OCTOBER 4 In History
610: Heraclius attacks Constantinople, overthrows the Byzantine Emperor Phocas Augustus and proclaims himself Emperor. The Christian Emperor attacked his Persian neighbors to the east with disastrous results. In 614, the advancing Persian Army under General Roizanes seized
Jerusalem
and gave it to the Jews to govern. Three years later Roizanes would change his mind but the 150,000 Jews of Palestine had enjoyed a brief taste of self-government. In an irony of history, Heraclius entered into an alliance with the Khazars, the people who would convert to Judaism two centuries later, and finally defeated the Persians’ This defeat brought Byzantine rule back to Jerusalem with the attendant negative consequences for the Jewish population.
1209: Otto IV is crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Innocent III In 1205 he announced: "God is not displeased, but, rather, finds it acceptable that the Jewish dispersion shall live under Catholic kings and Christian priests. He maintained that Jews were directly subject to Christians and declared that Jews were guilty of “intolerable sin” i.e. the killing of Christ "The Jews' guilt of the crucifixion of Jesus consigned them to perpetual servitude, and, like Cain, they are to be wanderers and fugitives. The Jews will not dare to raise their necks, bowed under the yoke of perpetual slavery, against the reverence of the Christian faith." As to Otto IV the only connection with the Jews appears to be artistic. In 1839, the German born Jewish painter Moritz Daniel Oppenheim would be commissioned to paint a portrait of Otto IV. Innocent III was no friend of the Jews.
1289: Birthdate Louis X, King of
France
from 1314 to 1316. Louis’s father, Phillip the Fair, had confiscated the property of his Jewish subjects and banished them from the kingdom in 1306. His son discovered that this was a bad business decision for the government. The confiscated property had less value than the taxes the Jews had been paying. Also, the Christians who had replaced the Jews were charging higher rates of interest when lending money. So, reluctantly, the man known as Louis the Stubborn permitted the Jews to return to the realm.
1535: The first complete English-language Bible (the Coverdale Bible) is printed, with translations by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale. Since the printing included “the Old Testament” this maybe the earliest translation of some version of the TaNaCh into English
1582: Pope Gregory XIII proclaims what is now called the Gregorian calendar which goes into effect with a ten day adjustment. The, the day after October 4 was October 15. The new calendar would slowly gained in popularity, but it was not until the twentieth century that such places as
Russia
finally adopted the “new calendar.” The eleven day wrinkle would present challenges for Jews who would convert their calendar and holiday observances to those of the calendars used in the societies in which they lived.
1669: The great Dutch painter Rembrandt passed away today. For more about Rembrandt and the Jewish people see:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2008/aug/14/rembrandtthe-jewish-connection/?pagination=false
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jewish_Bride
http://www.amazon.com/Rembrandts-Jews-Steven-Nadler/dp/0226567362#_
http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/12047/what-s-the-scoop-on-rembrandt-and-the-jews/
1712: Utrecht banishes poor Jews
1794(10thof Tishrei, 5555): Yom Kippur
1800(15thof Tishrei, 5561): As Adams and Jefferson face off in the U.S. Presidential election to be held next month, Jews observe the first Sukkoth of the 19thcentury
1809: (25 Tishrei 5570): On the secular calendar Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev - a great Chasidic Rebbe, leader and scholar – passed away. Born in 1740, he studied under Dov Baer the Maggid of Mezhirech, and became one of his close friends. Levi Yitzchak stressed the joy in serving God emphasizing the idea of connecting to God through fervent prayer. He always accentuated the good and the positive that was in people. Levi Yitzchak composed Chasidic music and is immortalized by his vivaciously optimistic parables. One of his sayings was, “Whether a man really loves God can be determined by his love for his fellow men.” Levi Yitzchak had his spiritual side, but he also was very much of this world. When he discovered the terrible working conditions of the young girls who were working in the factories baking matzoth, he declared, “The enemies of the Jews accuse us of baking matzoth with the blood of Christians. They are wrong. We are baking them with the blood of Jews.”
