusa Frigate," by Gericault; "The Descent of the Infant Jesus," and "Virgin Confessing the Bishop of Rouen," and a Rural Scene, by Carl Bonner. He then bequeaths his farm and estate at Monticello, Virginia, formerly belonging to President Thomas Jefferson, with all the residue of his estate, "to the people of the United States," or such persons as Congress shall appoint to receive it; and especially all his real estate in the City of New-York, in trust, for the sole and only purpose of establishing and maintaining at the farm in Monticello, Virginia, an agricultural school for the purpose of educating as practical farmers children of the Warrant-office of the United States navy whose fathers are dead. "The children to be supported by this fund from the ages of 12 to 16." For fuel and fencing said farm-school the will bequeaths two hundred acres of woodland of his Washington farm, Virginia. The will especially requires that no professorships be established in said school, and no professors employed, the school being intended for charity, and not for pomp. In case Congress refuses to carry out the intention of this bequest, the property is bequeathed to the people of Virginia for the same purpose; and in case the Legislature of Virginia declines to receive the trust, the property is to go to the Portuguese Hebrew congregation in this City, and the old Portuguese Hebrew congregation in Cherry-street, Philadelphia, and the Portuguese Hebrew congregation of Richmond, Va., for the establishment of the said school at Monticello, for the children of all denominations, Hebrew and Christian. Should this fund be more than sufficient for the support of children of warrant officers of the navy, the children of sergeant-majors of the United States army are to be included in the benefit -- the balance to be for the benefit of children of seamen. He further bequeaths $1,000 to the Portuguese Hebrew Hospital of this City.
1866: Birthdate of Sidney Peixotto. Born in New York, this son Raphael Peixotto has spent almost his entire life in San Francisco, where he has served as a major in the California National Guard and the founder and leader of The Columbia Park Boys' Club.
1876(5th of Sivan, 5636): Erev Shavuot
1877: According to the Gossip From London Column published today "All London flocked to sit spellbound at the feet of the Russian Jew Rubenstein while he played his own works on the piano at the Crystal Palace."
1877: “The Gossip from London” column published today reported on the success of a twenty year old English Jewish composer named Solomon. Earlier in the month, he was greeted with a round of applause when he entered the Orchestra at the Folly Theatre based in part on his work "The Contempt of Court". According to the critic, "if Solomon had been a German Jew instead of an English child of Israel the critics would have gushed over the promise exhibited by so young a man.” [Editor’s note – “Solomon” probably refers to Edward “Teddy” Solomon whose first work was “A Will With a Vengeance,” a musical comedy that appeared in 1876. His highly successful career came to a sudden end when he died at the age of 39.]
1877: The Board of Delegates of the American Israelites met in New York City today. One of the topics was the upcoming meeting of the International Conference of Israelites which is going to be held in December at Paris where they will be seeking ways to improve the conditions the Jews living in the European provinces of the Ottoman Empire..
1877: A critique published today of the June edition of The Catholic World reported that the magazine continues to demonstrate Catholicism’s fascination with Judaism, or more properly the passionate desire to convert Jews to the Church of Rome as can be seen from a feature article entitled “The Present State of Judaism in America.” According to the article “The number of conversions from Protestantism to the holy Roman Catholic Church, here and in Great Britain is continually on the increase. But nothing is more rare than the conversion of a Jew. They are rapidly parting with their own faith, but very seldom do they embrace any form of Christianity in its stead. In a few years the great majority of Jews in the United States will probably have ceased to be Jews save in name only. But all how many of them will become Catholic? All roads lead to Rome but very few Jews have made the journey.” The article concludes that eventually all of the Jews will “come into the fold.” In order to help those who want to convert Jews, the magazine provides an estimate of the number of Jews in the United States, their wealth and “relative distribution throughout” the country.
1878: The annual meeting of the United Hebrew Charities of the City of New-York was held this evening at their head-quarters, in St. Mark's-place. The various charitable institutions were fully represented by male and female delegates. During his report, Henry Rice, the President, laid special stress on the evils of slum life.
1879: A jury in the Union County Court at Elizabeth, NJ, had failed to reach a verdict in the case brought against Henry M. Levy. Levy had been charged with selling cigars on Sunday. Levy admitted that he sold the cigars on Sunday but said that since he was Jewish he did not feel bound to observe Sunday as the Sabbath. Furthermore, as a Jew, he did not sell goods on Saturday and kept his store closed. The Prosecution contended that Levy had to obey the Sunday closing law because he had sworn to obey all laws when he took the oath of citizenship.
