March 12
515 BCE : On the secular calendar the construction of the Second Temple was completed. (Book of Ezra, 6:15 “And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.” Darius began his reign in 522 BCE .)
604: Pope Gregory I passed away. Born in 540, Gregory was Pope from 590 until 604. The great prelate was a vigorous foe of Judaism, a religion he believed was based on depravity. In his eyes, “the Jewish understanding of scripture was perverse.” He sought to keep Jews and Christians apart. He forbade Christians from using Jewish doctors and would not let the clergy employee Jews as clerks. Jews were not to hold public office, build new synagogues, marry non-Jews or convert Christians to Judaism. But Gregory was not an unmitigated anti-Semite. On several occasions he protected the private property and synagogue of European Jews. One of his writings summed up the view, “ Just as it is not befitting to permit Jews in their communities to go beyond the boundaries of what is permissible by law, so also the rights they already have should not be diminished.”
1088: Urban II began his papacy during which he initiated the First Crusade, which brought death and destruction to the Jews all the way from the Rhineland to Jerusalem.
1421: In Vienna Austria
1496: Maximilian I expelled the Jews from Styria, Austria.
1664: New Jersey becomes a colony of England. A year later, New Jersey granted religious toleration to those living in the colony. While there were undoubtedly Jewish merchants operating in the colony in the 17thcentury, the honor of being the first Jews to live in the colony may go to “Aaron and Jacob Lozada, who owned a grocery and hardware store in Bound Brook as early as 1718.”
1682: Anti-Jewish riots beak out in Krakow .
1715: Elector Max Emanuel ordered the expulsion of the few Jews still living in Bavaria Germany
1776: In Chevening, UK, Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope and Lady Hester Pitt gave birth to Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope, the eccentric English noblewoman whose “archaeological expedition to Ashkelon in 1815 is considered the first modern excavation in the history of Holy Land archeology.”
1777: During the American Revolution, Captain Lewis Bush who had transferred from the Sixth Pennsylvania Battalion to Harley’s Additional Continental Regiment was promoted to the rank of Major.
1811(16th of Adar): Judah Leib ben Ze’ev, the first Jewish grammarian of modern times passed away
1822: L'esule di Granata (The exile of Granada) a melodrama (opera seria) in two acts by German Jewish composer Giacomo Meyerbeer, had its world premier at the famed at La Scala Opera House in Milan, Italy.
1846(14thof Adar, 5606): Purim
1852: The New York Times publishes an evaluation of the British government headed by Lord Derby which included Benjamin Disraeli as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Disraeli’s appointment to this particular post came as a surprise and, given what the Times reporter considered his lack of aptitude for the job “his triumph will astonish the public and lead to his greater glory.”
1856: The New York Times reported that the Greene Street Synagogue has replaced Anselm Leo with a new leader from Germany who has musical skills which he has used to introduce a choir to the congregation. No musical instruments are allowed, but a pitch pipe is used to set the tone for the choir.
1858: Birthdate of Adolph S. Ochs, publisher of the New York Times. Ochs was the engine behind the Times rise to being the "paper of record" in the United States United States Temple Chattanooga Hebrew Union College
1862: According to an articled published today entitled “The Line of the Mississippi” described the fortifications on both the North and South sides of the city of New Orleans. According to travelers who have recently arrived in St. Louis from the Crescent City, the Jews are the only people in the city not “regularly enlisted” in its defense.
1862(10th of Adar II, 5622: The U.S. Congress allowed Rabbis to serve as army chaplains.
1865(14th of Adar, 5625): Purim
1873(13th of Adar, 5633): Fast of Esther
1873: “The Palestine Lodge of the I.O. of F.S.I. will host a masque ball at the Germania Assembly Rooms” tonight in New York as part of the celebration of Purim.
1873: A Purim masquerade will be held in Brooklyn tonight at the Assembly Rooms above the Post Office.
1876: The annual Purim reception held at the Home for Aged and Infirm Hebrews located at Lexington and 63rd Street began at 11 in the morning and lasted until seven in the evening.
