B"H Yom Yom from Day by Day in Jewish History by Rabbi Abraham P. Bloch z"l

[21 Tevet] Birthday of Shimon, son of Yaakov Avinu. Purim Ancona, followed the fast day mentioned above, for the 20 Tevet.

[December 30] 40 Jewish workers were killed by Arabs at the Haifa refineries, 1947.

[22 Tevet] Anti-Jewish riots in Ancona, Italy, 1798 (day after the "local" Purim which had been celebrated since 1691). Roman mobs attempted to set fire to the ghetto and to sack it, 1798 (Why should Anconians be the only ones to attack Jews?)

[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 discriminationagainst Jews (who were American citizens). (Sounds pretty good.)

[23 Tevet] A fire which started in the home of the rabbi of Frankfort-on-the-Main nearly destroyed the whole Jewish ghetto, 1711. Yahrzeit of Nathan Straus, for whom the city of Netanya and the Israel Center's street are both named, 1931.

[January 1] Violent earthquake shook Eretz Yisrael; over 2000 died in Tzfat, another 700 in T'veriya, 1837. Several restrictions on Jewish ownership of land went into effect in Russia, 1808. The Decree for the Elimination of Jews from German Economic Life took effect, 1939. First Jewish censor was appointed by the Russiangovernment, 1798, to censor all Hebrew books printed in Russia or imported from other countries. [Yosef Mendelovitch tells that when he was being transfered from one Russian prison to another, he was in temporary possession of his Chumash that had been confiscated when he was first imprisoned. He would have to give itup again upon arrival at the new prison. Also in his possession was a collection of selected speeches by Breshnev translated into Yiddish. This book was officially passed by the censor (which is why I'm relating this story). He separated content from covers in both books, which happened to be of the same size, got ridof the speeches, and pasted (with well-chewed bread) the Chumash into the censor-approved cover. His Chumash passed cursory inspection at his new prison and was his unfailing companion during his incarceration.] Nazis prohibited Jews from gathering in shuls or private homes for prayer, 1940.

[24 Tevet] Purim of Sherif celebrated by the Jews of Tripoli, from 1745. Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Lyady, the Baal HaTanya, founder of Chabad, 1812.

[January 2] Jewish mourners were attacked at a funeral, Egypt, 1012. First native Jewish child born in Spain since the expulsion in 1492 was born, 1966. Emperor Joseph II of Austria issued an Edict of Toleration in 1782 which repealed most restrictions on Jews that had been imposed by the Church. [Nice? No! The intentionof the edict was not the emancipation of the Jews but their assimilation. Similarly, Napoleon's efforts had similar motives. On the other hand, the emancipation of the Jews in England and Holland beginning in the 17th century, stemmed from liberal policies rather than anti-Jewish prejudices and hopes of assimilating andconverting Jews. Ironically, the former type of motivation was often successfully fought by Jews who saw what was behind the easing of restrictions against Jews. The latter type of removal of restrictions often led to an increase of assimilation.]

[25 Tevet] Anti-Jewish riots in different parts of Austria, 1312. First critical edition of Chovot HaLevavot published in Italy, 1559. (Next time you buy a sefer, such as Chovot HaLevavot, or anything older, realize that Jews have been buying them for about 500 years - but not more than that, in print, that is.)

[January 3] Frederick William of Brandenburg issued a decree safeguarding the privileges of the Jews of Berlin, 1676. [Thank you, I guess]

[26 Tevet] Jews of Sicily required to wear a special badge, 1369. (Once again, note how non-original the Nazis were. Also note that Christians did to Jews what had been done to them many years before.)

[January 4] Follow this. In Toulouse, France, there was a Jew who converted to Christianity. He returned to Judaism, B"H. He was subsequently buried in a Jewish cemetery. Rabbi Isaac Males, HY"D, was burned at the stake, 1278, by the Inquisition for allowing the burial. The severity of his punishment was based on the Church'sneed to deter those who might feel drawn to Judaism.

[27 Tevet] Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, 1888. [Rabbi Bloch z"l includes an anecdote in this entry, something he hardly ever does. SRH was paid a salary by his community for three months at a time, in advance. He instructed his family that they were to return a prorated amount to the community for the remainderof the three month period during which he would die. His family was spared the effort, however, for he died precisely at the end of the three-month period.]

[January 5] Get this one: Maryland put into effect the "Jew Bill", 1826, which allowed Jews to hold public office if they believed in Reward and Punishment in the Hereafter. (a) It took 50 years from the founding of the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave to allow Jews this measure of equality (of course, this shouldn'tsurprise us when we realize how long Blacks were kept as slaves); (b) Since 1634, until Nationhood, the practice of Judaism (specifically, the denial of the validity of Christianity) was punishable by death.

[28 Tevet] R. Shimon b. Shetach ridded the Sanhedrin of its Tzadoki members. The day was subsequently celebrated as a holiday. Jews of Switzerland were granted civic equality, 1866, upon pressure exerted by the United States which had interceded on behalf of American Jewish citizens.

[January 6] Yeshivat Kol Ya'akov was established in Moscow, 1957. It had the approval of the Soviet government because they wanted to show the world that they weren't anti-Semitic, nor were they suppressing Jewish education and life.