It was on this day in the year 1451 that Pope Nicholas the Fifth issued a bull banning all social interaction between Christians and Jews. His motivation for setting this boundary was a fear that Christians would become Judaized. Indeed, any Christian who converted to Judaism or who adopted what was considered to be “Jewish […]
It was on this day that two prominent events are believed to have occurred. The first is the dedication of the second Temple in 516 B.C; the second is the beginning of the consecration period for Aaron and his sons as they entered the priesthood. The latter is recorded in the book of Leviticus 8:33-35: […]
It was on this day in the year 1917 that the provisional government of Russia, soon to be called the U.S.S.R., eliminated the restrictive laws that had been placed upon Jews under the reign of the Czars. This seeming tolerance for Jews enticed many of them to become rank and file communists. However, Jews, as […]
After obtaining the blessing from his father Isaac, Esau determined to kill Jacob which forced Jacob to flee from him. As he fled toward Haran, Jacob came to a place that would later be called Beth-el, or “House of God.” It was in this place that the God of Abraham and Isaac would also become […]
It’s believed in some sects of Judaism that, on this date in some future year, the Messiah, along with 30,000 pious men, will appear. That’s according to an Apocryphal work called Sefer Eliyahu. The prevailing belief in Judaism says we can’t possibly know the day or the year when the Messiah is going to appear. […]
It was on this day in 1940 that the so-called McDonald-White paper went into effect. This was a document that restricted the sale of “Arab lands” to Jews in the Holy Land and practically voided the Balfour Declaration, a previous document that promoted the establishment of a Jewish homeland. Ironically on this same date on […]
It was on this day in the year 1953 that the Soviet dictator, and murderer, Joseph Stalin died. In fact, his death occurred on the very day that certain Soviet Jews who had been charged with treason were brought to trial. The trial was destined to bring about a guilty verdict and it was intended […]
It was on this day in the year 66 A.D. that the historian Josephus arrived to assume command of some insurgent Jewish forces in the Galilee and consequently save the local Jewish population from an attack by non-Jewish forces. Two months later, the official outbreak of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans began and it […]
It was on this day in the year 42 A.D. that King Agrippa began construction on a gate within the walls of Jerusalem. Six months later, the gate was dedicated and that day became an ancient holiday. If you ever traveled to Jerusalem, you have seen that there are several gates in the Old City. […]
It was on this day in the year 1790 that the first advertisement, offering private Hebrew instruction in an American publication, appeared in The Pennsylvania Packet, placed there by Abraham Cohen. In those days, there were no organized Hebrew schools and so the private tutor was the primary way for most Jewish youngsters to learn […]
According to tradition, it was on this day that Moses was circumcised in Egypt. His circumcision would have occurred in a very troubling time for Hebrew parents who saw the birth of a male child, considering that Pharaoh had ordered their deaths. Later, Moses would be hidden in a basket and placed upon the Nile, […]
It was on this day that the 10 sons of Haman were hung upon the gallows that had been prepared for Mordechai and his fellow Jews. It’s recorded for us in the book of Esther 9:1, 5-6, 10: “Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time […]