1876(16thof Adar, 5636): Shushan Purim observed since Shabbat was on the 15thday of Adar.
1881: Birthdate of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the modern secular state of Turkey who served as its first President. In 1923, during the early days of the newly created Turkish Republic Ataturk declared, “Our country has some elements who gave the proof of their fidelity to the motherland. Among them I have to quote the Jewish element; up to now the Jews have lived in happiness and from now they will rejoice and will be happy.” Ataturk came to the aid of the Jews in the early days of Hitler’s rise to power. “In 1933 Ataturk invited to
1884(15thof Adar, 5644): Shushan Purim
1889: Birthdate of Philip Guedalla, the Anglo-Jewish barrister and author whose quips include this one that frightens all historians or would-be historians - "History repeats itself. Historians repeat each other."
1890: The Passover Relief Association held its 18th annual Purim Masquerade Ball this evening at the Lexington Avenue Opera House.
1891: Jesse Seligman received a draft for twelve million francs from Baron Hirsch today.
1891: Birthdate of Hungarian born American scientist turned philosopher, Michael Polanyi.
1893: Rabbi Adloph Radin of Shaari Tikvah was one of the speakers who addressed the crowd gathered at the hall of the Hebrew Institute where citizens were protesting the closing of the annex to Grammar School #7 on Hester Street.
1894(4thof Adar II, 5654): Ludwig August Ritter von Frankl-Hochwart passed away after leading a multi-faceted life. Born in Boehmia in 1810, he studied Hebrew with Zecharias Frankel, earned an M.D. from the University of Pauda before moving to Vienna. There he served as secretary and archivist of the Vienna Jewish congregation and became active in the Revolution of 1848. He was a prolific author and philanthropist whose literary works include “Nach Jeruslem” which describe his travels to Asia, Greece and Jerusalem where he help founded a school. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. (As reported by Singer and Mannheimer)
1894: Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time. Coca-Cola was actually first introduced in 1886 at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta. Ga. Jacob’s Pharmacy was owned by Dr. Joe Jacobs who is buried in the same section of Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery as other prominent Atlanta Jews including Morris Rich, founder of Rich’s Department Store. Coke was not certified as Kosher and Kosher for Passover until 1935 thanks to the efforts of an Atlanta orthodox rabbi named Tobias Geffen. http://www.ajhs.org/publications/chapters/chapter.cfm?documentID=270
1895: Dreyfus arrives in French Guyana.
1895: “The Rights of Clubmen” published today described the struggle between saloon owners and members of private clubs in New York. Among the clubs that could be affected by a change in status would be the Adelphi Club, which is the leading private Jewish club in Albany. Its members include “some of the wealthiest Jews” living in the state capital.
1896: Judge Charles P. Daly will deliver an address entitled “Songs and Song Writing” at tonight’s meeting of the Young Men’s Hebrew Association.
1896: Today’s special performance of “The Heart of Maryland” which was intended to raise funds for the Hebrew Infants’ Asylum has been postponed until the end of the month.
1896: It was reported today that “Charles Frohman has purchased a new melodrama” which he will not name but says will be produced in Boston before being brought to Broadway.
1897: About 200 cloakmakers who are employed in the shops of contractors who work for Julius Stein &am Co in Manhattan went out on strike today.
1897: The will of Elias Joseph which was filed with the Surrogate today left three bequests of $1,000 each to the Montefiore Home, Mount Sinai Hospital and the Hebrew Orphan Asylum.
1898: Sir George Henry Lewis, the well-known Jewish lawyer testified before a committee of the House of Commons that was investigating “the evils of money lending.”
1898: “Boston Announcements” published today included a description of a book of Yiddish poetry with an English translation written by Marice Rosenfeld which will be published Messrs. Copeland & Day. The translation is being prepared by Professor Wiener of Harvard. Jewish author Israel Zangwill and Abraham Cahan, editor of the Forwards have expressed their approval of the work.
