B"H Yom Yom
based on Day by Day in Jewish History 
by Rabbi Abraham P. Bloch z"l (KTAV) 

[16 Tevet] Emperor of Austria issued Edict of Toleration, 1782, repealing most restrictions on Jews. It was not successful, and we can say B"H to that, because its true objective was assimilation. This was so of some, but not all, of the freedom the Jews were granted in different countries. ### The ship "29th of November", carrying "illegal" immigrants, was driven off the coast by the British, 1947.

[January 11th] Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Shapira of Dynow, the Bnei Yissaschar, leader of the fight against the Haskala movement, died, 1841. ### Rabbi Yehuda Leib Alter, second Gerer Rebbe, the Sfas Emes, died, 1905. ### The poipulation of Israel reached 3 million with the arrival of a Russian Jewish family, 1971.

[17 Tevet] The Pope approved the organization of the Jewish community of Rome, 1524. ### The "Great Elector", Frederick William of Brandenburg issued a decree safeguarding the privileges of the Jews of Berlin, 1676. ### Yahrzeits of two famous MAGIDIM - Rabbi Avraham b. Moshe, the Zera Avraham, 1725, and the Dubno Magid, Rabbi Yaakov Kranz, 1804. [Historical note by Rabbi Bloch z"l: The 18th century saw two "Jewish innovations" - Chasidism and the Magid. Both were responses to a widespread ignorance of Jewish law and learning among the Jews of rural Ukraine and other countries. Both impacted strongly, though MAGIDISM was short-lived, as opposed to Chasidism.] ### Congregation She'arith Yisrael, New York City - the oldest congregation in North America (1656), purchased a lot in lower Manhattan for the purpose of building a shul, 1728. ### 40 Jewish workers at the oil refineries in Haifa were killed by Arabs, 1947.

[January 12th] First provisional council of the Jews of Eretz Yisrael was founded, 1917. ### The Genocide Pact, ratified by the U.N., went into effect, 1951.

[18 Tevet] The two leaders of the Jewish community of Bavel were executed in Pumpedita by the Persian authorities, 468ce. This was followed by a wave of persecution of Babylonian Jewry. ### Pope Martin ### banned the conversion of Jewish children under the age of 12 without permission of their parents, 1420. ### The ships "Independence" and "In-Gathering", carrying "illegal" immigrants, were taken by the British to Cyprus, 1947. Exactly two years later, the British announced their decision to release the internees, 1949.

[January 13th] Caucasian Jews who were serfs of Muslim masters were set free, 1836. ### Emile Zola published his famous letter entitled "J'Accuse". 1898, which led to a revision of the Dreyfus trial. ### Talks were opened on the island of Rhodes, 1949, to discuss an armistice between Israel and the Arabs. ### Solomon Mikhoels, director of the Yiddish Art Theater of Moscow, was murdered in Minsk by government agents, 1952. This was the initial step in the drive to eradicate Yiddish culture in Russia. ### Publication in Pravda of a report on "The Arrest of the Group of Doctor-Wreckers" touched off a virulent anti-Jewish campaign throughout Russia, 1953. 

[19 Tevet] Yahrzeit of Judah Touro, great American philanthropist, 1854. ### Yahrzeit of the K'tav Sofer, Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer, 1871. ### JNF established, 1901.

[January 14th] Hebrew books and manuscripts which had been confiscated by Church authorities in Rome were burned, 1601. ### RALBAG (Rabbi Levi b. Gershom, a.k.a. Gersonides) completed his commentary on the Torah, 1338. He also wrote extensively on mathematics and astronomy, philosophy, and many difficult topics of Jewish interest. He also invented (or significantly improved) a navigation tool which made possible reliable navigation by stars; it was used for about three centuries (possibly until the invention of the sextant). RALBAG was known throughout the world - not just within the Jewish world.

[20 Tevet] Yahrzeit of the Rambam, 1204. ### The first printed edition of Talmud Bavli - Brachot, Soncino, Italy, 1483. Printed on the 279th yahrzeit of the Rambam, it contained his commentary on the Mishna. ### The Jewish community of Ancona miraculously escaped harm from an earthquake, 1690. The event was commemorated by a local fast day. ### The Nazis prohibited Jews of occupied Poland from changing their residences, 1940. This decree forshadowed the establishment of ghettos. ### 6000 Jews were killed in a pogrom in Bucharest, Rumania, 1941.
[January 15th] Jews of Switzerland were granted civic equality, 1866. These rights were granted after considerable prodding by diplomatic representatives of the United States, who interceded on behalf of American Jewish businessmen who were being discriminated against in their dealings with the Swiss.

[21 Tevet] Birth of Shimon b. Yaakov. ### Purim of Ancona followed the fast mentioned in the entry for 20 Tevet - see above. ### Jews of Galicia, Austria were ordered to adopt fixed family names, 1788. Although this was done as part of the emperor's plans to westernize Austrian Jewry, it was used by state officials to force degrading animal names on poor Jews who could not afford the extortionist prices for desirable names.

[January 16th] Mt. Sinai Hospital, NYC, was the first hospital in America under Jewish auspices, 1852. ### 35 members of the Hagana who set out to relieve besieged Gush Etzyon were ambushed and killed in the hills of Hebron, 1948. They are HA'LAMED-HEI. HY"D.

[22 Tevet] Curtain Purim was declared in Prague in commemoration of the escape from the gallows of Joseph Thein, 1622. ### Anti-Jewish riots in Ancona, Italy (on the day following their private Purim), 1798. ### Roman mobs attempted to set fire to the ghetto and sack it, 1798.

[January 17th] The earliest authorization for the establishment of a university under Jewish auspices, including medical and juridical departments, was granted by King John to Benjamin Romano of Syracuse, Sicily, 1466. (Tell the truth - were you expecting a more recent year?) The university never materialized, because the Jews of Sicily were expelled 26 years after King John's grant. (Imagine a YU with AECOM and Cardozo in Sicily, 535 years ago!) 

[23 Tevet] A fire broke out in the ghetto in Frankfort-on-the-Main nearly destroying it completely, 1711. ### Yahrzeit of Nathan Straus, American communal leader and philanthropist, 1931. (Both Netanya and Rechov Straus, former home of the Israel Center, were named in his memory.)
[January 18th] Israel and Egypt signed an agreement, 1974, on the disengagement of their forces in the Suez Canal area. ### Mordechai M. Noah, American Jewish diplomat, petitioned the State of New York for the sale of Grand Island in the Niagra River for the purpose of founding there a settlement for Jewish immigrants from Europe, 1820. ### Jews of the Warsaw ghetto put up their first resistanceto the Nazis, 1943. This was a prelude to the more famous uprising that took place a few months later.