Shevat 17

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Chaim Palagi (1788-1868), a prolific author who wrote 72 books on all topics of Jewish life. The Turkish government accorded Rabbi Palagi the honor due to royalty. When asked to what he attributed his long life, he enumerated 10 acts that bring longevity -- including attending to one's parents, despite their mental infirmity.


pk

PKRAUSE

WELL this person wrote a lot of books

dgrimm60

18 Shevat

In 1980, following its peace treaty with Israel, the Egyptian parliament voted to end its economic boycott of Israel. The Arab boycott was formally declared in 1945, stating that Arab countries would not do business with Israel, nor with any company which sold products to Israel. (Officially, the boycott extended its blacklist one step further, to include any company that did business with a company that did business with Israel.) The objective of the boycott was to isolate Israel from the international community, and deny it the ability to build military and economic strength. In 1977, the U.S. Congress passed a law prohibiting American firms from cooperating with the Arab boycott. Companies such as Pepsi, which had long observed the boycott, now began selling in Israel. In recent years, with greater peace overtures between Israel and Arab neighbors, the boycott has withered in strength, though it remains official policy of most Arab countries.

In 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after the launch of its mission, when an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster failed. All seven crew members were killed, including Judith Resnik, 36-year-old Jewish American. Challenger was one of two space shuttles destroyed during a mission, the other being Columbia in 2003 which included Israeli Ilan Ramon.

pk

PKRAUSE

WELL that is interestiing about the boycott

also I do remember both Space Shuttle disasters

dgrimm60

I've heard a couple of places that Ilan Ramon loved God and the Sabbath and was looking forward to returning to earth so that he could do activities that he felt more comfortable with on Sabbath such as attending worship with his family.

Interesting, I had not heard that.

pk

19 Shevat

In 1349, Jews in Basle, Switzerland were burned alive in a wooden house, erected specifically for that purpose. The Jewish community of Basel had flourished until 1348, when they were accused of poisoning wells during the Black Plague. This triggered a variety of persecutions: Jewish children were forcibly baptized, 600 Jews were burned at the stake, and the remainder were burned alive in the wooden house. In modern history, Basel became better known as the host of the first Zionist Congress in 1897. Ironically, on this date in 1949 -- exactly 600 years after the massacre in Basle -- the State of Israel elected its first president, Chaim Weizman.


pk

PKRAUSE

WOW that is interesting about the burnings and the
force baptism.....and also about the election of the
1st president of ISRAEL


dgrimm60

20 Shevat

In 1523, the first printed edition of Tzror HaMor, a Bible commentary by Rabbi Avraham Sebag, was published in Venice. Sebag had been expelled from Spain in 1492, and made the unfortunate choice of fleeing to Portugal, where he was persecuted and saw his two sons forcibly baptized and taken from him. He buried his manuscripts to save them from confiscation and destruction. (Alas, he never saw them again.) Sebag eventually made his way to Africa where he managed to rewrite some of his works. It was this edition of Tzror HaMor that was published in 1523. (source: Abraham Bloch)

pk

PKRAUSE

WELL this is interesting about going to AFRICA and
rewriting some of his works

dgrimm60