1898:"Anti-Juif Bourguignon," appeared today for the first time at Dijon,
1899(1st of Nisan, 5659): Rosh Chodesh Nisan
1899(1st of Nisan, 5659): Sir Julius Vogel, the first Jewish Premier of New Zealand passed away.
1902: Sophia Karp, Jacob Fischel and Joseph Lateiner founder the Grand Theatre in New York. It was the first theatre in New York built to serve as venue for performing Yiddish theatricals.
1904: Herzl authorizes Dr, Leopold Kahn to enter into negotiations with the Ottoman Empire for renting the administrative revenues of the Sanjak of Acre and for a loan to be obtained for the Imperial treasury.
1908: Birthdate of David Saul Marshall. Born in Singapore Iraq Marshall Singapore
1909: In Sophia, Bulgaria, The Medical Congress decided to print brochures in Ladino. The decision was in response to a request from a Christian Delegate who asked that this be done for the benefit of Jews unfamiliar with the Bulgarian language.
1910: At the first meeting of the sub-committee on laws of the Civic Federation’s Committee on Compensation for Industrial Accidents “letters were received from Louis Brandeis of Boston
1911: Vera Cheberiak, leader of a group of thieves in Kiev
1914(14thof Adar, 5674): Last Purim before the outbreak of WW I.
1915: General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell met with a delegation headed by Jabotinsky to discuss the formation of a “Jewish fighting unit” in the British Army. “The General said he was unable, under the Army Act, to enlist foreign nationals as fighting troops, but that he could form them into a volunteer transport Mule Corps.”
1916: The National Union for Jewish Rights held its first meeting this afternoon in London. The Anglo-Jewish community formed the organization to secure the rights of the Jews at the end of the World War. Lucien Wolf and Israel Zangwill addressed the group. Zangwill said that “if England got Palestine” he “hoped a Jewish governor would be appointed.
1916: Today The Day, the Jewish daily newspaper edited by Herman Bernstein published the following cablegram from a special correspondent in Berne. “I have learned from an absolutely reliable source that the Pope has prepared an important document of great interest to the Jewish people. It is understood that this document will prove of the same importance and significance as the bull issued by Pope Innocent IV denouncing the ritual murder accusations against the Jews as false and based upon a cruel legend. The present statement by the Pope, who has interested himself so deeply in peace is devoted to the sorrows of the Jews in the belligerent lands and contains a plea for justice and fairness to the Jews.” [The article referred to Pope Benedict XV.]
1917: During the Russian Revolution, the Duma elected a “provisional committee” which was effectively a new executive branch for the Russian government that would replace the Czar. The apparent triumph of these social democrats offered hope (ultimately false hope) for the Jews of Russia that revolution would lead to liberation.
1921: The Histadrut (General Federation of Labor) passed a resolution to establish the Haganah. Haganah, (literally "defense") was established for the purpose stated in its name. It was organized to protect the Jewish settlements from Arab attacks - something the British could not or would not do.
1921: The Cairo Conference began during which Winston Churchill sought to examine the workings of the British Mandates for governing Iraq Palestine
1922(12thof Adar, 5682): Samuel Hirsch Margulies passed away. Born at Berezhany in 1858, he held several rabbinic posts before being appointed chief rabbi of Florence, Italy in 1890 where he also became head of the Collegio Rabbinco when it was transferred from Rome to Florence
1922(12th of Adar, 5682): Eighty year old Minnie Dessau Louis passed away.
1922: According to reports published today Samuel Untermeyer and his son Irwin are among the members of a New York committee that has pledged to raise $100,000 for the Woodrow Wilson Foundation fund.
1922: In Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, CA, Max and Jennie Gold gave birth to Sydney Gold who gained famed body-builder Joe Gold, founder of Gold’s Gym – one of the most ubiquitous fitness centers found in most major and not so major cities in the United States.
1928: Birthdate of Mordechai Eliyahu, the Jerusalem native who would become a prominent rabbi, posek and who would serve as the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1983 to 1993.
