July 4 In Jewish History
925: Moslems raided Oria as part of their attacks on Italy. Ten rabbinical leaders were killed and many others were taken into captivity, including 12 year old Shabbetai Donnolo, who later achieved fame as a physician
1187: Guy de Lusignan (King of Jerusalem) force-marched his troops through the dry, hot Galilee against the advice of Raymond
III
of Tripoli and others. At a site known as the Horns of Hittim near
Lake
Tiberius
, the Moslems defeated him and his Crusader army. The Moslems were led by the legendary Saladin. This defeat lead to a string of Crusader defeats that culminated in the loss of
Jerusalem
in October. These losses would result in the Third Crusade, led by Richard the Lionhearted, which would fail to restore the gains of the Christians. There would be several more Crusades, none of which would prove any more successful. In the end, the Christians would be forced into retreat as Moslem rulers would extend their rule into the across a large swath of
Europe
. Those who contend that the today’s clashes between the West and certain groups of Moslems and Arabs are rooted in the creation of the state of
Israel
would do well to read some history. Obviously, today’s conflicts pre-date modern Zionism. Lest we lose track of the events of the eleventh and twelfth century, the Crusades were not a good period for the Jews
1453: Forty-one Jews were burned at the stake in Breslau, Germany. The remainder of the Jewish population was expelled
1569: The King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund II Augustus finally sign the document of union between Poland and Lithuania, creating new country known as Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth was a haven for Jews and the center of Ashkenazi Jewry. The Jews enjoyed a significant degree of autonomy under the authority of Chief Rabbi of their own selection. All of this would come to an end with the Cossack uprising in the 17thcentury.
1632: Several secret Jews in
Spain
were sentenced at an auto-de-fe for holding Jewish services. They practiced in a house on a street known as Calle de las Infantas. The house was later destroyed. The non-Jewish owner of a building used as a shul was burned at the stake
1636: City of Providence, Rhode Island was created under the leadership of Roger Williams. The first Jew did not settle permanently in the city until 1838 when a Dutch merchant named Solomon Pareira settled there. In 1849, he founded a cemetery which was the city’s first Jewish institution
1642: Marie de Médicis, the Italian born Queen consort of France passed away. Marie ignored the fact that Jews had been banned from France since she employed Elijah Montalto, a Portuguese Marrano who returned to the faith of his fathers, as her personal physician. His medical care cannot be blamed for her demise since had passed away in 1616.
1776(17thof Tammuz): Celebration of Independence Day. A copy was sent to Amsterdam via the small Dutch Caribbean Island of St. Eustatius. The Declaration was intercepted by the British at sea. An accompanying letter with the Declaration of Independence was also intercepted and sent to London as being a secret code about the document that needed to be deciphered - the letter was written in Yiddish. The Declaration of Independence in the United States of America provided the basis for religious tolerance in most other countries. During the Revolutionary war there were fewer than 2,500 Jews in total within the colonies. More than six hundred fought in the war including the great grandfather of Supreme Court Justice Cardozo. One company in
South Carolina
had so many Jews that it was called the Jews’ company. In 1776, July 4 corresponded to the 17thof Tammuz, which is a fast day on the Jewish calendar tied to the events leading up to the destruction of the
Temple
.
1788: The Jews of Philadelphia celebrate in a Federal Parade after hearing that the Constitution was adopted by a majority of the states. The newspaper read, "The rabbi of the Jews, locked in arms of two ministers of the gospel, was a most delightful sight."
1788: Benjamin Franklin was too sick and weak to get out of bed, but the Independence Day parade in
Philadelphia
marched right under his window. And, as Franklin himself had directed, ‘the clergy of different Christian denominations, with the rabbi of the Jews, walked arm in arm.’
1794: Catherine II of
Russia
restricted the area where Jews were permitted to trade.
1802: The U.S. Military Academy opens its doors at West Point, N.Y. According to Daniel Isaac Helmer, Cadet Sergeant, United States Military Academy--West Point and the Hillel president at the United States Military Academy the Jewish people have been associated with the Academy since its opening. The first graduating class consisted of two cadets one of whom was a Jew named Simon Levy. In the 1980s, the West Point Jewish Chapel, a beautiful $10 million facility, was opened. In 2002, in honor of 200 years of Jewish history at the
Military
Academy
, the Jewish Chapel began building a commemorative wall to record and recognize all of the Jewish graduates of
West Point
. At that time there were about 70 Jews at the
Military
Academy
out of a student population of approximately 4,000. An increasingly active Jewish population has begun to sponsor numerous Jewish activities. Jewish students from other schools have visited
West Point
for events including "Weekend of the Jewish Warrior" and a Hanukkah party. The
Military
Academy
also has a West Point Jewish Chapel Choir, which has performed all over the East Coast.
