Jewish History

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Israel is a land rich in history, which is why the Institute of Archaeology plays a unique role in the research conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. No other discipline offers such tangible connections to the history of Jerusalem; no other discipline can continue to offer fresh data on Jewish history and the connection of Jews and Judaism to the ancient land of Israel; and no other discipline can provide exciting new insights into the formative centuries of Judaism, the development of Christianity, and the history of early Islam.

The Hebrew University Institute of Archaeology was founded in 1934 as the Department of Archaeology, becoming the Institute of Archaeology in 1967. Jerusalem’s reunification not only allowed the Institute to return to its original Mt. Scopus home but also enabled large-scale excavations at sites that provide physical links to the rich history of the Temple Mount, Jewish Quarter, and City of David. The Institute is an independent research and teaching unit within the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Humanities, with a staff that provides scientific assistance, technical facilities, and administrative support to researchers from Israel and around the world.



(full article online)

The Hebrew University Institute of Archaeology: Unearthing Ancient Israel - Sponsored Content | The Times of Israel

The discovery of the remains of a fortified city was shown to be the first archaeological site in the region verified to be from the era of King David.

www.timesofisrael.com

 

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Modern Jewish history’s most famous bearded political leader could be coming to streaming services soon, thanks to one of the creators of “Shtisel.”

Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, who died in his native Austria in 1904, is the subject of a series being developed by Ori Elon, according to a report in Deadline.

Elon wrote the script for “Shtisel,” the hit Israeli TV show about the travails of a Haredi Orthodox family, as well as “Srugim,” a popular series about Modern Orthodox singles in Jerusalem.

(full article online)

Creator of ‘Shtisel’ working on new Herzl series

Considered the father of modern political Zionism, Herzl's contribution to Jewish history will be depicted on TV for the first time

www.timesofisrael.com

 

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Today in Jewish History​

• Passing of R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin of Volozhin (1894)
R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin (known by his acronym, the Netziv) led the famed Volozhin yeshiva for almost forty years. He authored numerous works, including Ha’amek Davar, Ha’amek She’eilah, Meromei Sadeh, and a collection of halachic responsa titled Meishiv Davar.

 

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Today in Jewish History​

• Flight from Liadi (1812)
On this date, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, who supported and aided the Czar's army during the Napoleonic wars, was forced to flee his hometown from Napoleon's forces which were advancing through White Russia in their push toward Moscow. After five months of wanderings he arrived in the town of Pyena. There he fell ill and, weakened by the tribulations of his flight and the harsh Russian winter, passed away on the 24th of Tevet, 5573 (1812).

Links: The Rebbe vs Napoleon

• Passing of R. Eliezer Zusia Portugal, the Skulener Rebbe (1982)
R. Eliezer Zusia Portugal (1898–1982), the Skulener Rebbe, is best known for his superhuman efforts to rescue Jewish orphans and refugees in Eastern Europe before, during, and after World War II and his continuing support of them. He immigrated to the United States in 1960, after imprisonment in Rumania and international efforts to secure his release. He was renowned for his lengthy prayers and the beautiful tunes he composed.

 

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Genetic analysis of human skeletal remains in Norwich, England, found by construction workers preparing the site for a shopping center has provided serious evidence that the bones are those of at least 17 Ashkenazi Jews who were murdered during a proven historic episode of antisemitic violence on February 6, 1190.


The genomes from a medieval mass burial show that Ashkenazi-associated hereditary diseases pre-date the 12th century. The findings resulted from a revised radiocarbon analysis of the bones carried out by experts at London’s Natural History Museum, University College and Francis Crick Institute; the Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution in Mainz, Germany; the University of Cambridge; and the Archive Center in Norwich.


They have just been published in the journal Current Biology under the title “Genomes from a medieval mass burial show Ashkenazi-associated hereditary diseases pre-date the 12th century.”

(full article online)

Skeleton examinations reveal 1,000-year-old antisemitic violence - study

The position of the remains, their completeness and their conversion by archaeologists into cleaned and articulated skeletons suggested that they had all been buried at once shortly after death.

www.jpost.com

 

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Former refusenik and prisoner of Zion Natan Sharansky said on Wednesday that the late leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev would never have released Soviet Jewry had it not been for the global pressure campaign to do so.

Sharansky’s comments came following the death of Gorbachev at 91 on Tuesday.

The former Israeli cabinet minister and chairman of the Jewish Agency said that for Gorbachev, the heavy cost the Soviet Union paid due to its political repression was what convinced him to relax policies toward Jewish practice and emigration, not any particular sympathy he had for Soviet Jews.

