Today in history 2/9 -- 1119: Calixtus II was named Pope. During his twenty five years on the papal throne, Calixtus II “provided a considerable amount of protection for Roman Jews.” 1404: In Constantinople, Manuel II Palaiologos and Helena Dragaš gave birth to Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Byzantine Emperor who would lose his capital to the Ottomans led by Mehmed II in 1453. This would mark the end of Christian domination in parts of eastern Europe and Asia Minor, a change which would have incalculable effect on Jews living in the region as far west as Spain. 1807: Napoleon convened the French Sanhedrin. The first meeting in Paris of the Napoleonic Sanhedrin was under the leadership of The Assembly of Jewish Notables. It opened amid great pomp and celebration under the direction of Abraham Furtado. The Sanhedrin was modeled on the ancient Tribunal in Jerusalem and consisted of 71 members - 46 Rabbis and 25 laymen. Rabbi David Sinzheim of Strasburg was its President. They were presented with 12 questions regarding the positions of Jewry regarding polygamy, divorce, usury, other faiths, and most important whether they considered France to be their Fatherland. Needless to say, they received guidance from the emperor as to the general formulation of the answers. 1808: In Westphalia, a large delegation of Jews visited King Jerome, the brother of Napoleon to express their thanks for his granting them full emancipation. During the audience he told them: Tell your brothers to enjoy the rights that were granted to them. They can depend upon my protection on a par with the rest of my children. 1825: For the first, and so far only time, the House of Representatives chose the President of the United States when it elected John Quincy Adams to the Presidency during which he responded to a letter from Major Mordecai Manuel Noah by saying “I believe in the rebuilding of Judea as an independent nation.” 1879: It was reported today that modern day London and its suburbs cover an area of 700 square miles with a population that includes more Jews than are found in all of Palestine. 1880: It was reported today that Hebraica, which has been published as a monthly supplement to the Jewish Messenger will now be published as a weekly featuring articles on Hebrew literature and the science of the Bible. 1889: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is established as a Cabinet-level agency. Former Kansas Congressman Dan Glickman who served as USDA Secretary from 1995 to 2001 is the only Jew to head this department of the U.S. Government. 1890: It was reported today Princeton University Professor Arthur Frothingham presented each of the students in his Hebrew Class with a new Hebrew Lexicon and a volume containing the text of Genesis. The course was an elective. Frothingham was one of the first professors of art history and an archeologist who got in trouble with President of Princeton over his choice of courses. I have not been able to find out why he was teaching a course in Hebrew, except for the face that his academic training had been foreign languages. 1895: William G. Morgan invents volleyball at YMCA in Holyoke, MA. Jewish volleyball players include the Brazilian women’s star Adriana Brandão Behar, Aryeh (Arie) Selinger the Polish born Israeli who coached the Dutch Mens Team to the silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain and Avital Haim Selinger, a 48 year old Sabra, who, before his retirement, played for two different Dutch teams in the Summer Olympics. 1900: Davis Cup competition is established. The most prominent American Jewish player in Davis Cup competitor was Aaron Krickstein. He was a member of the U.S. Davis Cup team from 1985-1987 and also was a member of the 1990 squad. He compiled a 6-4 record in singles play during Davis Cup ties. The highlight of Kricksteins Davis Cup career came in 1990 when he scored two hard fought victories in a World Group Quarterfinal tie against Czechoslovakia leading his team to a 4-1 win. Israel first competed in Davis Cup play in 1949. Shlomo Glickstein and Eleazar Davidman are two of the most prominent members of the Israeli teams over the last half century. 1904: As some Zionist leaders consider temporary alternatives for a Jewish homeland, Leopold Greenberg cables to accept the offer of the territory in Nandi without delay because a governmental change was impending. Under this pressure Herzl writes back the demanded consent. On the next day he cables Greenberg again to undertake nothing until he received Herzls written instructions. 1910: Birthdate of the influential modern dance choreographer Anna Sokolow. 1925: The Technion opened in Haifa. “As Israels oldest and premier institute of science and technology, the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology has been an active and leading participant in Israels establishment and development. With supreme effort and unyielding dedication, deserts have bloomed, swamps have been transformed into fertile agricultural valleys, and sand has given way to silicon. Israel is now recognized as one of the worlds most prominent high-tech innovators, and has been called the second Silicon Valley.” After some years of intense pioneering activities, with which Prof. Albert Einsteins deep involvement, the Technion opened its doors in the 1920’s becoming Israel’s first modern university. The first undergraduate class consisted of 16 students in two areas of instruction; Civil Engineering and Architecture. After serious debate, the language of instruction was chosen to be Hebrew, as opposed to German. The impact of the first Jewish university in an embryonic Jewish state brought about a vital link between the two. The faculty has had an impact in a variety of fields and has one numerous international honors. In 2004, “Professors Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover of the Faculty of Medicine received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery of the crucial role of ubiquitin in the process of protein breakdown in cells.” The accomplishments are all the more amazing when one considers the political, economic and cultural milieu in which the Technion was developed – limited funding, terrorism, and the constant threat of national annihilation. 1925: The children of Jerusalem planted trees on Tu B’Shevat 1951(3rd of Adar I, 5711): Pianist and society band leader, Eddy Duchin passed away. Born in 1910, in Cambridge, MA, this son of Jewish immigrant parents trained as a Pharmacist before pursing his musical dream. He was a musical genius who began leading his own orchestra in 1931 when he was only 22. He was 41 years old when he died of acute myelogenous leukemia. He was the father the even more famous Peter Duchin. The Eddy Duchin Story, a film with Tryone Power playing the title role and Kim Novak playing his High Society first wife, made no mention of Duchin being Jewish or the challenges that must have presented as he pursued his career among those who if not anti-Semitic certainly were not partial to having Jews around. 1954: Birthdate of Salah Tarif, a Druze Israeli politician who served in the Knesset for fourteen years. His service in the cabinet of Ariel Sharon made him the first non Jew to serve as a government minister in Israel. 1964: Thanks to the work of their manager Brian Epstein, the Beatles made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, three days before they were to appear at Carnegie Hall as a result of a deal work out between Epstein and impresario Sid Bernstein. 1966 (19th of Shevat, 5726): Sophie Tucker, the last of the Red Hot Mommas, passed away.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 02:04:37 +0000
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