1822: Birthdate of Rutherford B Hayes, 19thPresident of the
United States
. To most Americans, Hayes is the winner the 1876 Hayes-Tilden election; an election in which the Democrat Tilden won the popular vote, but thanks to a twisted compromise was won by Hayes in the electoral college. For Jews the Hayes Presidency marked an even greater acceptance of the role of Jews in politics and American society. As evidence of this we find William Evarts, Secretary of State under Hayes, saying in an 1879 speech, “this government has ever felt a deep interest in the welfare of the Hebrew race in foreign counties” which was a green light for American Jews to urge the American government to use its auspices with governments of Eastern Europe on behalf of their oppressed Jewish citizens.
1825(22nd of Tishrei, 5586): Shemini Atzeret
1830: Creation of the state of Belgium. Jews are first reported to have lived in what is now Belgium in the first century when they settled their as part of the Roman Empire. The first phase of the Jewish community ended in the 14th century when the Jews were killed or forced to leave because of their alleged role in the bringing of the Black Plague. Jews returned in the 16thcentury. When the modern state of Belgium was created “Judaism was recognized immediately.
Brussels
, with a more French influenced Jewish community, had a higher rate of assimilation, while
Antwerp
, influenced by Yiddish and Flemish, retained traditional forms of Jewish life.” The independence of
Belgium
had been guaranteed by the Great Powers. In 1914, when German invaded
Belgium
as part of its plan to conquer
France
, the British felt compelled to declare war on the Germans. This was the final act that guaranteed the war would be a World War. Not only did the war bring suffering to the Jews of Europe (especially in the East) but as we know it paved the way for the WWII and the Shoah. So much history flows from one minor event on the calendar.
1839: (25 Tishrei 5600): Moshe (Moses) Sofer of Pressburg passed away. Born in 1762 in Germany, this famous Rabbi was also know as the Chatam Sofer from a name given to a collection of his writings. His last name, Sofer, means scribe in English, indicating that his family engaged in this time-honored important profession. He was invited to lead the Pressburg (
Hungary
) community which he did with such success that it its yeshiva became one of the leading places of Jewish learning in
Europe
. One of the unique characteristics of his yeshiva was its emphasis on physical fitness. His students were required to swim in the
Danube
on a regular basis. He wrote a voluminous collection of Responsa called Chidushai Teshuvot Moshe Sofer(Novella and Responsa of Moses Sofer). It was divided into four parts containing 1377 Responsa. He was a strong supporter of rigid orthodoxy, especially pertaining to change in synagogue ritual. He stood in opposition to the Reform, Chasidic and embryonic Zionist movements. He did believe in supporting the existing community in
Palestine
and eventually, the Pressburg Yeshiva would relocate to
Jerusalem
under the leadership of his great-grandson.
1843(10th of Tishrei, 5604): Nine days before the founding of B’nai Brith in New York City, Jews observe Yom Kippur
1849(15thof Tishrei, 5610): As people from all over the world flock to California in search of newly discovered gold, Jews observe Sukkoth
1852: An article entitled “Germany” published today reported that the outbreak of cholera in Pomerania has struck the Jewish community with an even greater fury than the general population. The Jews of Pomerania have written to their co-religionists in Posen asking for assistance in dealing with this crisis.
1852: An article entitled “Sweden: Minutes and Disturbances” published today reported on violent attacks on Jews living in Stockholm. The violence lasted for three nights. They were caused by an article in the Voice of the People that “excited the populace against the Jews.” The editor of the paper was among those arrested by the police.
1853(2ndof Tishrei, 5614): Second Day of Rosh Hashanah
1854: A column styled "Foreign Items of Literary and Personal News" published today reported that a religious book entitled Life from the Dead by Israel Pick, a Jew from Bucharest who had converted to Christianity has been translated from German into English. After leaving Judaism and before becoming a Christian, Pick had spent time as Pantheist and an Atheist.
1858: In an article styled “The President and the Jews” published today teported that President Buchanan had made use of the phrase " all the nations of Christendom," in his answer to Queen Victoria’s message transmitted by the Atlantic Telegraph. This expression gave offence to Dr. Isidor Kalisch, rabbi of the Ben Jeshurun Congregation in the city of Milwaukee, who wrote to the President demanding an explanation. Isidor Kalisch was a German born Reform Rabbi who held a number of pulpits in a wide variety of American Cities, wrote a prayer book tailored to the needs of the American Jewish community and worked on behalf of women’s rights before his death in 1886l
1862: The Jews of Baden were unconditionally emancipated. In spite of the fact that much of
Prussia
had removed the anti-Jewish disabilities years earlier,
Baden
had refused conditioning it on Jewish cession of outward characteristics. The Jews did not yield on this point and the emancipation took place.
