Today in Israeli History

Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.

Jan. 20, 1942 — ‘Final Solution’ planned at Wannsee Nazis convened by Gestapo head Reinhard Heydrich in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee draft the plans for the Holocaust’s “Final Solution” to European Jewry through deportation to deadly labor camps and mass murder.

Jan. 21, 1882 — BILU founding launches First Aliyah BILU, whose name comes from Isaiah’s “Beit Yaakov lekhu venelkha” (“House of Jacob, let us go”), is founded by 30 students in Ukraine, setting the groundwork for the First Aliyah of Zionist immigration.

Jan. 22, 1979 — Munich mastermind is killed

Ali Hassan Salameh, the chief of operations for the terrorist group Black September, is killed by a Mossad car bomb in Beirut in revenge for the killing of 11 Israeli Olympians in Munich in 1972.

Jan. 23, 1950 — Knesset declares Jerusalem the capital

The Knesset votes 60-2 to adopt a Cabinetdrafted resolution d eclaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel.

Mapam and Herut abstain. The no votes are two Communists who favor an international status for Jerusalem.

Jan. 24, 1965 — Syria arrests Eli Cohen

Syrian police arrest businessman Kamel Amin Tha’abet at his Damascus home and charge him with espionage. Tha’abet is actually successful Mossad agent Eli Cohen, who is hanged May 18, 1965.

Jan. 25, 1904 — Herzl meets with Pope

Theodor Herzl meets with but fails to sway Pope Pius X during a two-week trip to Italy. “We cannot give approval to this movement,” Pius says of Zionism. “We could never sanction it” because of Jews’ rejection of Jesus.

Jan. 26, 1919 — Weizmann warns of catastrophe Chaim Weizmann makes the Zionist case in a letter to Gen. Arthur Money, who heads the British military administration in Palestine. Without a secure home, Weizmann says, Jews face “a terrible catastrophe.” PJC

Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, is set to visit Krakow, Poland, from Jan. 26 -29. On Jan. 27, Emhoff, joined by U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt, is slated to visit the Memorial and Museum at AuschwitzBirkenau. He will also participate in a wreath-laying ceremony and attend the annual commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Emhoff and Lipstadt will then head to Berlin, where on Jan. 30-31 they are to attend a meeting of special envoys and coordinators working to combat antisemitism.

As the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. president or vice president, Emhoff has become increasingly vocal about his Jewish background and about the rising antisemitism in the country.

Last month, he led a roundtable with Jewish leaders at the White House. Addressing the topic of rising Jew-hatred, he said, “I understand the weight of this responsibility — I do. … And as second gentleman, let me reiterate, I will not remain silent. I’m proud to be Jewish, and I’m proud to live openly as a Jew. I am not afraid. We cannot live in fear. We refuse to be afraid.”

Ancient ostrich eggs found in Israel shed light on early humans

The Israel Antiquities Authority recently uncovered a number of ostrich eggs dating back thousands of years during an excavation near an ancient fire pit in the Negev desert, JNS.org reported

“We found a campsite, which extends over about 200 square meters, that was used by the desert nomads since prehistoric times. At the site, we found burnt stones, flint and stone tools as well as pottery sherds, but the truly special find is this collection of ostrich eggs,”

IAA Excavation Director Lauren Davis said.

“Although the nomads did not build permanent structures at this site, the finds allow us to feel their presence in the desert. These campsites were quickly covered over by the dunes and were re-exposed with the sand movement over hundreds and thousands of years. This fact explains the exceptional preservation of the eggs, allowing us a glimpse into the lives of the nomads who roamed the desert in ancient times,” she added.

Ostriches were common in the region from early prehistoric periods until they became extinct in the wild during the 19th century. Their eggs have been found in archaeological sites from several periods, reflecting their importance as a raw material.

“We find ostrich eggs in archaeological sites in funerary contexts, and as luxury items and water canteens. Naturally, they were used as a source of food: one ostrich egg has the nutritional value of about 25 normal chicken eggs!” IAA researcher Dr. Amir Gorzalczany said.

First 7-Eleven opens in Israel

Israel has its first 7-Eleven convenience store, Globes reported.

The store opened on Dec. 11 in Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Center, a year after Electra Consumer Products announced a 20-year franchise agreement with the U.S.-based convenience store chain.

By the middle of 2023, seven more stores are scheduled to open, most of them in Tel Aviv with one in Hod Hasharon. Thirty stores are set to open by early 2024.

The Tel Aviv store will sell about 2,000 products, including 80 that are 7-Eleven brand products made in Israel. International brands such as Slurpee also will be available. PJC

Compiled by Andy Gotlieb