1879(6th of Sivan, 5639): Sukkoth
1880: The Jewish Messenger reported that Congregation Orach Chaim "...is quietly extending its influence and securing the objective for which it was organized - not the formation of a large congregation and the building of a handsome synagogue, but the daily study and practice of the Law." Officials of the Congregation include Lazarus Herzberg, first spiritual leader; Seligman Dannenberg, chazzan; Abraham Nussbaum, first president.
1909: Hahambashi Haim Nahoum of
Turkey
meets with Prime Minister and Interior Minister of
Turkey
to discuss the practice of limiting the residence of foreign Jews to three months.
1912: Agudath Israel was formed as the world organization of Orthodox Jewry at Katowitz. Jacob Rosenheim was its first president.
1913: The Georgian reported that E.F. Holloway, the plant day watchman, believed Jim Conley had strangled Mary Phagan when he was drunk. This should have gone a long way towards exonerating Leo Frank.
1915: Birthdate of linguist Joseph Harold Greenberg.
1917: In Manhattan Mark and Mariam Villchur gave birth to “Edgar M. Villchur, whose invention of a small loudspeaker that could produce deep, rich bass tones opened the high-fidelity music market in the 1950s to millions of everyday listeners…” (As reported to Dennis Hevesi)
1920: The Jewish community in
Constantinople
publishes a letter to the former Hahambashi, Haim Nahoum Effendi who had stepped down from his post a few weeks prior. They declared his departure a calamity. They expressed regret at his departure and their gratitude for his past services, attributing to him the prestige which the community has acquired in the eyes of the Turkish government.
1922(1st of Sivan, 5682): Rosh Chodesh Sivan
1922: The Bnei Akiva youth movement was founded. The youth branch of the Mizrachi was originally established to train its members in agriculture and crafts. Its goal was the synthesis of Torah and Avodah (Torah and labor). Soon, the movement formed its own kibbutzim within the structure of "Kibbutz Hadati," the religious kibbutz movement.
1923: In Brooklyn, whole produce worker Meyer Schneiderman and his wife Bess gave birth to Irwin Schneiderman, “a self-described ‘kid from the Jewish Ghetto’” who became a highly successful attorney and philanthropist whose passions included the New York City Opera. (As reported by Douglas Martin)
1925: Birthdate of Lydia Csato Gasman, the native of Foccsani Romania who gained fame as a painter and scholar.
1928: Birthdate of Alfred Gilbert Aronowitz, an American rock journalist best known for introducing Bob Dylan and The Beatles in 1964.
1936(7th of Sivan, 5696): Second Day of Shavuot
1936(7th of Sivan, 5696): Bertha Pappenheim “an Austrian-Jewish feminist, a social pioneer, and the founder of the Jüdischer Frauenbund (League of Jewish Women) passed away.
1936: Striking Arabs said they would send “a protest to the British Administration demanding its withdrawal from the Levant Fair” now being held in Tel Aviv. The Palcor (news) Agency) reported that at least 48 people had died to date since the Arab uprising began in April.
1937(18th of Sivan, 5697): Alfred Adler an Austrian medical doctor, psychologist and founder of the school of individual psychology passed away.” In collaboration with Sigmund Freud and a small group of Freud's colleagues, Adler was among the co-founders of the psychoanalytic movement as a core member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. He was the first major figure to break away from psychoanalysis to form an independent school of psychotherapy and personality theory. This was after Freud declared Adler's ideas as too contrary, leading to an ultimatum to all members of the Society (which Freud had shepherded) to drop Adler or be expelled, disavowing the right to dissent (Makari, 2008). Following this split, Adler would come to have an enormous, independent effect on the disciplines of counseling and psychotherapy as they developed over the course of the 20th century (Ellenberger, 1970). He influenced notable figures in subsequent schools of psychotherapy such as Rollo May, Viktor Frankl, Abraham Maslow and Albert Ellis. His writings preceded, and were at times surprisingly consistent with, later neo-Freudian insights such as those evidenced in the works of Karen Horney, Harry Stack Sullivan and Erich Fromm. Adler emphasized the importance of equality in preventing various forms of psychopathology, and espoused the development of social interest and democratic family structures as the ideal ethos for raising children. His most famous concept is the inferiority complex which speaks to the problem of self-esteem and its negative compensations (e.g. sometimes producing a paradoxical superiority striving). His emphasis on power dynamics is rooted in the philosophy of Nietzsche. Adler argued for holism, viewing the individual holistically rather than reductively, the latter being the dominant lens for viewing human psychology. Adler was also among the first in psychology to argue in favor of feminism making the case that power dynamics between men and women (and associations with masculinity and femininity) are crucial to understanding human psychology .Adler is considered, along with Freud and Jung, to be one of the three founding figures of depth psychology, which emphasizes the unconscious and psychodynamics
1937: Neville Chamberlain becomes British Prime Minister. Chamberlain is remembered for Munich Agreement which immediately imperiled those Czech Jews who now came under Hitler’s sway and helped lead to World War II and the Shoah. In the best tradition of “realistic British leaders” he was pro-Arab as can be seen when told a meeting of the Cabinet’s Palestine Committee that it was “of immense importance to have the Muslim world with us. If we must offend one side, let us offend the Jews rather than the Arabs. This led to the adoption of policy designed to “ensure a permanent Arab majority and a permanent Jewish minority in Palestine.”