1862(10th of Tishrei, 5623): Yom Kippur
1862: The Charleston (South Carolina) Mercury reported that, “yesterday was the commencement of Yom Kippur, or the Jewish Day of Atonement, one of the three great holy days observed by the sons of the sons of Israel throughout the world. These are the Passover, when the passage of the Israelites over the Red Sea is celebrated in the feast of unleavened bread, typical of the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Christian dispensation; the Feast of Tabernacles, to denote that the sons of Jacob once dwelt in tents in the wilderness; and the Day of the Atonement, when each Jew was enjoined to redeem his soul figuratively by the presentation of a half shekel, and nothing less or more, whether the presentee be rich or poor. The day is celebrated by the modern Jews by a strict fast. Their places of business are all closed, and their synagogues are all opened. On the eve of the great day the Holy Book of the Law is brought from the Ark with great ceremony and read by the hazan, or minister. Prayers are held in all the synagogues from that time till the next night — literally even to even — by the faithful Israelites, who are expected to [cleanse] their souls by abstaining from meat and drink. At the close of the day — that is the evening — a good lookout is kept for the first star, when the previous fast of twenty four hours gives way to a very sensible feast, and happy is he or she who first discovers that same first star.”
1864: In Brooklyn, Mr. Michael Jacobs brought charges against Patrolman George W. Osward claiming that “the officer had arrested him without cause, manacled him and been privy to the breaking of his furniture. It appeared that the complainant had beaten one of his fellow Jews and that the officer had pursued Mr. Jacobs into his house and had only handcuffed him after Jacobs had resisted the officer. A witness was introduced to show that the officer had arrested Jacobs for fighting, and it appeared that the combat rose from a dispute concerning religious matters, one of the disputants having characterized the other as an apostate Jew, and asserted that he had perjured himself three times in court.” Charges against the officer were dismissed since it was “clear that the officer had been guilty of no offence whatever.” In dismissing the complainant, the presiding officer of the court advised Mr. Jacobs to appeal to Rabbi Morris Raphall. Apparently the judge felt that Mr. Jacobs case was really a religious dispute and apparently Rabbi Raphall was well known in secular as well as Jewish circles.
1865(14th of Tishrei, 5626): Erev Sukkoth
1872(2ndof Tishrei 5633): Second Day of Rosh Hashanah
1872: It was reported today that the business places owned by Jews in Jersey City, New Jersey, were closed yesterday because of Rosh Hashanah.
1874(23rdof Tishrei, 5635): Simchat Torah
1875: It was reported today that the Board of Education of Chicago has been dealing with the issue of the Bible in public schools. Catholics, Jews and non-sectarians are opposed to the reading. Baptist and Methodist leaders have been quite outspoken in their opposition to the removal of Bible readings from the opening class ceremonies. The issue has drawn national attention including comments from Rabbi Kaufmann Kohler who thinks that Christianity could benefit from the removal of Scripture from the public schools.
1875: It was reported today that the Governor of Baghdad has sent a telegram to the Porte (Ottoman Empire) denying a report that a Turks living in that city had murder a Jew.
1876: Texas A&M University opens as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, becoming the first public institution of higher education in Texas. By 1916, there were enough Jews on campus to justify the formation of an organization dedicated to their needs. It was called the TAMC Menorah Club and it was organized by Dr. Jacob Joseph Taubenhaus, a native of Safed who was chief of the plant pathology and physiology division of the school from 1916 to 1937. In 1920, the club became the TAMC Hillel Club technically making it the oldest Hillel House in the United States; older even than the Hillel at the University of Illinois which was not founded until 1923 and is usually credited with being the first Hillel House.
1877: The Budapest University of Jewish Studies (Landesrabbinerschule) opened today.Rabbi Wilhelm Bacher, a noted Orientalist who had been named to a professorship at the school, delivered the inaugural address. The seminary was funded by the government to promote “Neolog Judaism” a mildly reformist movement. The school taught a mixture of Judaism and Hungarian culture that would help the Jews be ardent Hungarian nationlists.
