Jewish History

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Today in Jewish History​

• Jews of Olyka Saved from Cossack Mob (1649)
During the Chmielnitzki Massacres (see entry for 4 Sivan), a Cossack mob gathered around the fortified town of Olyka. Among the Jews who had found refuge inside was R. David Halevi (the Taz), a refugee from the nearby city of Ostroh. As the Cossacks prepared to breach the walls, the Jews gathered in prayer in the synagogue. Weak and tired, R. David drifted off to an uneasy sleep, and in his dream he envisioned the verse, “I will protect this city to save it, for My sake and for the sake of My servant David” (II Kings 19:34). Indeed, the old cannons atop the walls miraculously fired spontaneously toward the enemy, who proceeded to flee (Minhagei Beis Alik, p. 752).

 

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• Seville Jews Massacred (1391)

On June 6, 1391, corresponding to Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, a mob incited by the fanatical priest Ferrand Martinez killed 4000 Jews in Seville, a city in the Spanish kingdom of Castille. The violence soon spread throughout Castille and the neighboring regions, resulting in the murder or forced conversion of tens of thousands of Jews.

Among the great scholars who fled this wave of persecution were R. Yitzchak ben Sheshet (the Rivash) and R. Shimon ben Tzemach (the Rashbatz), who both settled in Algiers.