1929: One of the first “talkie Hollywood Biblical epics, “Noah’s Ark New York City
1937: The Palestine Post reported that the Colonial Secretary, Mr. Ormsby-Gore, told the House of Commons that from 1922 to 1935 the population of Jerusalem Jaffa Haifa Palestine
1938: Hitler entered Austria
1938: As part of its drive to raise $4,500,000, The United Palestine Appeal issued a report today focusing on the growth in Palestine over the last twenty years. Among highlights of the report are figures showing that from 1931 to 1936, exports increased from eight million dollars to eighteen million dollars. At the same time, bank deposits more than doubled in the last five years and the numbers of factories and workshops more than doubled in period starting in 1921 and ending in 1937.
1939: Pope Pius XII was crowned Pope in Vatican ceremonies. While the Catholic Church may be considering Pious XII for canonization, the Jewish view of him is one who is “impious.”
1941: Churchill met with Weizmann and reiterated his support for the eventual establishment of Jewish military units and a Jewish state in Palestine
1941: A sentry shot and killed a 13 year old in the Lodz
1942(23rd of Adar): David Raziel was killed while serving for the British in Iraq
1942: The Nazis ordered 8,000 Jews from southern Polish town of Mielec to be at the train station. The next morning, as they gathered, 2,000 children and elderly were shot dead at the train station.
1943: In Chicago, Illinois, Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Finkel and his wife, Sara Rosenblum gave birth to Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the Haredi Rabbi who became Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem
1943: Aaron Copland's ''Fanfare for the Common Man'' was performed for the first time, by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
1943: Tonight is the night when Oskar Schindler changed his life, the life of his workers and history. Addressing his workers, he told them not to go home tonight. The
1945(27th of Adar, 5705): Bernard Drachman, who served as rabbi at the Park East Synagogue for 55 years starting in 1890, passed away today.
1945: According to some sources, this is the day Anne Frank died at Bergen Belsen two months before the liberation by British forces.
1947: Speaking as leader of the Loyal Opposition, Churchill attacks the Labor Party’s policy in Palestine attacking what he called “a senseless, squalid war with the Jews, in order to give Palestine to the Arab or God knows who.”
1947: A British corvette warned British troops that a large number of Jewish refugees on board the SS Susanna, were attempting to land on the southern coast of Palestine. British troops assisted by the local Arab population worked to intercept and arrest the refugees. The British reported that they had captured almost 900 people but 240 may have been Jewish citizens of Palestine.
1947: The Truman Doctrine was proclaimed today. It was a policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere. Greece was in the throes of a civil war where one side was supported by the Soviets. In February of 1947, the British government informed Washington, that it was too broke to continue its traditional role of protecting Greece which had been part of its “sphere of influence.” While Britain did not have the money to halt Soviet imperial expansion, she apparently had enough funds to patrol the Mediterranean to stop Jews from getting to Palestine. And she had enough money to support what had become an army of occupation aimed at thwarting the creation of a Jewish homeland. It should be remembered that when President Truman was being pressured to deal with the problems of the displaced Jews of Europe and the issue of Palestine, he was also dealing with an explosion of other problems including the Soviet drive to control Europe. His decisions vis a vis the Jews must also be viewed against the backdrop of a much larger world stage which the United States was only reluctantly entering on to.
1947: During a session of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on Palestine, Auni Bey Abdulhadi described the “wartime associations of the Mufti of Jerusalem…with Hitler and Mussolini.”
1949: Birthdate of producer, director and writer Rob Cohen. It may not be fair to include Cohen on this page given his view of being Jewish. When asked about his feelings about being Jewish Cohen has said, “I'm totally in reaction to it. I've never been comfortable with the Jewish identity. It's been one of those crosses to bear that I had the surname 'Cohen' which is a label. You can't hide even if you wanted to, so I don't practice. It's not anything of interest to me. I don't want to rediscover it. I'm not interested.”