1938: In
Frankfurt
, caricatures of Jews drawn with insulting inscriptions on Jewish shop windows. Gangs threatened Jews to move out of
Frankfurt
.
1938: Foundation for Tel Aviv harbor was `laid
1938: Jewish businesses in
Frankfurt
,
Germany
, are boycotted.
1939: In reaction to the White Paper the Jewish Agency declares: "The need of the Jewish People for a Home was never more acute and its denial at this time is particularly sharp." The White Paper is denounced as illegal as it contradicts the terms of the Mandate, which can only be changed with the agreement of the Council of the
League of Nations
.
1939: The "Atrato", a ship under the command of the Haganah, is captured by the British navy, after having completed seven voyages during six months and bringing more than 2,400 illegal immigrants to Palestine.
1940: Birthdate of Steven Riskin, who as Shlomo Riskin founded the Lincoln Square Synagogue in 1964 and became the first chief rabbi of Erfat. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan had her bat mitzvah at the Lincoln Square Synagogue.
1940: Irving Berlin's musical "
Louisiana Purchase
" premiered in
New York City
.
1940: After three days of debate, Churchill’s War Cabinet decides to continue the war against
Germany
. Churchill prevailed over formidable forces led by Foreign Minister Lord Halifax that sought to reach an accommodation with the Nazi regime. Eventually Halifax would see the logic of Churchill’s position and become a strong advocate of the war against Hitler. If the debate had gone otherwise, for the Jews, there would have been even more finality to the Final Solution than was suffered with the loss of the Six Million.
1940: Realizing that the Lord Lloyd will not end his opposition to arming the Jews of Palestine so they can defend themselves, Churchill writes his Colonial Secretary urging him to meet with Weizmann to see what can be done to end the impasse. Churchill wanted to bring most of the British troops in
Palestine
back to
England
to face the expected cross-Channel invasion by the Nazis. He realized that these British troops were often all that stood between the Jews and the forces of the Grand Mufti and Arab marauders who had a history of attacking the Jewish settlers. Churchill ends the letter by reminding Lord Lloyd of his continued opposition to the White Paper.
1942: Birthdate of Dr. Stanley B. Prusiner. A native of
Des Moines
,
Iowa
, Prusiner won the Nobel Prize Physiology and Medicine in 1997;
1944(6th of Sivan, 5704): Last Shavuot of WW II
1944: At Berkenau, some Jews tried to revolt as they were marched to the gas chambers. They were machine-gunned to death.
1948: Israeli forces captured the Arab
village
of
Zar'in
on
Mt.
Gilboa
.
1948: (19th of Iyar, 5708) The commander of the Jewish defense of Jerusalem, “Yitzhak Rabin went up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem, where he later wrote, ‘I witnessed a shattering scene. A delegation was emerging from the Jewish Quarter bearing white flags. I was horrified to learn that consisted of rabbis and other residents on their way to hear the Legion’s terms for their capitulation. That same night, the Jewish Quarter surrendered to the Arab Legion.’” The loss of the Jewish Quarter in the
Old
City
meant that the spiritual heart of
Jerusalem
with the Western Walls and its many synagogues was now under Jordanian control. This was the Arab Legion’s first victory in
Jerusalem
. It would prove to be its last as the Jewish forces were able to strengthen their defenses around the rest of the city. Esther Cailingold, a 22 year old English woman was one of the defenders who lost her life in the fight for the
Old
City
. In a letter to her parents she wrote, “’We had a difficult fight. I have tasted hell, but it has been worthwhile because I am convinced that in the end we will have a Jewish state…I have lived my life fully, and very sweet it has been to be in our land.’”. Under the U.N. Partition Resolution,
Jerusalem
was supposed to be under international control. Instead the Jordanians invaded the city and held the eastern section for 19 years. During that time they defaced the Jewish quarter and denied the Jews access to the area under their control. The world community did nothing to remedy the situation. Only with the Six Day War in 1967 were Jews able to have access to the entire City of
David
.
