Posts
http://archive.jta.org/article/1946/10/25/2746763/witnesses-testify-that-theresienstadt-commander-ordered-10-jews-shot-for-stolen-rabbit
October 25, 1946
Witnesses Testify That Theresienstadt Commander Ordered 10 Jews Shot for Stolen Rabbit
Prague, Oct. 24 (JTA) –
Jewish witnesses today declared that Heinrich Joeckel, former commandant of a section of the Theresienstadt concentration camp, who is on trial at Litomerice for the murder and torture of Jews and Czechs at the camp, issued an order that ten Jews would be shot for every rabbit missing from the camp's hutch.
In an interview with Joeckel a Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent asked him what happened to numerous Jews who disappeared from Theresienstadt and have never been traced. Joeckel's answer was evasive. The correspondent reported that he does not appear to regret the murder of thousands of Jews committed under his orders.
Citation - Click to see see this article's citation
"Witnesses Testify That Theresienstadt Commander Ordered 10 Jews Shot for Stolen Rabbit." Jewish Telegraphic Agency 25 Oct 1946.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Theresienstadt Deputy Commander Executed for Crimes Against Jews and Czechs
http://archive.jta.org/article/1946/11/20/2747094/theresienstadt-deputy-commander-executed-for-crimes-against-jews-and-czechs
November 20, 1946
Theresienstadt Deputy Commander Executed for Crimes Against Jews and Czechs
Prague, Nov. 19 (JTA) –
Wilhelm Schmidt, a former deputy commandant at the Theresienstadt concentration camp, was executed at Litomerice today shortly after he was convicted on charges of the murder and torture of thousands of Jewish and Czechoslovak prisoners. He was an assistant to Heinrich Joekels who was hanged three weeks ago for similar crimes.
The same court found Theodor Hochhaus guilty of membership in the S.S. corps, but imposed no punishment. Twenty-five Jewish and Czechoslovak prisoners testified in Hochhaus' defense asserting that he had treated prisoners "humanely."
Citation - Click to see see this article's citation
"Theresienstadt Deputy Commander Executed for Crimes Against Jews and Czechs." Jewish Telegraphic Agency 20 Nov 1946.
November 20, 1946
Theresienstadt Deputy Commander Executed for Crimes Against Jews and Czechs
Prague, Nov. 19 (JTA) –
Wilhelm Schmidt, a former deputy commandant at the Theresienstadt concentration camp, was executed at Litomerice today shortly after he was convicted on charges of the murder and torture of thousands of Jewish and Czechoslovak prisoners. He was an assistant to Heinrich Joekels who was hanged three weeks ago for similar crimes.
The same court found Theodor Hochhaus guilty of membership in the S.S. corps, but imposed no punishment. Twenty-five Jewish and Czechoslovak prisoners testified in Hochhaus' defense asserting that he had treated prisoners "humanely."
Citation - Click to see see this article's citation
"Theresienstadt Deputy Commander Executed for Crimes Against Jews and Czechs." Jewish Telegraphic Agency 20 Nov 1946.
The Second Temple is Built
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/144773/jewish/The-Second-Temple-is-Built.htm
The Second Temple is Built
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/144774/jewish/The-Roman-Takeover.htm
Before the destruction of the First Temple, Jeremiah had famously prophesized (Jeremiah 29:10), "For so said G‑d: For at the completion of seventy years of Babylon I will remember you, and I will fulfill My good word toward you, to restore you to this place."
And indeed, that is what happened. A little more than fifty years after the destruction of the First Temple, the Babylonians, who had destroyed the First Temple, were vanquished by the rising Persian Empire. The Persian king, Cyrus the Great, soon authorized the Jews to rebuild the Temple, but construction ground to a halt due to interference by the Samaritans. In 353 BCE, exactly seventy years after the destruction of the First Temple, the Jews began building again—at first independently, but King Darius soon ratified their effort. The Second Temple was completed in 349 BCE. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, the community in Judea became vibrant and secure.
The Second Temple Era spanned 420 years, ending with the Roman's destruction of the Holy Temple in 70 CE.1 For much of this period, Judea was under foreign domination. First the Jews were ruled by the Persians, and then, after the conquests of Alexander the Great, they were ruled by the Greeks. The Hasmonean revolt in 140 BCE brought about a period of Jewish monarchy. But the Hasmoneans did not rule for long.
The Beginning of the Roman Takeover
One radiant period of peace and tranquility during the Hasmonean dynasty was the ten-year reign of Queen Shlomit Alexander (76-66 BCE). There was political and religious harmony and Torah study and observance flourished. But this would not last into the next generation.
Queen Shlomit had two sons. The older son, Hyrkanus, was meek by nature and the younger son, Aristoblus, was greedy and ambitious. Upon the Queen's death, the populace was divided as to who should be the successor to the throne. Bloody riots ensued, and the country was plunged into civil war. The brothers agreed to involve the Roman general Pompey as a mediator. Pompey chose the docile Hyrkanus to be king, intending to make him a puppet and Judea another province of the expanding Roman Empire.