1950: The Foreign Ministry of Israel is scheduled to host a reception for members of the Istanbul Fenerache soccer team who played their first game in Tel Aviv yesterday. The reception is in response to the fact that Turkey announced its decision earlier this week to recognize the state of Israel.
1950: As a reminder of the fact that the Jewish state is surrounded by enemies committed to its destruction “the Israeli Defense Ministry today ordered the registration for the Army Reserve of all physicians between the ages of 29 and 49.” Reportedly the government will soon require all civilians between the ages of 18 and 49 who have not served in the military to register with the Ministry of Defense.
1950: The New York Times reported that the Israel Ministry of Education and Culture has appointed Mr. Frank Pelleg to serve as head of its music department.
1951: As of this date the Iraqis allowed planes filled with Jewish refugees to fly straight to Israel instead of having to go to Cyprus first.
1952:The Jerusalem Postreported that Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett met Sir Anthony Eden, the British foreign secretary, in London and told him that Israel was eager to reach a settlement with its neighbors and to stop to "perpetuate its loneliness" in the area.
1953: Birthdate of Ron Jeremy, pornographic film actor
1954:The first performance of Arnold Schönberg's "Moses und Aaron.” This was not the only Jewish themed work by this great Jewish composer.
1954: Birthdate of British sculptor Anish Kapoor who was born in Bombay (Mumbai) to Jewish mother whose family immigrated from Baghdad and whose grandfather was the cantor in the Synagogue in Pune. Kapoor lived on a Kibbutz and after discovering that Engineering was not his forte decided to gain the skills that have made him a famous artist.
1954: Birthdate of Chicago native Larry Rothschild who was the first manager of the newly minted Tampa Bay Devil Rays as well as a successful pitching coach for numerous teams including the New York Yankees.
1957: Birthdate of actor Jerry Levine.
1963: Bob Dylan cancels "Ed Sullivan Show" television appearance.
1964: S[amuel] N[athaniel] Behrman's "But for Whom Charlie" premieres in New York
1965: Birthdate of American sports journalist, Steve Levy.
1967: Naqi Jahan, the daughter of the first Miss India, Esther Victoria Abraham, was chosen Miss India. (As reported by Dr. Navara Jaat Aafreedi)
1968: Mauritius achieves independence from Great Britain. Mauritius is located in the Indian Ocean. In 1940, the British created a prison there to hold Jews who had escaped from Hitler’s Europe and were trying to enter Palestine. The Jewish cemetery on the island attests to the cost of the British policy. Since gaining its independence, Mauritius has sent many of its citizens to Israel for professional training in several fields of study including that of agronomy.
1969: Linda Eastman married Beatle Paul McCarthney (A marriage that fits with Purim motif)
1975: Birthdate of Dan Greenbaum, the native of Torrance, CA who played on the 1992 U.S.Olympic Volleyball team that won a bronze medal.
1977: Egypt Israel
1985(19th of Adar, 5745): Eugene Ormandy, Hungarian born conductor, passed away. Born in 1899, he came to United States in 1921. He was the permanent conductor and music director for the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1938 until 1980.
1990(15thof Adar, 5750: Sixty-nine year old businessman and sport’s team owner, Gene Klein passed away today.
1990 (15th of Adar, 5750): Rabbi Stuart E. Rosenberg, a spiritual leader of Canada's Jews and an author, died of cancer today in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he had a winter home. He was 67 years old and also lived in Toronto Toronto Toronto Canada Moscow Canada Canada Manhattan Columbia University
1993(19thof Adar, 5753): Eighty-three year old Michael Kanin passed away. The brother of Garson Kanin, he co-authored the Oscar winning script for “Woman of the Year” and shared an Oscar nomination with his wife Kay Mitchell for the script of “Teacher’s Pet.”
1993(19th of Adar, 5753): Yehoshua Freidberg, a 24 year old immigrant from Canada was shot dead on the Tel Aviv to Jerusalem highway.