1948: At the U.N. Security Council, following the third or fourth Arab rejection of a cease fire, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Arthur Austin rejected the Arab position in most undiplomatic language. He accused the Arabs of having only one goal – overwhelming the government of
Israel
by armed power. “An existing government cannot be blotted out this way…We know this is a violation of the Charter…This is equivalent in its absurdity to a legend that these five armies are there to maintain peace and at the same time are conducting a bloody war.”
1949: Birthdate of television performer Sandy Helberg, the father of actor Simon Helberg
1950: The plan of the three major western powers to tie shipment of arms to Israel and surrounding Arab states to pledges of non-aggression has met with mixed, mostly negative reactions from various Arab nations. While the Egyptians have gone along with this tripartite declaration, the Iraqis, Lebanese and Syrians have all condemned the western-backed policy.
1953: The Jerusalem Post reported that one Israeli soldier was killed and another wounded when Israeli units clashed with, and inflicted considerable losses on an armed Jordanian unit near Hebron. The Jordanians had previously crossed the armistice lines, but were forced to flee in the ensuing exchange of fire.
1962: Israel Bar-Yehuda replaced Yitzhak Ben-Aharon as Minister of Ransportation
1953: The Jerusalem Post reported that in Washington, the U.S. Secretary of State, Mr. John Foster Dulles, claimed that the Egyptian Prime Minister, Naguib, was ready to "make a deal with
Israel
." (Ed note: Not for the first time and certainly not for the last time, Secretary Dulles "got it wrong, big time.")
1960: Birthdate of Gail Sheryl Asper, OC, OM “a director and corporate secretary of CanWest Global Communications Corp, president of the CanWest Global Foundation, and managing director and secretary of The Asper Foundation, the private charitable foundation spearheading the establishment of the $310 million Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the daughter of entrepreneur and philanthropist Izzy Asper, she attended Kelvin High School before receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1984 from the University of Manitoba. She was called to the Nova Scotia bar in 1985 and is a member of the Law Society of Manitoba. She articled with Halifax, Nova Scotia law firm of Cox Downie & Goodfellow in 1984 and was an Associate Lawyer in Halifax with Goldberg McDonald from 1985 to 1989. In 1989, she joined her father's firm, CanWest, as a corporate secretary and director. She has long been associated with arts and culture as a volunteer, performer, and fund-raiser. She is associated with the Liberal Party of Canada and endorsed Scott Brison's bid to become leader in 2006. Ms. Asper has received numerous community service and humanitarian awards and was the 2005 recipient of the Governor-General Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts. In 2007, she was awarded the Order of Manitoba. In 2008, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.”
1964:
Palestine
National Congress formed the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) in the eastern section
Jerusalem
. The PLO charter called for the destruction of the state of
Israel
. At the time of its founding, Arab countries controlled the
West Bank
and
Gaza
. Yet no attempt was made to create a Palestinian state in these two areas.
1966: Birthdate of journalist Luke Ford
1968(1st of Sivan, 5728): Rosh Chodesh Sivan
1969: Katyusha rockets fired from
Jordan
bombard
Jericho
twice.
1974: Yitzhak Rabin announced the formation of a three party coalition government that will replace the government led by fellow Laborite, Golda Meir. The new government represents a bit of a generational change in the Israeli power structure. The new leaders are all younger than those they are replacing. Rabin is 52. Yigal Allon, the new Foreign Minister is 55 and the new Defense Minister, Shimon Peres is 52. Among the marquee names missing from the new collation are Moshe Dayan and Abbe Eban.
1976:On Friday night, an historic event happened in Madrid, Spain. Her Majesty, Queen Sofia, attended Friday Night Services at Madrid's only synagogue. It was a highly emotional event for many of the congregation that night since it was another Spanish monarch who expelled their ancestors some 500 years ago.