1877: It was reported today that in the last fortnight, 500 Jews who are fleeing from “the cruelties and persecutions” of the Bulgarians have sought refuge in Wallachia The Bulgarians had stolen everything from the Jews who owed their lives to detachments of The Russian Army who took them across the border where they could taken cared for by their Romanian co-religionists. The Romanian Jews have already shown their generosity by providing funds for the purchase o field ambulances to be used by the army. Their behavior put “to shame the noisy but empty protestations” of “the Christian wearers of the Geneva Cross.” [This is a reference to the Red Cross. The events described took place during the Russo-Turkish War.]
1877: It was reported today that the term Israelite “is being substituted for the insulting expression” of Pharisee “long…in use to designate the chosen people. According to one author “an Israelite was only a Jew who had made a fortune.”
1878: Harry Marks was named editor of “The Jewish Journal,” a weekly publication that had first appeared in 1869.
1878: Birthdate of Selmar Aschheim, the Berlin born gynecologist who developed a pregnancy test that bears his name. He fled Nazi Germany in 1933 but survived the war. He passed away in 1965.
1882(21stof Tishrei, 5643): Hoshanah Rabah
1884(15thof Tishrei): Sukkoth
1884: Birthdate of American writer Damon Runyon. Runyon was not Jewish. But he was the writer who brought a certain slice of New York life to America; a slice of life often connected with the Jewish subculture. Runyon was a native of Manhattan, Kansas that is, but he was able to bring to life the ethnic existence of Manhattan, New York, including Mindy’s cheese cake and Nathan Detroit who was modeled after Arnold Rothstein. But Runyon could also be a serious defender of Jews when attacked by anti-Semites. When Jews were vilified as cowards Runyon used the heroics of Sergeant Sam Dreben to express his feelings in a now-famous poem, "The Fighting Jew." In this poem, Runyon wrote that whenever he read about prejudices against the Jews and of racial hatred, he was reminded of the heroic fighting Jew, Sam Dreben. He was also reminded of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Croix de Guerre, the Militare and other medals that were awarded to Sergeant Dreben. Runyon ended his poem with: “THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE A FEW, LIKE DREBEN A JEW. The Broadway musical and movie, “Guys and Dolls” was based on characters created by Runyon
1884: Alexander Edelstein, an English born Jew who had come to the United States about 15 months ago was arrested on charges of having collected commission from his employer on “bogus orders.”
1885: The sanctuary at Temple Emanu-El in New York City was completely filled with mourners who had come to attend this afternoon’s memorial service in honor of the late Sir Moses Montefiore.
1886: “Fighting With Police” published today described the death of Max Aronson who died after having been beaten by police during an altercation on the day before Rosh Hashanah. One of the arresting officers, Police Inspector Wood is to be arrested and arraigned on charges related to the death.
1889: “Gamblers Commit Suicide” published today described the impact of New Orleans May Shakespeare’s closing of the gambling establishments in the Crescent City. Among those who apparently died by their own hand was a young Jew named Joseph Marcus who was “a silent partner” in one such establishment and was driven to this by fear of great economic loss.
1901(21st of Tishrei, 5662): Hoshanah Rabah
1903 (13th of Tishrei, 5664): Erratic Austrian author Otto Weininger passes away, apparently at his own hand.
1906 (15th of Tishrei, 5667): Sukkoth
1906 (15th of Tishrei, 5667): Alex Simon passed away. Simon was born in
Konin
,
Poland
, arrived in Brenham when
Texas
was still the
Republic
of
Texas
.. His arrival marked the beginning of the influential Simon family's involvement in the Brenham Jewish community. Alex Simon was one of the founders and builders of the B'nai Abraham Synagogue. He was also one of the principal investors in the Gulf,
Colorado
and Santa Fe Railroad, "which brought Jewish immigrants up from
Galveston
through the
Brazos
River
valley to
Bryan
and out to
San Angelo
."
1908 (9th of Tishrei, 5669): In Houston Texas Adath Yshurun Kol Nidre Services begin at 6:30 p.m. and include a sermon entitled “What’s the Use?” which is delivered in English.
1909: Birthdate of James B. Prichard the University of Pennsylvania archaeologist who led six expeditions from 1956 to 1962 that excavated the remains of Gibeon which played a prominent role in many of the Biblical stories found in the first part of the second section of the TaNaCh – “Prophets.”