1807: Birthdate of Giuseppe Garibaldi one of a triumvirate of Italian patriots who freed the peninsula from foreign rule and created the modern nation of Italy. Garibaldi was a revolutionary and a guerilla fighter in the true sense of the terms. His belief in equality extended to religion where he made no distinction between the rights of Christians and the rights of Jews. Numerous Jews served in his military unit known as “the Thousands” which liberated southern Italy and Sicily.
1845: The Egyptian Revival Hobart Synagogue was consecrated in Hobart a city on the Australian island state of Tasmania.
1863:"Sarah, the Hebrew; or, the Dream of Destiny," will be one of the attraction at Barnum's Museum during its Independence Day Celebration.
1863: In one of the climactic moments of the Civil War, Confederate forces surrender Vicksburg to Union forces under the command of General U.S. Grant. The victory is both a major tactical and strategic success since it split the Confederacy in half and gave control of the Mississippi River back to the Union. While there were Jewish soldiers fighting on both sides, the real significance is that the victory helped ensure that the United States of America would continue to exist offering Jews a place of refuge from European anti-Semitism. The victory would also be a major stepping stone in the career of General Grant which would eventually lead him to victory over Lee and the Presidency. Despite the unfortunate issuing of Order #11, Grant was not an anti-Semite as can be seen from the fact that Jews voted for him for President, his friendship with Joseph Seligman who refused Grant’s request to serve in his cabinet, his meeting with Rabbi Hayim Tzvi Sneersohn, a great-grandson of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the "Alter Rebbe" of Chabad Hasidim and his attendance at the dedication of Adas Israel’s newly built house of worship.
1863: Private David Orbansky, a native of Prussia who was serving with the 58thOhio Infantry, served so gallantly during the siege of Vicksburg that he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
1863: General Frederick Charles Salomon, a native of Prussia who had settled in Wisconsin, led the 1st Brigade of the Army of the Tennessee against the Rebels at the Battle of Helena, Arkansas.
1873: Birthdate of dietician Frances Stern. The
Frances
Stern
Nutrition
Center
a part of
Tufts-New
England
Medical
Center
was named in her honor.
1876: In Rovno, Russia, Samuel and Mary Simon gave birth to Sophie Irene Simon who moved to McKeesport, PA, at the age of six. She gained fame as Sophie Simon Loeb journalist and advocate for social welfare reform.
1880: Rabbi Adolph Huebsch of Temple Ahavath Chesed officiated at the funeral of Joseph I. Stein who had served as Assemblyman of the 12th District. A crowd of 2,000 spilled out from the home on East 52nd Street and one hundred coaches were needed to carry all of those who went to the cemetery. Stein was a victim of last month’s Seawanhaka ship disaster.
1880: “The Soldiers of Morocco” published today described the great strides made in turning the Moroccan Army into an effective military unit. Credit for this accomplishment goes to an English soldier known as Kaid Maclean (Sir Harry Aubrey de MacLean). Kaid could not have accomplished his mission if it had not been for a unnamed Jew. Kaid did not speak Arabic and the troops did not understand English so Kaid “had to give his instructions through a Jewish interpreter” who spoke both language but who nothing about military drill.
1881: Birthdate of Dov Ber Borochov the Ukrainian born proponent of the labor Zionist movement who was one of the founders of the Poale Zion.
1881: “Jewish Ladies Whipped” published today described the whippings of Jewish men, women and children, including “ladies of good position” who received 300 strokes, at Smjela, a small town near Kiev. The attacks, which had been ordered by an unnamed Colonel, ended when the governor of Kiev arrived..
1881: It was reported today that “in some Russian districts, the peasants have offered to pay for the damage done to the property of the Jews” including one district where 800 rubles have been deposited for that purpose.