1998(14thof Adar, 5758): Purim
1999: The Times of London features a review of From Catastrophe to Power: Holocaust survivors and the emergence of Israel
1999(24th of Adar, 5759): Sir Yehudi Menuhin famed violinist passed away at the age of 82. Born in New York in 1916, Menuhin was raised in San Francisco. He was a child prodigy who debuted at the age of eight.
2000: The New York Times featured reviews of books by Jewish authors and/or special interest to Jewish readers including In America by Susan Sontag, How We Got Here. The 70's: The Decade That Brought You Modern Life (For Better or Worse)by David Frum and The Nazis by Piotr Uklanski.
2000: Pope John Paul II asked God's forgiveness for the sins of Roman Catholics through the ages, including wrongs inflicted on Jews, women and minorities. What a difference in the events from 61 years before on this date.
2003: At the Library of Congress opening of an exhibition entitled Herblock’s Gift: Selections from the Herb Block Foundation Collection
2003: In an article entitled “A New Glasnost on War’s Looted Art,” Sophia Kishkovsky describes the efforts of Russia Germany Eastern Europe during and after World War II and taken to Russia
2003(8th of Adar II, 5763): Howard Fast passed away. Born in 1914, some of the controversial authors more famous works include Spartacus, Citizen Tom Paine and The Crossing. The Crossing was adapted for a PBS mini-series depicting the battles surrounding Washington’s Crossing the Delaware which were critical to the colonists ultimate victory over the British.
2005: “Roman Allegories” a solo exhibition of the works of Eleanor Antin came to a close at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts in New York, NY
2006: The New York Times featured reviews of books by Jewish authors and/or of special interest to Jewish readers including Lipshitz Six or Two Angry by T Cooper and the recently released paperback edition of Rebels on the Backlot: Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered the Hollywood Studio System by Sharon Waxman
2006: A two-hour event - "Jewish Unity Live 2006" - is held at a hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
2007: The Jerusalem Post reported that “the first Israeli Druse physician to become a professor is Dr. Jamal Zidan, head of the oncology department at Ziv Medical Center Haifa
2008: In Washington , D.C.
2008: The New Republic featured reviews of The Jewish King Lear: A Comedy in America by Jacob Gordin, translated by Ruth Gay and Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia by Christopher Clark in which the author attributes the rise of Prussia during the 17thcentury to the “legendary religious tolerance of the Hohenzollerns” which enabled them to strengthen the state’s economy by opening its borders to Jews. The same magazine also profiled the Jews of Sefwi Wiawso a community of about 150 Ghanaians who claim to be descendants of the lost tribes of Israel
2008: The Australian parliament commemorated Israel Australia
2008: Israel France Paris Spain Portugal
2009: New York University US Israel US
2009: The Westchester Film Festival opens with a screening of “The Gift of Stalin,” the moving tale of a Jewish boy’s exile to the hinterlands of Kazakhstan
2009:The disgraced financier Bernard L. Madoff was immediately handcuffed and led off to jail today after a hearing in which he pleaded guilty to running a vast Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of billions of dollars. Rather than letting Mr. Madoff remain free on bail and return to his apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Judge Denny Chin of Federal District Court
2009: The National Book Critics Circle awarded the autobiography prize to Ariel Sabar's "My Father's Paradise ," which traces the author's Jewish roots in Kurdish Iraq. Sabar, who spoke of being an immigrant's son in 1980s Los Angeles Iraq
2009(16thof Adar. 5769): Ninety one year old Lenore Cohn “Lee” Annenberg, the widow Walter Annenberg, passed away. (As reported by Robert McFadden)
2010: The Adas Israel Scholar-In-Residence Weekend is scheduled to begin with a Friday night service, dinner and a presentation by Professor David Kraemer on "Sacrificial Judaism, Vegetarianism, and the “Theology” of Food and Kashrut"
2010:The former mayor of Amsterdam, 62-year-old Marius Job Cohen became the new head of the Dutch Labor party today after Wouter Bos, his predecessor, resigned. Cohen reportedly could become Prime Minister after elections are held this June.