1909: First Enrollment of students for Dropsie College takes place in Philadelphia, Pa.
1909: Israel Effendi is appointed Chief of Police in Turkey.
1910(1stof Tishrei, 5671): As the world was racked with political upheaval in such disparate places as China, Mexico and Portugal, Jews observed Rosh Hashanah
1912(23rdof Tishrei, 5673): Simchat Torah
1916: In Zurich, Paul Gluck-Friedman and Henia Shipper gave birth to Rose Gluck who as Rose Warfman survived Auschwitz and became “a heroine of the French Resistance.
1916: Birthdate of Vitaly Ginzburg, the Jewish born Soviet Physicist and Nobel Prize winner who was an avowed atheist.
1917: Birthdate of comedian Jan Murray.
1917: At a meeting of the British Cabinet, Edwin Montagu, the one Jew in the Lloyd George government, continued to express his opposition to what would become the Balfour Declaration. Under pressure from Montagu and his supporters Prime Minister Lloyd George and Lord Balfour watered down the original draft, modifying, among other things the strong statement “that Palestine should be reconstituted as the National Home of the Jewish People.”
1918: During World War I, U.S. Army Sergeant Benjamin Kaufman charged a German machine gun in the Argonne Forest that had pinned down his unit. He singlehandedly captured the gun and the crew despite the fact that his right arm had been shattered and by the time he reached his objective he was armed with a pistol that had no more bullets. For this he earned the Congressional Medal of Honor.
1918: In New York City, Rose Kantrowitz wife of general practitioner Bernard Abraham gave birth to U.S. heart surgeon and medical investigator Adrian Kantrowitz. Adrian Kantrowitz was responsible for pioneering developments in circulatory assist devices, artificial organs, medical electronics, heart transplantation, and research motion pictures.
1925: Sir Harry Gloster Armstrong, the British Consul General at New York, addressed a meeting of the Paelstine Chamber of Commerce at the Hotel Pennsylvania. He “extolled the aspirations ehind the movement to develop the ancient hol land as national centre of the Jewish race.” Sir Harry reviewed the improving economic conditions in the country siting the “growth of industry and increase in imports.”
1925: Opening day of the Palestine-Near East Exhibition and Fair at Tel Aviv.
1928: Birthdate of Michael Steinberg. According to his obituary, Steinberg was an influential classical music critic, teacher, lecturer and author, and the pre-eminent program annotator of his day. Born in Breslau, Germany, Steinberg’s mother had him sent to safety in England through Kindertransport, the rescue mission that saved nearly 10,000 refugee Jewish children in the months before World War II. After the war, he, his mother and his elder brother lived in St. Louis. After Princeton, while studying in Italy on a Fulbright scholarship, Mr. Steinberg met his first wife, Jane Bonacker. They divorced in 1977, having had two sons, Sebastian and Adam. Later he married, Jorja Fleezanis, the concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra since 1989. Trained as a musicologist, with a degree from Princeton University, Mr. Steinberg spent his early career teaching music history at the Manhattan School of Music. He came to wide attention as the music critic for The Boston Globe for nearly 12 years, until 1976. While a critic he continued to teach at the New England Conservatory, Brandeis University and other colleges. His reviews were erudite and readable, his interests wide-ranging. He stood up for intellectually formidable composers at a time when a postmodernist backlash was taking root and also encouraged the early-music movement, which thrived in Boston during this period. He was a regular critic of the conductor Seiji Ozawa’s work at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Orchestra officials openly expressed their dismay with Mr. Steinberg’s critiques. So the Boston musical community was stunned when, in 1976, Mr. Steinberg accepted a position as program annotator for the Boston Symphony. It seemed as if he had switched camps. But according to Kathryn King, a public relations agent and friend, Mr. Steinberg had grown tired of reviewing. “For years,” she added, “he harbored a secret desire to write program notes for a major symphony and to serve as an artistic adviser or administrator.” His work as an annotator was immediately popular. Suddenly, reading Mr. Steinberg’s long, analytic program notes, rich with anecdotal information and historical context, became an essential part of attending a Boston Symphony concert. Yet it was not until 1979, when he became the publications director and artistic adviser of the San Francisco Symphony, a position he held for 10 years, that Mr. Steinberg had the opportunity to affect repertory and artistic policy. Mr. Steinberg’s program notes, full of vivid descriptions of pieces, were collected in a series of listeners’ guides: “The Symphony,” “The Concerto” and “Choral Masterworks,” published by Oxford University Press. His account of the “alien and terrifying” opening pages of the finale of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony is typical. “From the thud of a low C,” Mr. Steinberg wrote, “there arises an encompassing swirl of strangely luminous dust: harp glissandos, a woodwind chord, and chains of trills on muted strings.” He died of colon cancer at the age of 80 at his home in Edina, Minnesota, outside of Minneapolis.