Sharansky, who spent almost nine years in a forced labor camp, was the first Soviet political prisoner to be released by Gorbachev after the latter assumed the leadership of the Soviet Union in 1985.

“Gorbachev strongly believed in communism and believed that the ideas of Marx and Lenin were truly what was best, but also realized that the system wasn’t working for the Soviet Union,” Sharansky told The Times of Israel.

Sharansky: Gorbachev wouldn’t have released Soviet Jews if not for global pressure

Former prisoner of Zion praises late Soviet leader for freeing Jewish prisoners but says his policy was driven by the cost to the Soviet Union, not sympathy

www.timesofisrael.com

 

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Today is Thursday, Elul 5, 5782 · September 1, 2022​

Today's Laws & Customs​

• Elul Observances
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Psalms.
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
Links: More on Elul

Today in Jewish History​

• First Chassidic Aliya (1777)
The first Chassidic aliyah ("ascent" - immigration to the Holy Land), led by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, Rabbi Abraham of Kalisk and Rabbi Yisroel of Polotzk, reached the Holy Land on Elul 5 of the year 5537 from creation (1777 CE). They were all disciples of the 2nd leader of the Chassidic movement, Rabbi DovBer, the "Maggid of Mezeritch" (who had passed away five years earlier) and colleagues of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad. Initially, Rabbi Schneur Zalman was part of the group; but when the caravan reached the city of Moholiev on the Dnester River, Rabbi Menachem Mendel -- whom Rabbi Schneur Zalman regarded as his teacher and mentor after the Maggid's passing -- instructed him to remain behind to serve as the leader of the Chassidic community in White Russia and Lithuania. Rabbi Schneur Zalman retained close ties with the settlers in the Land of Israel and labored to raise funds for their support.
• Ezekiel Envisions Jerusalem's Downfall (428 BCE)
On the fifth of Elul, Ezekiel was sitting in his home in Babylonia, with the elders of Judah seated before him. Suddenly, the hand of G‑d fell upon him, and he experienced a vision in which he was transported to Jerusalem and shown all the abominations taking place there. He was then informed about Jerusalem’s impending destruction, which indeed took place less than five years later.
Ezekiel’s prophecy of that day ended on a positive note:

So said the L‑rd G‑d…although I have scattered them among the lands, I will be a minor sanctuary for them in the lands where they have come…I will gather you from the nations, and I will assemble you from the lands where you have been scattered, and I shall give you the Land of Israel…I shall place a new spirit within you, and I shall remove the heart of stone from their flesh, and I shall give them a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 11:16–19)

 

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Today is Friday, Elul 6, 5782 · September 2, 2022​ Today's Laws & Customs​ • Elul Observances As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all." Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Psalms. Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use. Links: More on Elul Today in Jewish History​ • Passing of R. Yom Tov Lipman Heller, the "Tosfot Yom Tov" (1654) R. Yom Tov was a preeminent Torah scholar who served as rabbi in many distinguished communities in Austria and Poland. He is most famous for his Mishnahcommentary, called Tosfot Yom Tov, which appears in most large editions of the Mishnah and is an indispensable tool for obtaining a thorough understanding of the text. He authored numerous other works as well, including a commentary on the halachic work of R. Asher ben Yechiel (the Rosh), and Tzurat Habayit, clarifying the future layout of the third Holy Temple. In his autobiographical work Megilat Eivah, R. Yom Tov describes how, when serving as rabbi of Prague, his enemies slandered him to the Austrian Emperor, resulting in his imprisonment and a death sentence. Thankfully, the verdict was later mitigated to a monetary fine and a prohibition against serving as rabbi in Prague (see entry for 30 Shevat).​

 

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Today in Jewish History​

• Moses' parents remarry (1394 BCE)

Amram and Jocheved had separated because of Pharaoh's decree that all male Jewish babies be killed. Prompted by their six-year-old daughter Miriam's rebuke ("Pharaoh decreed against the males; you decreed against the males and the females") they remarried on the 7th of Elul of the year 2367 from creation (1394 BCE). Moses was born six months and one day later on Adar 7, 2368 (Talmud, Sotah 12b).

Links: Midrashic account of Amram and Jocheved's remarriage

• Spies die (1312 BCE)
The Spies who slandered the Land of Israel died in the desert (Talmud, Sotah 35a; see Numbers 13-14 and text and links for Av 9 and Av 15).