1882: Patrolman Edgar S. Slauson defended himself against accusations that he had overreacted when dealing with a mob that had attacked workers who working in place of the striking freight handlers. The replacement workers included large numbers of recently arrived Jewish immigrants from Russia who did not know about the strike. He admitted having to use his club on more than one of the attackers but he had little choice since he was facing a throng of more than 2,000.
1882: It was reported today that a mass meeting held to support the strike by the freight handlers in New York cheers greeted the announcement that 150 Russian Jews who had recently arrived in the United States and gone to work at the Erie Railway pier refused to do any more work once they had heard about the strike.
1883: Birthdate of Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Rube Goldberg. Goldberg entertained several generations with his drawings of simple activities that were turned into multi-step complex functions. His name became synonymouswith improvised temporary solutions to problems of major and minor magnitude.
1883: It was reported today that “The Art Magazine for July” published by Cassell & Co features an article about the Russian sculptor, Mark Antokolsky. Born in Wilno, this poor Jewish boy somehow managed to become a student at the Imperial Academy in St. Petersburg. His first work “Jew Tailor” was created in wood because Antokolsky could not afford marble. His career took off in 1870 when the Czar saw his statute “Ivan the Terrible.”
1884: It was reported from Odessa that there has been “rapid increase” in the emigration of Jews from southern Russia, to the United States.
1885: Birthdate of Louis B. Mayer. Born in
Minsk
,
Russia
, Mayer was one of a generation of early movie moguls. In his case, he was the motion-picture executive
MGM
(Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
1886: David J. Dean delivered an address entitled “The Golden Rule In Political Government” during which he said that “race prejudice” had presented the greatest hurdle for people to overcome in their quest for effective government. The folly of this attitude could be seen in the that “for centuries the Hebrew” had been “an object of infamy and denunciation” but now Beaconsfield governed ‘the empire on which the sun never sets’ i.e. Great Britain. [Despite his conversion, Disraeli/Beaconsfield was regarded as a Jew; although the reference was usually a derogatory one used by his political opponents.]
1898:The first convention of the Federation of American Zionists opened at the B'nai Zion Club on Henry Street in New York's lower East Side. One hundred delegates, 20 from outside of New York, attended the convention which elected Rabbi Guvstav Gottheil to serve as President.
1902: Herzl had his first meeting with Nathaniel Mayer Rothschild in London.
1902: The Sultan asks Herzl top come to
Constantinople
immediately.
1902: Birthdate of mobster Meyer Lansky.
1903(9th of Tamuz, 5663) Albert F. Hochstadyer who had been a member of the firm of Newburger and Hochstadter Brothers of Philadelphia until 1879 passed today at his summer home in Elberon at the age of fifty-six. He was active in numerous New York Jewish organizations including Temple Emanu-El where he was serving as a Trustee and Honorary Secretary at the time of his death.
1903: Following the Pogrom at Kishinev, Leo Napoleon Levi, a lawyer from Texas who was President of the B'nai B'rith, wrote a letter to Czar Nicholas II calling for an end to the mistreatment of the Jews living in Russia.
1903: Dorothy Levitt (born Dorothy Levi) won her class at the Southport Speed Trials driving a S.F.Edge's 12 hp Gladiator,shocking British society as she was the first woman, a working secretary, to compete in a motor race. She became noted for racing in a dust coat (a loose coverall coat reaching down to the ankles), matching hat and veil.
1905: Birthdate of author and literary critic Lionel Trilling.
1905: Independence Day was commemorated in Jerusalem with a display of American and Swedish flags.
1911: Birthdate of Mitch Miller. Born in
Rochester
NY
, Miller’s greatest claims to fame are "The Yellow Rose of Texas" and his television show, "Sing Along With Mitch."
1913: Abe Attell the boxer known as “the Little Hebrew” accidentally hit the referee on the face during a win against Willie Beecher.
1917: The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Young Men’s Hebrew Association of Trenton, NJ, has elected new officers including President Harry Greenburg, Vice President Meyer Wessel and Financial Secretary Phillip Wenkes
1918: At the Battle of Hamel, John Monash applied his doctrine of "peaceful penetration", and led Australian Divisions, along with a small detachment of US troops, to win a decisive victory for the Allies. A native of Australia, Monash was the son of Prussian born Jews and had risen to the rank of Major General in 1917.
