It was on this day in the year 68 A.D. that the Roman commander, and soon to be Emperor Vespasian, occupied the city of Gedara on his march though the Galilee. This is recorded by the historian Flavius Josephus who said: “Vespasian marched to the city of Gadara, and took it upon the first onset, […]
It was on this day in the year 553 A.D. that Emperor Justinian of the Byzantine Empire issued an order that provided for the public reading of the Greek translation of the biblical portion, or the Torah portion, that was being read in Jewish synagogues each Sabbath. This decision acknowledged the benefit of everyone that […]
Jewish tradition believes that it was on this day that the the ninth plague, the plague of darkness, descended upon Egypt. It’s recorded in Exodus 10:21-23. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.’ So […]
It was on this day in the year 41 A.D. that a decree by Caius Caligula allowed graven images to be placed in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. This decree was eventually nullified by his assassination. So in ancient Judea, this day was celebrated as a holiday – not necessarily because of Caligula’s death but […]
In Hebrew, the sacred name of the Creator is spelled, Yud, Hei, Vav, Hei. Regarding His sacred name, what seems to get the most attention is how to pronounce it. Some people think it’s “Yahweh,” others think it’s “Yahveh”; some believe it’s “Yehovah.” Frankly, there are several pronunciations advanced by different camps, each one believing […]
It was on this day in 1965 that Spanish officials met with Jewish representatives to discuss the legal status of the Jewish community in Spain. It was the first such meeting between Jews and the head of the Spanish government since the expulsion of Jews in the year 1492. That expulsion occurred simultaneously with Columbus’s […]
Messiah made it very clear that if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven, then we must do so with the heart of little children. This is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to […]
Today, the 15th day of Shevat is also called Tu B’shvat. , which is simply translated as the 15th of Shevat – the “tu” being the pronunciation of the Hebrew letters, tet and vav, that together have the value fifteen. Tu b’shvat is regarded as the new year for trees and is commemorated with the […]
It was on this day in 1913 that the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods was formed. This was an American organization for Jewish women which departed, very dramatically, from the old ways of Judaism as had been practiced in Europe. At that time in history, American women began to play greater roles in policy-making and […]
It was on this day in 1790 that the French National Assembly granted full equality and citizenship to Portuguese Jews who were living in France. France was one of the first nations to pass such liberal policies, allowing foreigners to have full rights along with French Nationals. France was once considered a pioneer in liberal […]
On this day in 1945, the Russian Army liberated over 2,800 survivors of the Auschwitz extermination camps. All around Europe, other camps were being discovered and the survivors liberated, most of them Jews. But for millions more it was too late. The carnage was so great and so heartless that it’s still difficult for us […]
On this day in 1939, Adolf Hitler announced his intention to exterminate all Jews in the event of a war. By this time, however, Hitler had already determined there was going to be a war and that he was going to destroy Europe’s Jews. We know that he already had their extermination in mind, because […]