 

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Today in Jewish History​

• Washington Responds to Newport Jews (1790)
The sexton of the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, wrote a heart warming letter to George Washington, on behalf of the Jewish community welcoming the President on his visit to Newport. In his letter, he expressed a vision of an American government that would permit all religions to live side by side in harmony, giving all its citizens the freedom to practice their religions.

On August 18, 1790, President Washington responded:

The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.

...May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid...

 

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Jewish Workers and Trade Unions | My Jewish Learning

American Jewish Trade Unions. American Jewish Socialism. Jews and Socialism. Jewish History from 1650 - 1914. Modern Jewish History. Jewish History and Community.

www.myjewishlearning.com

 

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Today in Jewish History​

• Nachmanides Renews Jerusalem community (1267)
Nachmanides (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, 1194-1270) arrived in Jerusalem, after being forced to flee his native Spain (see "On This Date" for Av 12) and renewed its Jewish community there. The synagogue he established is functional today, having been restored following the liberation of the Old City during the Six-Day War in 1967.

• Birth of Dan (1566 BCE)
Dan, the son of Jacob and Bilhah, fifth of the Twelve Tribes, was born on 9 Elul in Haran. He lived to the age of 125. (Yalkut Shimoni, Shemot, remez 162)

Link: The Collectors

• Passing of R. Tzadok Hakohen of Lublin (1900)
R. Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin was one of the most famous chassidic leaders in the second half of the nineteenth century. An original thinker and prolific author, his many works span the gamut of Jewish literature and beyond, addressing topics as diverse as Jewish law, mysticism, chassidic thought, biblical interpretation, and even a collection of scholarly interpretations revealed to him in dreams.

 

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Chew on this: One of America’s most iconic gum brands was originally a Jewish-owned tobacco business.

In 1891, Morris Chigorinsky emigrated from Russia to the United States, where in the early 1900s he assumed control of the American Leaf Tobacco Company. But by 1938, Chigorinsky’s (who by then had changed his surname to Shorin) business was flailing. His four sons, Abram, Ira, Joseph and Philip decided to save the family from certain penury by starting a new penny candy business, Topps Chewing Gum, Inc., whose name was borrowed from an eponymous Chattanooga candy company they purchased.

Following the end of the Second World War, the Shorin brothers aggressively set about supplanting their then-dominant competitor Dubble Bubble, manufactured by Fleer, through the launch of Bazooka Bubble Gum. The gum cleverly capitalized on the nation’s post-war patriotic pride in the wake of their recent victory, not only via its name (derived from the rocket-propelled weapon invented and deployed by American troops) but also through its red, white and blue packaging.

The product sold well, but in 1953, Topps made an alteration to the design that proved to be a game changer: the inclusion of small comic strips starring Bazooka Joe, a swashbuckling kid who donned a black eye patch and got into various scrapes and adventures with his crew of streetwise companions. The wrappers (of which there were ultimately over 1,500 manufactured) also featured fortunes and immediately became a collector’s items among consumers and candy enthusiasts, who still vigorously buy and sell vintage strips on online auction websites. While the original flavor continues to be the bestseller, Topps has also introduced variations, such as Grape Rage, Cherry Berry and Watermelon Whirl.

(full article online)

The Jewish History of Bazooka Bubble Gum | The Nosher

Chew on this: One of America’s most iconic gum brands was originally a Jewish-owned tobacco business. In 1891, Morris Chigorinsky emigrated ...

www.myjewishlearning.com

 

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Today in Jewish History​

• Noah Dispatches Raven (2105 BCE)
On the 10th of Elul of the year 1656 from creation (2105 BCE), as the Great Floodneared its end, Noah opened the window of the Ark and dispatched a raven to determine if the flood waters had begun to recede (Genesis 8:1; Rashi). For a discussion of the deeper significance of this event, see The Window

• Passing of R. Pinchas Schapiro of Koretz (1791)
R. Pinchas Schapiro of Koretz (1726–1791) was one of the greatest disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, and a colleague of R. Dovber, the Maggid of Mezeritch. His teachings were published posthumously in various books, such as Likkutei Shoshanim andMidrash Pinchas.

R. Pinchas’ son, R. Moshe, and grandsons, R. Shmuel Abba and R. Pinchas, managed the famed printing press in Slavuta (see entry for 5 Adar).

 

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“So successful were the Jewish pioneers that by 1900, there wasn’t a single settlement west of the Mississippi of any significance which had not had a Jewish mayor,” says historian Kenneth Libo. “This includes Deadwood, Dodge City, and Tombstone.”