1978: The Jerusalem Post reported that the Cabinet embarked on a major political debate on the future of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. There were indications that unless Israel addresses itself to the question of the sovereignty of these territories, the U.S. will step in with its own ideas to get the negotiations for a Middle Eastern settlement moving again. In
New York
, the HIAS (Hebrew Immigrants Aid Society) rejected the Israeli request to stop helping the Soviet drop-outs in
Vienna
from going to other countries, instead of going, as they stated in the
Soviet Union
, that they intended to leave for
Israel
.
1982(6th of Sivan, 5742): Shavuot
1987: Daniel Barenboim is scheduled to conduct the IPO during one of several concerts celebrating the orchestra’s 50th anniversary.
1999: Today the REMORA II, a remote operated vehicle, took the first picture of the INS Dakar after the wreck was found four days ago. The submarine “rests on her keel, bow to the northwest. Her conning tower was snapped off and fallen over the side. The stern of the submarine, with the propellers and dive planes, broke off aft of the engine room and rests beside the main hull. Some small artifacts were recovered, including the boat's gyrocompass.” But the pictures did not reveal the cause of the sinking.
2000: The New York Times featured reviews of books by Jewish authors and/or of special interest to Jewish readers including the recently released paperback editions of “Hitler
1889-1936: Hubris” by Ian Kershaw and Village of a “Million Spirits: A Novel of the Treblinka Uprising” by Ian MacMillan harrowing account of the daily operations of the infamous Treblinka concentration camp in Poland, and the 1943 revolt by hundreds of Jewish prisoners.
2001(6th of Sivan, 5761): First Day Shavuot, 5761
2003: The 19th Israel Film Festival opens at the
Academy
of
Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences in
Beverly Hills
.
2004: Jewish businessman and community leader, Earle I. Mack was sworn-in as Ambassador to
Finland
2006(1st of Sivan, 5766): Rosh Chodesh Sivan
2006: The New York Times featured reviews of books by Jewish authors and/or of special interest to Jewish readers including the recently released paperback editions of What We Owe Iraq: War and the Ethics of Nation Building by Noah Feldman and 1962: The Night of 100 Points and the Dawn of a New Era by Gary M. Pomeranz
2006: Pope Benedict XVI visited Auschwitz-Birkenau where he delivered a speech in Italian to Holocaust survivors and members of the Jewish community in Poland.
2006: Haaretz reports haredim rioted outside the Ashdod cemetery and stole the body of a baby girl from the cemetery’s tahara room to prevent
DNA
testing that would most likely implicate the baby’s parents in the baby’s death.
DNA
testing on a corpse is generally held to be permissible according to Jewish law. The baby’s parents brought the baby to a medical clinic seeking treatment for an infectious disease. The doctor prescribed antibiotics, but the parents apparently opted for homeopathic treatment instead. The baby died as a direct result of the infection.
2007: The last Monday in May is celebrated as Memorial Day. The federal holiday began in 1868 as a way to honor the Union Soldiers who had died in the Civil War. According to at least one source, over 7,000 soldiers served on both sides during the Civil War, with the bulk of them fighting on the side of the
United States
. (Rabbi Fred Davidow, who has a great deal more expertise on the subject than I do, can vividly describe the role of Jews in the Confederacy.)
2007: At
New Haven
, Benjamin Levin, son of David Levin, graduates from Yale!
2008: The Walter Reade Theatre in New York features a screening of “Late Marriage,” “ribald, dark and subversive comedy that pits tradition against modernity ribald, dark and subversive comedy that pits tradition against modernity ribald, dark and subversive comedy that pits tradition against modernity ribald, dark and subversive comedy that pits tradition against modernity ribald, dark and subversive comedy that pits tradition against modernity a ribald dark and subversive comedy that pits tradition against modernity” in a film featuring Zasa, a Tel Aviv bachelor and his Georgian born mother and “Three Sisters,” a film that tells the tale of three Sephardic sisters born into an affluent Egyptian family in the 1940’s and who end their lives sharing a cramped apartment in Israel half a century later.
2008: Following further revelations about cash payments by a
U.S.
businessman to Ehud Olmert, coalition partner Ehud Barak called on the Prime Minister to resign or face the collapse of his government.
2008: During a goodwill visit to Israel that included a visit to the Western Wall, Dr J, Julius Erving, met with Shimon Peres at the presidential mansion.</span