Shevat 21

In 1948, a car bomb exploded in front of the Palestine Post (later the Jerusalem Post) on Havatzelet Street in Jerusalem. A stolen British police pickup loaded with half a ton of TNT pulled up in front of the Post building. Five minutes later, a second car pulled up: Its driver lit the fuse and drove away. Three people were killed and dozens injured. The bomb destroyed the printing press; its aim was to stop the growing international influence of Jerusalem's only English language newspaper. (Further, since most Israeli newspapers were published in Tel Aviv, the Post was the only source of news in Jerusalem during the Arab siege.) The bombing was perpetrated by the Arab militia, assisted by former British soldiers. As an act of ultimate defiance, the Post published an edition the next morning, albeit reduced in size to two pages. Arab violence intensified leading up to Israel's independence: A few weeks later, three trucks carrying explosives blew up on Jerusalem's Ben Yehuda Street, destroying buildings and killing 56 Jews; two weeks later another car bomb blew up at the Jewish Agency building in Jerusalem, killing 13 people.


pk

I ain't real impressed with them towel heads.

g

PKRAUSE

well that is really sad

dgrimm60

Shevat 22

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, Poland (1787-1859), the great chassidic leader known as the Kotzker Rebbe. He was said to be completely uncompromising in the quest for faith, honesty and truth. He abhorred rote piety, and taught his followers that they must renew their quest for self-knowledge and truth on a daily basis. He is known for his sharp wit and catchy phrases, for example: "Where is God? Wherever you let Him in."


pk

PKRAUSE

WELL that is an interesting statement about"Where is GOD"

dgrimm60

23 Shevat

On this date in 1918, the Jewish Legion left England to join the Allies in liberating Palestine from the Turks. Four years earlier, Zev Jabotinsky had proposed that a Jewish legion be formed, but the British resisted the idea of Jewish volunteers fighting on the Palestinian front; this led instead to the establishment of the Zion Mule Corps. Meanwhile, Jabotinsky pursued his project of a Jewish Legion, which was eventually designated as the 38th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. It included British volunteers, members of the former Zion Mule Corps, a large number of Russian Jews, and later joined by a large number of American volunteers. A few years later, the Jewish Legion was demobilized by the anti-Zionist British Military Administration. Yet it would be remembered as the first organized Jewish fighting force since Roman times, and a precursor to the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).

pk

PKRAUSE

WELL that is interesting about the 1st fighting force
since the ROMAN TIMES

dgrimm60

24 Shevat

In 354 BCE, the prophet Zechariah predicted the rebuilding of Zion, as recorded in the biblical Book of Zechariah (1:7). King Darius of Persia had given permission to rebuild the second Holy Temple, and Zechariah rebuked the people for not quickly taking the opportunity to do so.

pk

PKRAUSE

well that is very intersting and yes some times
we need to be rebuked for not taking action

dgrimm60

25 Shevat

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter (1810-1883), founder of the Mussar (Jewish ethics) movement of spiritual growth. Rabbi Salanter's approach gained popularity in Lithuania, at a time when chassidic influences were growing. The idea of Mussar is to use meditations, guided imagery, and exercises to penetrate the subconscious. In this way an individual can break through the barriers that prevent the soul from expressing its purity. Mussar books such as Path of the Just give a road map to developing traits of humility, alacrity and purity. Rabbi Salanter encouraged people to set a time every day for the study of Mussar, an idea which remains popular until today.

pk