1932: Anti-Semite Julius Gombos forms new a government in Hungary
1933: In a bid to control the media and drive the Jews from German cultural life, the newly empowered Nazi government promulgated the Newspaper Editors' Law. It made Aryan origin a prerequisite for anyone editing a German newspaper.
1936(18th of Tishrei, 5697): Fourth Day of Sukkoth – Chol Hamoed
1936(18th of Tishrei, 5697): Jess Isidor Straus, a member of the Straus family best known for its ownership of R.H. Macy & Co passed away. Born in 1872, he was the son of Isidor Strauss who died on the Titanic and the nephew of Nathan Straus for whom Netanya is named. He was an early supporter of Franklin Roosevelt who appointed named him U.S. Ambassador to France in 1933, a post he held until just before his death.
1936: In London, formation of Jewish People’s Council
1936:“The Battle of Cable Street took place on Sunday in Cable Street in the East End of London. It was a clash between the Metropolitan Police Service, overseeing a legal march by the British Union of Fascists, led by Oswald Mosley, and anti-fascists, including local Jewish, groups. The majority of both marchers and counter-protesters travelled into the area for this purpose. Mosley planned to send thousands of marchers dressed in uniforms styled on those of Blackshirts through the East End of London, which had a large Jewish population. “It was a defining moment in British and Anglo-Judaic history, not least for making the government bring in legislation that crippled right wing activity, including a ban on political uniforms, pre World War II.” This watershed moment in Anglo-Jewish history would be the subject of a film made seventy years after the event and has been memorialized by the Jews of London’s
East End
.
1936: “More than 3,000 members of Greater New York units of Junior Hadassah” gathered “in the grand ballroom of the Hotel Astor...to open its fall program and membership drive. “Shulamith Schwartz who had served as head of the organization and has been teaching in Tel Aviv for the last two years was the principal speaker for the evening.
1937: The Henry Street Visiting Nurse Service is scheduled o begin a drive today designed to raise $250,000. John M. Schiff of Kuhn, Loeb & Co and the grandson of Jacob Schiff, is chairman of the fund raising effort.
1937: The Palestine Post reported that the Mandatory Government applied emergency regulations to appoint press censors. Editors were specifically ordered to refrain from any comment on the recent banning of the Arab Higher Committee and on the deportation of the top Arab leaders. The cruiser
Sussex
carried the Arab deportees out to the sea, where they were transshipped to a British destroyer and moved to an unknown destination.
1940(2ndof Tishrei, 5701): Second Day of Rosh Hashanah
1940: Hitler and Mussolini met at the Brenner Press, an opening in the Alps between Austria and Italy to celebrate the success of the Axis powers.
1940: German law gives
Vichy
France
the power to imprison Jews even inside the Unoccupied Zone.
1941: The Bulgarians enforced an extraordinary measure that prohibited the Jews of Macedonia from engaging in any type of industry or commerce. All existing Jewish businesses had three months to transfer ownership to non-Jews or sell their assets and close down.
1941(13th of Tishrei, 5702): Fifteen hundred Jews from Kovno, Lithuania, are transported to the Ninth Fort and murdered. In Kovno proper, Nazis lock the Jewish hospital and set it ablaze, incinerating all inside.
1941: Birthdate of author Jackie Collins, sister of Joan Collins.
1942:
Berlin
orders that all Jews in concentration camps within
Germany
be deported to
Auschwitz
.
1943: At
Poznan
; Himmler addressed his senior SS staff re-stating the goals of the Final Solution. "I mean the evacuation of the Jews, the extermination of the Jewish race.” Within the year, as Soviet troops advanced across Eastern Europe, the SS would work to destroy the evidence of their evil deeds.