1918: Birthdate of advice columnist Abigail Van Buren.
1918: Birthdate of advice columnist Ann Landers.
1918: Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI ascends to the throne. Mehmed had the unenviable challenge of salvaging what he could of Ottoman glory as World War I came to the end and the Allies were poised to turn most of the Ottoman Empire into European Colonies. Jews continued to play an active part in the governing of the Empire and the emerging Republic. These included the minister of telegraph Yusuf Franko Pasa and Professor Avram Galante who served as “translator of the foreign press news for the Ankara government.”
1918: In Jerusalem, General Edmund Allenby, the British general who had liberated the ancient Jewish captial from the Ottomans was the guest of honor at the American Colony’s Independence Day Celebration
1921: Birthdate of Philip Rosenberg, who gained fame as Philip Rose, “the producer of Broadway shows like “A Raisin in the Sun” and “Purlie Victorious” who advanced the cause of black playwrights and actors and helped widen the scope of American theater to include stories of blacks and other minorities…’ (As reported by Bruce Weber)
1921: The funeral of Jacob A. Cantor was held at his home in New York City today. Rabbi M. H. Harris of Temple Israel delivered the eulogy. Cantor, an attorney by training, had been active in the New York Democratic Party for several decades holding a variety of positions including U.S. Congressman. The service was attended by numerous prominent government officials.
1926: Birthdate of Amos Elon, Israeli poet and journalist.
1926: The Nazis inaugurate their youth movement which is known as the Hitler Youth.
1927: Birthdate of playwright Neil Simon. Some of his hits include Odd Couple, Plaza Suite and Biloxi Blues.
1929: When the “Ah-Say-Fah Ha’Nivcharim” (Assembly of the Chosen) resumes its meeting Jaobtinsky loses the vote to ignore the organization’s’ agenda and leads the eleven revisionist delegates out of the meeting after reading a speech attacking the Jewish Agency.
1931: According to a report by the Labor Department of the Jewish Agency made public today by the American Palestine Campaign, “few countries in the world afford women such equality of opportunity as is enjoyed by Jewish women in Palestine.” Out of work force of 23,830 most of which is located in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Petach Tikvah 18,067 are men and 5,754 are women. While the largest number of women works in agricultural endeavors, they are also represented in manufacturing, the professions and government work.
1932: Birthdate of Martin Cohan, the TV writer and producer who co-created 'Who's the Boss?'
1934: An Inspectorate of Concentration Camps is established, headed by Theodor Eicke.
1934(21st of Tammuz, 5694): Zionist poet Chaim Nachman Bialik passed away. Born in
Russia
in 1873, Bialik had a traditional Talmudic education. However, at an early age he was attracted to Zionism and became a member of the Lovers of Zion. He fell under the influence of the author Achad Ha’am. His Hebrew poetry reflected the idea that Zionism was as much a cultural as it was a political movement. One of his famous early poems was "City of
Slaughter
" written in response to the pogrom at Kishnev. Bialik made Aliyah in 1924. Such was his influence that during his lifetime, he was called the "national poet," a title that has remained to this day. For those interested in reading his works in translation, consider looking at a copy of “Songs from Bialik: Selected Poems of Hayim Nachman Bialik.”
1934: Leo Szilard, the Hungarian born Jew who would take refuge in the United States and become part of the Manhattan Project, patents the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb.
1938:The Manshieh quarter on the Jaffa-Tel Aviv border was again the scene of violence early this morning as Jews reportedly attacked Arabs apparently in retaliation for the Arab campaign of violence that began in 1937. Major Hebrew language dailies condemned the attacks, regardless of the reasons for which they launched.
1939: Esther "Etty" Hillesum took the second and final part of master’s exams in Dutch Law.
1941: The Nazis murdered scientists and writers in the captured city of
Lvov
.
1941(9th of Tamuz, 5701): Lithuanian militiamen murdered 416 Jewish men, 47 Jewish women in Kovno at the Seventh Fort.
1941: Two thousand Jews from
Lutsk
,
Ukraine
, are transported to the Lubard Fortress and killed.
1941(9th of Tamuz, 5701): Fifty-four Jews are killed at Vilna, Lithuania.
1941: Between July 4 and July 11 five thousand Jews are killed in Ternopol, Ukraine.