2011: Eighty-nine year old Tawfix Toubi, the last surviving member of the First Knesset (1949) passed away today in Haifa. An Arab Christian, he was a member of the Communist Party who served in the Knesset until he retired in 1990.
2011: In Fairfax Station, VA, Jewish Rock Artists Rick Recht and Sheldon Low are scheduled to perform at a special concert celebrating Temple B’nai Shalom’s 25th anniversary.
2011: “Zion and his Brother” and “There Were Nights” are scheduled to be shown at the 15th New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival.
2011: “Ajami,” an Israeli film that had been nominated for an Oscar is scheduled to be shown at Columbia Jewish Congregation’s (CJC) 2011 - Nineteenth Season of Movies
2011(6thof Adar II): According to tradition today marks the anniversary of Moses completion of the book of Deuteronomy, which took place on 6 Adar, 1273.
2011(6thof Adar II): Ninety-five year old Yiddish actress Shira Lerer passed away today in New York City.(As reported by Joseph Berger)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/arts/shifra-lerer-actress-in-yiddish-theater-dies-at-95.html
2011: Defense Minister Ehud Barak vowed today that Israel would use every means possible to track down those behind the fatal stabbing of a family of five in the West Bank settlement of Itamar .
2011: In “A Local Life: Al Ungerleider, 89; old soldier recalled nightmare mission,” published today, Lauren Wiseman recounts the exploits of the Jewish general who as a young lieutenant fought his from Normandy across Europe where he saw the horror of Nordhausen.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/a-local-life-al-ungerleider-89-old-soldier-recalled-nightmare-mission/2011/03/07/ABNdjBS_story.html
2012: The East Bay International Jewish Film Festival is scheduled to open in Oakland, CA
2012: The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, The American Jewish Committee, and The American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists are scheduled to sponsor a “brown bag lunch” featuring Art Spitzer, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area who will provide a look at some of the civil liberties cases on the Supreme Court Docket.
2012(18thof Adar, 5772): On the Hebrew calendar, the 211th anniversary of David Emanuel being sworn in as Governor of the state of Georgia, making him the first Jew to serve as the chief executive of any state government in the United States.
2012: Offensive tackle Geoff Schwartz signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
2012: Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired more than 40 rockets at Israel today, as the heavy cross-border barrage continued into its fourth day.
2012: Journalist turned politician Yair Lapid blamed the Palestinians for the failure to reach a breakthrough in the peace process in a speech on Monday at Tel Aviv University.
2013: The Center for Jewish History is scheduled to present “Private Films, Public Identities: Jewish Self-Representations in Hungarian and Polish Interwar Home Movies”
2013:”The Other Son” is scheduled to be shown at the Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival.
2013: Sameh "SAZ" Zakout a native of Ramle is one of the Israeli musicians scheduled to perform today at SXSW 2013
2013(1stof Nissan, 5773): Rosh Chodesh Nissan
2014: “A month after canceling a trip to Israel because of floods at home, British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to address the Knesset today.” (As reported by Spence Ho)
2014: The Center for Jewish History is scheduled to host the Phoenix Chamber Ensemble in a performance of Schubert’s Sonatina in D Major, Brahms’ Sonata No 2 in A Major and Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op 80,
2014: The Center for Jewish History is scheduled to present “Light and Shadows: The Story of Iranian Jews.”
2014: In Washington, DC, as part of “Voices of the Vigil, graphic designer Avrum Ashery will showcase his unique role in creating posters, buttons, and cards of protest for the movement.
2014: The Washington Wizards basketball team is scheduled to host Jewish Heritage Night & a Pre-Purim Celebration.
2014: In Washington, the Jewish Study Center is scheduled to host the “Latke-Hamentashen Debate.”
2014: Ruth Goodman and Yossi Almani are scheduled to lead “Israeli Dancing” at the 92ndStreet Y.
2014: In Metairie, LA, Rabbi Mendel Ceitin is scheduled to begin teaching at six week course “To Be a Jew in the Free World: Jewish Identity Through the Lends of Modern History.”