December - This Day in Jewish History

Our Thanks to Phil Chernofsky of the OU/NCSY Israel Center for Including This Material in His Remarkable Torah Tidbits, based on the book Day by Day in Jewish History by Rabbi Abraham P. Bloch z''l

This Day in Jewish History

December

[December 1]

Deganiya Alef, Israel's (then known as Palestine) first kibbutz was founded, 1909.
Jews of Great Russia expelled by order of Empress Elizabeth, 1742.
David Ben-Gurion died, 1973.
Portuguese Jewish statesman Manuel Fernando de Villareal executed by the Inquisition, 1652.

[December 2]

Touro Synagogue of Newport, Rhode Island, oldest existing shul in the U.S. dedicated 1763.

[December 16]

Jews were excluded by the Nazis from all employment benefits, 1939. First shul built in Spain in 600 was dedicated, 1968. On the same day, the Spanish government officially voided the order of expulsion of 1492.

[December 17]

General U. S. Grant ordered the expulsion of Jews from the Department of Tennessee, 1862.
Jews of Tel Aviv were expelled by the Turks and sent to Egypt, 1914.

[December 18]

Empress Maria Theresa decreed the expulsion of all Jews from Prague, Bohemia and Moravia, 1774.

[December 19]

First edition of the Sefer Mitzvot Gadol published, Soncino, Italy, 1488.

[December 20]

Canada recognized Israel, 1948.

[December 21]

Austrian constitution abolished discrimination based on religious differences, 1867.

[December 22]

S.S. commander of Treblinka sentenced to life imprisonment, 1970.
Vilna massacres end, 32,000 Jews killed, 1941.

[December 23]

Emancipation of the Jews of Hungary, 1867.
The Pope bans conversion of Jewish children without consent of their parents, 1420

[December 24]

KKK founded in Tennessee, 1865.
The desecration of a new shul in Cologne, Germany sparked a wave of anti-Jewish incidents throughout Western Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Africa, 1959. [If you think that these kind of things can't happen today - think again!]

[December 25]

Anti-Jewish riots in different parts of Austria, 1312.
King of Sicily requires Jews to wear a special badge, 1369.
Anti-Jewish riots broke out in Warsaw, 1881. ("Oh, they don't mean much; they'll stop soon; we'll be okay here in the future").
Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat met in Ismailia, Egypt, 1977.

[December 26]

Barcelona granted the right to exclude Jews for all time, 1424.
Religious freedom granted to Jews (and Catholics) in Brazil, 1634.
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra founded, 1936. First concert was under the direction of Arturo Tuscanini.

[December 27]

Followers of Zecharia of Kiev were burned in Moscow, 1503, on charges of Judaizing.
Rumanian Jews were excluded from the medical profession, 1868.

[December 28]

The organizational meeting of the National Council of Young Israel took place, 1912.

[December 29]

New York City authorities warn Jews about incompetent and unscrupulous mohalim who were causing the deaths of many Jewish infants, 1870.
The JNF was founded, 1901.
The ship, "The 29th of November", with "illegal" Jewish immigrants, was driven off the coast by the British, 1947.

[December 30]

40 Jewish workers were killed by Arabs at the Haifa refineries, 1947.

[December 31]

Decree of Empress Catherine restricted the right of residence of Russian Jews, 1791.
100,000 Jews of Sicily were expelled, 1492.
Israel's first desalination plant opened, 1963, Eilat.
A Russo-U.S. trade treaty, originally ratified in 1832, was abrogated by President Taft in 1912, because of Russian discrimination against Jews (who were American citizens). (Sounds pretty good.)

This Day in Jewish History Index