1944(13th of Tammuz, 5704): Corporal David H. Rubenstein was killed in action in
France
. He was the 19th
Milford
,
Massachusetts
man to lose his life in World War II. “
Milford
’s Fallen Family” of that war would come to total 55.
1944: One thousand Jewish women are sent from
Auschwitz
to
Hamburg
,
Germany
, to pull down the remains of structures damaged during Allied bombing raids.
1944: 250 inmates, most of them French Jews, from the Alderney camp on the Occupied Channel Islands are killed by fire from British warships while being transported to the mainland.
1944: Between July 4 and
July 5 25
65
Jews from
Pápa
,
Hungary
, are sent to
Auschwitz
just as the Hungarian government is poised to defy
Germany
and halt the deportation. Only 30 of Pápa's 2800 Jews will survive the war
1945: In
Tripoli
,
Libya
and in other Libyan towns, Muslims began anti- Jewish riots.
1946: A Pogrom took place in
Kielce
,
Poland
. The date is correct –1946. One year after the end of the World War II and the Holocaust and a Polish mob attacked a house in Kielce in Poland where almost all of the town's surviving Jews were living (200 of the original 25,000). Forty-two Jews were brutally murdered, another 50 injured. This was followed by a chaotic mass exodus of around 150,000 Jews from across Poland to DP camps in Germany
1946: Birthdate of financier Michael Milken. A wizard of Wall Street, Milken’s name became synonymous with greed and the Junk Bond Scandal. He eventually ended up going to prison for his part in the financial fraud that was rampant in the 1980’s.
1947: David Ben-Gurion appeared before the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP). During his testimony which covered the history of the Jewish people and the reasons for creating a Jewish state in Palestine Ben Gurion tells the UN officials that “What happened to our people in this war is merely a climax to the uninterrupted persecution to which we have been subjected for centuries by almost all the Christian and Moslem peoples in the world.’
1948: Pitcher Marv Rotblatt made his major league debut with the Chicago White Sox.
1949: In describing the progress of the nation's so-called austerity program today Dr. Bernard Joseph, Minister of Supply and Rationing, disclosed that Israeli importers functioning in collateral fields have been requested by the Government to pool their efforts with a view to obtaining the lowest possible prices in world markets.
1951: The Jerusalem Post reported that an accidental blast in a quarry of Even V’Sid Company on Castel Hill killed eight workers and injured six others. The holiday-with-pay principle was legally established in
Israel
following the final reading of the Annual Leave Bill in the Knesset. Employees were entitled to a minimum of 14 days' paid vacation as of
October 1, 19
51
. The employee must have worked 200 days out of year's contract, or must have worked 240 single days for the same employer in any one 12-month period to be entitled to such paid leave.
1959: Alaska becomes the 49th state to join the Union. Jewish involvement with Alaska dates back to January, 1868 when the Alaska Commercial Company was formed in by a group of Jewish businessman in San Francisco including Louis Sloss (President), Lewis Gerstle (Vice President), Simon Greenwald, William Kohl and A. Wasserman. Jews were included in those went “North to Alaska” during the Gold Rush of the 1890’s. There was actually an attempt made before World War II to turn the Alaska Territory into a refuge for Jews fleeing Hitler. The plan failed. Ernest Gruening, a Jew from New York, was one of Alaska’s most prominent early political leaders. A supporter of statehood, he served as territorial governor and then was elected as one of the state’s first two United States Senators. Gruening joined Wayne Morris as one of only two Senators to vote against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. The vote cost him his seat. But it made him one of the first to see the folly of the Viet Nam War.
1967: In the General Assembly of the UN Chile gave its full support to the resolution of the Latin American Bloc in the aftermath of the Six-Day War.
1968: Birthdate of Ronni Ancona “a Scottish actress, impressionist and author” who “won the Best TV Comedy Actress award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards for her work in Big Impression.”
1970(30th of Sivan, 5730): Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
1970(30th of Sivan, 5730): American painter Barnett Newman passed away.
1975(25th of Tamuz, 5735): In Jerusalem’s Zion Square, members of the PLO detonate a bomb hidden in a refrigerator which killed fourteen and wounded seventy. Victims included Arabs as well as Jews.
1976: The Jerusalem Post reported that there was extensive violence in the West Bank towns in protest against the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old Arab youth during clashes with security forces during the weekend.