Between 1840 and 1880, the European Jewish population in America increased from 15,000 to around 250,000. Most migrated for familiar reasons—to escape religious persecution, political upheaval, and poverty. “What is clear, even at this early stage, is the complex nature of the collective Jewish experience in America,” writes Libo in his 1985 book We Lived There Too, coauthored with the late Irving Howe. “For already there are those who stay east and those who go west, those who come with special privileges and those who suffer discrimination, those who care about the faith of their fathers and those who do not, those who remain uprooted and those who transplant themselves.” Jewish settlers encountered little prejudice in the West, according to Libo. “They were looked upon as fellow settlers.”

During this same time, the United States increased its size by a third with the annexation of Texas in 1845, the ratification of the Oregon Treaty, the seizure of tribal lands, and the acquisition of California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, as spoils from the Mexican-American War.

With expansion came opportunities. Boomtowns appeared as word spread of copper in Montana and Arizona, silver in New Mexico, and gold in California. Just like their Gentile counterparts, Jewish men and women were lured into hostile landscapes, traveling west by buckboard, stagecoach, horseback, and prairie schooner through Indian country to new settlements in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the deserts of the Southwest, and the gold fields of California with the hope of striking it rich, or at the very least, the possibility of a new life for themselves and their families.

Photo caption
Trader Julius Mayer with Chiefs Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, Swift Bear, and Spotted Tail. The Pawnee tribe also gave him the name Box-ka-re-sha-has-ta-ka or Curly-headed white chief with one tongue.
Nebraska State Historical Society


But it was the Jewish merchant, not the fly-by-night prospector, who played a major role in the development of the West, turning dusty little cow towns into urban centers. “Jews literally brought civilization to countless cities and towns in America west of the Mississippi by establishing ‘the department store’ in every town of any consequence,” says Libo. “Their numbers may have been small, but their influence was substantial.”



(full article online)

Jewish Pioneers

www.neh.gov

When and where was the first pawn broker ?

 

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Journalist forced to flee after capturing rare images of Iranian Jews publishes book

15 years after a Muslim AP newsman photographed daily life of Jews in the nation that is home to the Middle East’s second-largest community, his unique project finally sees light

www.timesofisrael.com

 

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What Sue Bird means to her Jewish fans

The WNBA legend, who identifies as Jewish, ended a 19-year career that included four WNBA championships and five Olympic gold medals.

forward.com

 

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Completion of Yosef Caro's Commentary (1542)
In 1522, Rabbi Yosef Caro started writing the Beit Yosef, his famous commentary on the Arba Turim, Yaakov Ben Asher’s comprehensive Halachic code. He started writing this commentary in Adrianople, Turkey, and continued for the next twenty years, during which time he relocated to Safed, Israel. He completed the monumental work on the 11th of Elul. It took another ten years for the writings to be published.

• Rashab's marriage (1875)
Marriage of the fifth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneersohn("Rashab", 1860-1920), to Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah Schneerson (1860-1942).

 

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  The 'Ishmael Papyrus,' a rare document from the First Temple period. (Shai Halevi, Israel Antiquities Authority)

The hunt for additional Dead Sea Scrolls has taken archaeologists and adventure-seekers all over the Judean Desert. But the successful quest for a recently repatriated First Temple-era papyrus letter took the head of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit to a much more unlikely location — Montana.

This 4-centimeter-high, 5-centimeter-wide (1.5 inch x 2 inches) fragment joins only two other known contemporary papyrus fragments inscribed with early Hebrew in the Land of Israel to date.

The treasure hunt ended earlier this year after the IAA’s Eitan Klein located the owner of the exceedingly rare papyrus in the fittingly nicknamed Treasure State.

The inscription is composed of four fragmented lines, the first of which begins with the intriguing command “To Ishmael, send….” and then stops. According to epigraphical analysis as well as carbon-dating of a small piece of the papyrus, it is from the late seventh or early sixth century BCE, the last days of the Kingdom of Judah.

The search for the recently repatriated “Ishmael Papyrus” began after the death of leading epigrapher Dr. Ada Yardeni in June 2018. Her colleague, Israel Prize-winning Ben-Gurion University Prof. Shmuel Ahituv, was asked to complete Yardeni’s final project — a book about First Temple-period Hebrew scripts. While going through her papers, Ahituv noted an image of an unfamiliar, unlabeled and unprovenanced papyrus. He alerted Klein of its existence.


(full article online)

Ingathering of the exiles? Extremely rare First Temple-era papyrus repatriated

2,700-year-old inscribed papyrus, a letter to 'Ishmael' written in early Hebrew script, joins only two others from biblical times. But that's just the beginning of the story

www.timesofisrael.com