1943: During World War II, a tanker christened the SS Oscar S. Straus, one of a fleet of “liberty ships” that helped the US win the war of logistics was launched today.
1944: All the women and children sent from Theresienstadt to Birkenau on this day would eventually be killed.
1944: Rabbi Yehuda Amital was liberated from a Nazi labor camp by the Soviet Army.
1944: Al Smith passed away. Smith began life as a genuine reformer. In the aftermath of the Triangle Shirt factory, he supported an array of measures designed to improve the lot of the workers, many of whom were Jewish immigrants from
Eastern Europe
. At least one of his campaign managers during his successful bid for the governorship of
New York
was Jewish. Smith was the first Catholic candidate Presidential candidate in 1928. His 1928 bid for the Presidency presaged the collation that would lead to the election of
Roosevelt
in 1932. Smith’s defeat and FDR’s victory seem to sour Smith politically and he swung to the right, joining the Liberty League and becoming a staunch critic of the New Deal and the Jews who helped to create it.
1945: The Ampal American Palestine Trading Corporation of New York, an organization designed “to develop trade relations between the United States and Palestine and to assist in the development of the economic resources of Palestine” registered a stock offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The sale of the stock is intended to provide working capital to Ampal American to meet its goals.
1946: Final plans were announced today for the construction of Givat (Mount) Washington, settlement designed to provide a home and training for more than 100 Jewish orphans who survived the Holocaust. Givat Washington will be located outside of Tel Aviv near the ancient town of Yavneh. The program has been spearheaded by Rabbi Zemach Green of Washington, D.C. Givat Washington is named in honor of the first President of the United States and fragments of stone from Mt. Vernon, the U.S. Capitol building and the White House are to be set in the foundation stone of the first edifice built on this site.
1946 (9th of Tishrei, 5707): Erev of Shabbat and Erev Yom Kippur
1946: On the eve of Yom Kippur, “President Truman issued the customary presidential statement of greeting to American Jewry, but then went on to urge that ‘substantial’ refugee immigration into
Palestine
commence immediately, for the plight of the Displace Persons ‘cannot await a solution to the
Palestine
problem.’”
1947: German physicist Max Plank passed away. Planck was not Jewish. He did try and use his influence to save Jewish scientists from Hitler’s fury. His son was executed for taking part in the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler.
1948 (1st of Tishrei, 5709): Rosh Hashanah
1948 (1st of Tishrei, 5709): If Jewish history were a soap opera this episode would be called “Golda goes to the Synagogue”. Golda Meir was the newly appointed Israeli ambassador to the
Soviet Union
.
Israel
had just won its independence in May of 1948 (and the fighting was still going on). The
Soviet Union
was in the throes of anti-Semitism. Mrs. Meir went to the Grand Synagogue in
Moscow
. At best, they expected the usual 2,000 Jews to attend Rosh Hashanah services. Instead, she was greeted by a crowd of 50,000 who pressed in upon in Joyous disbelief. And this was at a time when such behavior could get you to a trip to the Gulag. The fact that the so many people were still Jewish and willing to risk so much to identify was living proof that despite the adversity of the Holocaust and the Stalinists Am Yisroel Chai - the Jewish people live.
1951: Birthdate of American actor Alan Rosenberg.
1956(29th of Tishrei, 5717): A group of Bedouin from the West Bank ambushed five Israelis near Sdom and murdered them. Moshe Dayan wanted to mount a reprisal raid.
1965: Pope Paul VI arrived in
New York City
, making him the first pope in history to visit the
United States
. While speaking at the UN, Paul published a document exonerating the Jews of all blame in the death of Jesus Christ.
1965(8th of Tishrei, 5726): Fifty four year old former Congressman Ludwig Teller Passed away.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Lteller.html
1967: Birthdate of American actor Leiv Schreiber.
1970: Birthdate of Abraham Benrubi, the American actor playing on ER and in the movie Open Range.
1973: Ashraf Marwan telephoned Dubi, his Mossad contact, from Paris and told him about a Libyan plan to shoot down an El Al plane in the French capital using a shoulder-held missile.
1973: Israeli newspapers reported that Colonel Kaddafi of Libya was sending terrorist squads to stage acts of terrorism in both Israel and Jordan.
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