1976: The Jerusalem Post reported that the giant American Bicentennial National Park in the Jerusalem hills was officially opened to the public.
1976: Antoni Słonimski, Polish poet and author, passed away. Slonimski spent the war years in exile in Britain. He returned to Poland in 1951 where he was a staunch anti-Stalinist.
1976(6thof Tammuz, 5736): The Entebbe Rescue – 256 hostages from an Air France plane were held prisoners by Palestinian terrorists and Ugandan soldiers. After 8 days they were rescued by Israeli commandos in a brilliant ruse under the command of Yonatan Netanyahu who was shot in the back during the rescue. Netanyahu was the one of four Israeli soldier killed in the rescue mission. His brother parlayed the death into a political career that took him to the top of the Israeli political ladder. The United Nations condemned
Israel
for violating Ugandan Sovereignty.
1981: The American premiere of “Halil” took place at Tanglewood today “with Doriot Anthony Dwyer as the soloist and members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.” ‘Halil’ is a work for flute and chamber orchestra composed by Leonard Bernstein composed in 1981. The work is sixteen minutes in length. Bernstein composed Halil in honor of a young Israeli flutist Yadin Tanenbaum who was killed at the Suez Canal in during the 1973 Yom Kippur war.”
1986(27th of Sivan, 5746): Russian born, American mathematician Oscar Zariski passed away.
1987: Nazi Klaus Barbie, "Butcher of Lyon" is convicted by a French court.
1988: The bulk of the Furth family summer estate at Yarrow Point on the east shore of Lake Washington, which traces its origins back to Jacob Furth “was deeded to the towns of Yarrow Point and Hunts Point as the Wetherill Nature Preserve” today.
1993: The first round of family tours of Israel sponsored by the American Jewish Congress come to an end.
1998:Sandra Bernhard gave birth to daughter Cicely Yasin Bernhard
1999: The New York Times reviews books by Jewish authors and/or of special interest to Jewish readers including The Story Begins: Essays on Literature by Amos Oz and The Elusive Embrace: Desire and the Riddle of Identity by Daniel Mendelsohn.
2002: Jewish National Fund officials announced that retired Tel Aviv District Court Judge Arye Segelson will head the organization's investigation into allegations of misconduct in JNF's 'Plant a Tree With Your Own Hands' program for tourists. The announcement is the latest in a series of JNF efforts to address an article last week in Ma'ariv claiming that saplings planted by tourists at a JNF site near
Hadassah-University
Hospital
, Ein Kerem, had been uprooted to allow other tourists to plant in the same spot the next day."
2002 (24th of Tammuz, 5762): A gunman opened fire at Israel's El Al airline ticket counter at Los Angeles International Airport; three people were killed, including the gunman
2004: The New York Times features reviews of books by Jewish authors and/or of special interest to Jewish readers including Conspiratorsby Michael André Bernstein and Politics: Observations & Arguments by Hendrik Hertzberg
2004: Tzipi Livni began serving as Minister of Construction and Housing
2004(15th of Tammuz, 5764): Victor Kreiderman, 49, was killed by terrorists in Israel.
2007: Meir Sheerit succeeded Roni Bar-On as Minister of Communications.
2007: Ze’ev Boim succeded Meir Sheerit as Minister of Construction and Housing
2007: In an interview broadcast on Channel 10 Abu Mutfana - a leader in the Army of Islam – said that the kidnappers of Cpl. Gilad Schalit have transferred him to the custody of Hamas,
2008: Rosh Chodesh Tammuz (Second Day); First day of Tammuz, 5768
2008: As part of its 4th of July cookout themed advertising, Wal Mart touts the availability of “100% all kosher Hebrew National Hot Dogs.” The Red, White and Blue meets OU!
2008: Following two days each punctuated by a rocket attack on Israel, Hamas today announced that it was suspending all negotiations with Israel over the release of captured IDF soldier Gilad Schalit. The deputy head of Hamas's political bureau, Mussa Abu Marzuk, said that the talks were being frozen because
Israel
was not displaying commitment to the truce agreement with his organization in
Gaza
.
