Jewish History

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A Syrian man observes the destroyed Jobar Synagogue, also known as Eliyahu Hanavi, in Jobar neighborhood, in Damascus, Syria, December 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Assad’s fall reopens access to 2,700-year-old Damascus synagogue, but only 9 Jews remain

Leader of tiny Syrian community visits largely destroyed Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue in capital's Jobar neighborhood, recounts years of site being off-limits during civil war

www.timesofisrael.com

 

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Today in Jewish History​

• Alexander-Yannai's death celebrated (76 BCE)
Hashmonean King Alexander-Yannai (Jannaeus), an avowed enemy of the Jewish sages, died on this date. So great was his cruelty and the ruthlessness with which he persecuted the Sages and those loyal to them (some 50,000 were killed in the years 82-76 BCE), that the day of his death was declared a holiday.

Link:
King Yannai

• Purim Rome (1793)
On this day, Shevat 2 (January 14, 1793), a frenzied mob gathered around the Jewish ghetto of Rome with the intention of setting it on fire. Miraculously, heavy rains began to fall, and it became impossible for the bloodthirsty horde to carry out their plans, thus saving the homes and lives of the Jews from destruction. Every year, that day, also known as Moed di Piombo (“Holiday of Gray [Clouds]”), has been celebrated as a day of thanksgiving by the Jews of Rome.

Link:
Other "Purims"

 

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Ramot: Exploring Jerusalem's largest neighborhood

Neighborhood Corner: From biblical roots to modern-day demographic shifts, Ramot’s story is one of transformation and growth.

www.jpost.com

 

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This week in Jewish history: Tu Bishvat and so many accomplishments

A highly abridged weekly version of Dust & Stars.

www.jpost.com

 

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After Decades in Exile, Syria’s Jews Visit Damascus - Algemeiner.com

For the first time in three decades, Rabbi Joseph Hamra and his son Henry read from a Torah scroll in a synagogue in the heart of Syria's capital Damascus, carefully passing their thumbs over the handwritten text as if still in awe they were back home. The father and son fled Syria in the 1990s...

www.algemeiner.com

 

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Today in Jewish History​

• Columbia Tragedy; Israeli Astronaut Perishes (2003)
On the morning of February 1, 2003, the Columbia Space Shuttle, returning from its STS-107 mission, was destroyed upon re-entry, 16 minutes before its scheduled landing. All its crew members perished, including Ilan Ramon, a combat pilot in the Israeli Air Force, who was the first Israeli astronaut. Prior to his departing to space on Space Shuttle Columbia, where his mission included the manning of a multispectral camera for recording desert aeroso, he arranged to take kosher food as well as a Kiddush cup, a Torah Scroll, and a dollar from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory.

 

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Karl Pfeifer, Journalist Who Documented 20th Century With A Jewish Eye, Dies at 94: A Personal Memoriam - Algemeiner.com

The death of Karl Pfeifer last Friday marks the end of an unforgettable and unparalleled chapter in the history of Jewish journalism after World War II. Karl — who passed away in Vienna at the grand age of 94 — was buried on Sunday in the Jewish cemetery in Baden, the Austrian spa town where

www.algemeiner.com

 

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