2008: Despite the seemingly endless rounds of adversity that would break the spirits of lesser people, the Jews of Tel Aviv showed their true mettle by hosting the fourth annual mass water fight in Rabin Square which drew hundreds of children, teens and adults. Participants sprayed each other with water from various water guns, buckets, bottles and bags. The "weapons" were filled up with water from the main fountain in the square, near the municipality building. Friday's water fight was the fourth such annual event organized by a group of youths called "Farsh." According to the group, "the aim of the event is for people to have fun. We want to make people smile and feel happy, and get wet at the same time."
2008: The Washington Post features a review of Undiscovered by Jewish actress, Debra Winger
2001:Julius Shulman's last exhibit at Craig Krull Gallery (his Los Angeles gallery since 1991) opened today.
2008(1stof Tammuz, 5768): Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
2008(1stof Tammuz, 5768): 1st Lt. Daniel Farkas was killed today, at Camp Phoenix in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was 42 years old. “Daniel Farkas, a 20-year-veteran of the New York City Police Department and a dedicated athlete, had been a member of the National Guard since 1992. He lived in Brooklyn with his mother, two sisters and two nieces, the New York Daily News reported. Farkas was honored with the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the National Defense Service Medal, among others. (As reported by The Forwards)
2009: In Alexandria, VA, Jews of the Old Dominion celebrate Independence Day with a "Red, White & Blue Tot Shabbat" in the chapel at Beth El Hebrew Congregation.
2009: There is no Independence Day Celebration at the U.S. Embassy in Israel on July 4 because the official celebration took place on July 1. The celebration included remarks by the Ambassador on the 233rd anniversary of U.S. Independence, Shiri Maimon singing the “Star-Spangled Banner” and “Hatikva” and fireworks lighting up the night sky above the cliffs of the Mediterranean.
2009(12thof Tammuz, 5769): Pfc. Aaron E. Fairbairn was killed today, when insurgents attacked his base in eastern Afghanistan. He was 20 years old. “Aaron Fairbairn was born nearly two months premature and had to be fed from a Barbie bottle until he was big enough to move into the regular natal facility. A happy and friendly child, Fairbairn overcame the health problems he faced as a baby and became fiercely devoted to his family. He showed a dedication to hard work at an early age, quitting sports in the seventh grade to work four different newspaper routes to buy his first car by the time he was 14 years old. His family told the Forward there was nothing Fairbairn enjoyed more than working on his cars. He owned seven trucks by the time he was 20. Born Aaron Eli Ben-Neth, Fairbairn took his mother’s surname when he was 18 years old. Grandson and son of Vietnam War veterans, Fairbairn decided early on he wanted to enlist and establish a career for himself in the army. Always a slight man, Fairbairn was only 115 pounds when he went into the army and worked incredibly hard to reach 145 pounds. Fairbairn was so proud that he was serving that he wore his uniform around town in Aberdeen, Wash., when he was home on leave. When news of a kidnapped soldier in Afghanistan coincided with no communication from her son for a week, Shelly Fairbairn told the Forward she envisioned the worst case scenario. “But then he called [and] we breathed a sigh of relief…the next morning when the soldiers showed up at my door I thought maybe they were here because it’s Fourth of July… [I thought,] it can’t be, we just spoke to him yesterday.” (As reported in The Forwards)
2009: Julius Shulman’s last exhibit at Craig Krull Gallery opened today.
2010: The New York Times featured reviews of books by Jewish authors and/or of special interest to Jewish readers including Rough Justice: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer by Peter Elkind, Journal of the Plague Year: An Insider’s Chronicle of Eliot Spitzer’s Short and Tragic Reign by Lloyd Constantine and The Frozen Rabbi by Steve Stern.
2011: Thirty-fifth anniversary of the Raid on Entebbe. Joy is still tempered by the sadness at the loss of Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu, the thirty year old officer who was the only IDF casualty during this act of derring-do. Herman Wouk, the famous author, offered these words about Netanyahu. "He was a taciturn philosopher-soldier of terrific endurance, a hard-fibered, charismatic young leader, a magnificent fighting man. On the Golan Heights, in the Yom Kippur War, the unit he led was part of the force that held back a sea of Soviet tanks manned by Syrians, in a celebrated stand; and after Entebbe, "Yoni" became in Israel almost a symbol of the nation itself. Today his name is spoken there with somber reverence."
2011: The Association of Americans of Americans and Canadians in Israel (AACI) are scheduled to celebrate 4th of July and Canada Day at Kraft Stadium in Jerusalem
2011: As Americans celebrate Independence, Jews can take pride in their active support of the patriort cause. Besides the famous Hyam Solomon, “there were hundreds of Jewish soldiers and sailors who fought in the Revolution and patriots who supported it. There was Phillip Russell, a surgeon at Valley Forge; Col. David Franks an aide to George Washington; a “Jew Company, " which fought in South Carolina; Moses Myers, who fought in Virginia; the Sheftall family, which fought and were captured in Savannah. In Manhattan's Chatham Square cemetery, 22 Revolutionary Jewish soldiers lie. Many had sacrificed their lives for their new country. Just like the approximately 500 Americans who were killed or wounded during the three British assaults at Bunker Hill in 1775. (New evidence has surfaced that a Jewish soldier, Abraham Solomon, participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill as a member of Colonel John Glover's 21st Regiment from Gloucester.)”
2011:The Canadian ship "Tahrir", participating in the flotilla to Gaza, attempted to depart from the Greek port of Agios Nikolaos today, but was intercepted by the Greek coast guard shortly after departure. The Greek coast guard sprayed water on the ship in an attempt to deter the activists, and eventually boarded the Canadian ship after the Greek authorities had banned the departure of all ships to Gaza from its ports. As the Canadian ship departed from the port with all passengers on board wearing life vests, and was able to sail for several minutes while a Greek coast guard ship was distracted by two activists sailing kayaks near the coast. However, the Greek coast guard quickly tracked the ship in the water and boarded it approximately eight miles off the Greek coastline. After seizing the ship, two coast guard officers and eight police officers boarded from the rear while most of the activists were on the bow. Once on board, they asked to identify the captain but the passengers refused to reply, with every passenger saying that he was the captain. Some of the passengers yelled "release our ship!" and one of the protesters asked two coast guard officers whether they had children, and whether they were thinking about the children in Gaza. After boarding the ship, one police officer told the passengers that he was good friends wit hthe captain and that he had mixed feelings, although he did not go into great detail as to why. Several of the passengers stated that the soldiers told them to "not be frightened". No violence was reported during the takeover of the ship. Greek coast guard officers are currently sailing the Tahrir back to the port, and the passengers are all due to be taken into custody by Greek authorities. Yesterday, the organizers of the Gaza flotilla announced that the flotilla ships anchored in Greek ports are planning to set sail to Gaza on Monday. The decision came despite the Greek's governments ban on any ships to depart from its ports to Gaza. Today, as a compromise, the Greek government offered to send the flotilla's humanitarian aid to Gaza with Greek diplomats, under United Nations supervision. Israel has agreed to the offer.
2011: Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered a stop to the transfer of the bodies of 84 Palestinian terrorists to the Palestinian Authority at the last minute today, despite earlier confirmation from the IDF Spokesperson's Office that the transfer would go through. Barak made his decision to hold off on the transfer after a Haaretz report revealed that two of the bodies to be returned to the PA were the Awadallah brothers, former leaders of the Hamas military wing, who were killed by Israeli soldiers near Hebron in September 1998. The defense minister explained his decision, saying it was important to weigh the repercussions of such a transfer on a future Shalit deal. Israel has thus far refused to hand over the bodies of the Awadallah brothers, since they were being held as a bargaining chip for a future deal on Gilad Shalit. After the second intifada, Israel had refused to return the bodies of the Awadallah brothers, but following the abduction of Gilad Shalit by Hamas, the government changed its stance and decided the bodies could be helpful in bargaining for the abducted soldier. The matter of returning the bodies of the Awadallah brothers has since been delayed due to a possible deal on Shalit. Now, according to Palestinian media, the bodies will be transferred over to the Palestinian Authority as part of the 84 bodies agreed upon for transfer as a goodwill gesture to the Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently approved that 84 bodies of Palestinian terrorists buried in Israel will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority. According to sources in the Prime Minister's Office, the Palestinian Authority appealed to Israel's defense establishment regarding the matter two months ago, which was subsequently brought to Netanyahu's attention. The prime minister then gave his approval for the operation.
2012: The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is scheduled to host an Independence Day Celebration featuring including live Americana music and free flags for the youngsters
2012: In honor of Independence Day, the Jewish Community Alliance of Jacksonville, FL, is schedul