Many Jews, faithful to Aristobulus, refused to accept Pompey's decision. Fighting broke out in Jerusalem. The Temple became a fortress for the rebellious faction. In 63 BCE, Pompey's troops entered the Holy City and put down the rebellion.
The revolutionaries were executed, and Hyrkanus was installed as the puppet king and High Priest. But the effects in the long-term were monumental. By allowing Pompey to become involved in the internal affairs of the Holy Land, Hyrkanus and Aristobulus had inadvertently given Judea into the hands of the Roman Empire.
Judea was heavily taxed by Rome and a Roman governor of Judea was appointed.
« Previous
Next »
10 Comments
FOOTNOTES
1. There is some disagreement regarding the exact year in which the Second Holy Temple was destroyed. According to Rashi, it happened in 68 CE, while according to Tosafot, it was 69 CE. Josephus, a historian of the time, records the year as 70 CE. Some of this apparent disagreement can be attributed to different ways of counting the Jewish year: whether the five days before Adam's creation constitute Year 1 or Year 0
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953556/jewish/Herod-the-Great.htm
Share this:
1 Comment
Herod the Great
In 36 BCE, an Idumean named Herod took over as king of Judea. Known as Herod the Great, he apparently suffered from paranoia and ruled with ruthless brutality. He put to death forty-six leading members of the Sanhedrin and killed all the remaining members of the Hasmonean family, including, eventually, his own wife and children.
Herod was also an ambitious builder. His projects included, among others, the fortress in Massada, the building over the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, and the port city of Caesaria. But his most ambitious project by far – which he embarked on in 19 BCE – was the renovation and expansion of the Temple, which was dilapidated after 334 years. (He undertook this renovation as atonement for all the rabbis he killed.)
The result was spectacular.1 Herod's Temple was made of white marble and covered with gold plates. According to Josephus, "it reflected so fierce a blaze of fire that those who tried to look at it had to turn away, as if they had looked straight at the sun. To approaching strangers it appeared in the distance like a mountain covered with snow." The Sages concurred: "He who has not seen the Temple of Herod, has never seen a beautiful building" (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Batra, 4a; Shemot Rabba 36:1).2
After Herod's death, the country largely descended into anarchy. The Roman governors oppressed the Jews and allowed lawlessness to reign. Arab gangs and corrupt Roman officers plundered and killed. Former High Priests – who had paid their way into the office and then been replaced – formed their own militias to control the Temple. As a result of the violence and chaos, in 28 CE, the Sanhedrin left their post in the Temple.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953558/jewish/The-Four-Factions.htm
The Factions of the Second Temple Era
It was an era of great political upheaval internally, with an ongoing struggle for supremacy amongst different groups of Jews. The Jewish factions crystallized into four sects:
The Pharisees were the led by the rabbis and Sanhedrin (rabbinical supreme court). The word "Pharisees" comes from the Hebrew word perushim, "separatists." There are various views as to the etymology of this word. One explanation is that they separated themselves from the follies and pleasure of the world. Another is that they were careful to maintain ritual purity, and separated themselves from those who did not strictly observe these laws.
The Sadducees rejected the Oral Torah and the leadership of the rabbis. Many of them were rich priests and they took control of the priesthood, sometimes buying their way into the office of High Priest. Those who wanted to befriend the Romans were mostly Sadducees.
The Zealots were passionate nationalists who broke away from the Pharisees because they wanted to fight the Romans at all costs, while the Pharisees hesitated. (Although the Pharisees too wanted to be free of Roman rule, they thought it wiser to pursue peace. They feared the Roman reprisals to a no-holds-barred revolt would destroy the nation.)
The Sicarii were against any form of government altogether. "Sicarii" literally means "dagger-men." They resorted to stealth and terrorism to achieve their objectives. They would carry small daggers under their cloaks and stab their enemies – Romans or Roman sympathizers, often wealthy Jews and elites associated with the priesthood – and then blend into the crowd. (In contrast, the Zealots aimed their violence against Romans.)
While the First Temple was destroyed due to idol worship, illicit relationships and murder, our Sages attribute the destruction of the Second Temple to the baseless hatred that prevailed among the Jews. If the Jews had been united, they would have merited G‑d's protection. They would have withstood the Romans. It was the factionalism among Jews that ultimately brought about the destruction of the Second Temple.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953562/jewish/Revolt-against-Rome.htm
Revolt against Rome
By 66 CE, the Jews in many of the coastal cities were treated as despised outsiders. They were easy prey for robbers and murderers, suffering the taunts of the Europeans who had migrated there. The Roman governor of Judea, Florus, imprisoned any Jew who brought a claim against a foreigner, even if the claim was justified. He also raided the Temple treasury for his own personal gain. He encouraged Roman soldiers to provoke the Jews into rioting against him.
On one day in Jerusalem, 3,600 Jews were killed by Roman troops who had been sent in to quell the riots. Florus hoped the Jews of Jerusalem would try to avenge the slaughter so he could justify the mass killing of the Jewish population, loot their possessions, and seize the Holy Temple. Instead, the Jews organized a march seeking to make peace with the governor. The Roman soldiers, lusting for blood, charged into the crowd of marchers, killing many Jews, and continued on to the Temple Mount. Many Jews had gathered in there to block the entrances. They were successful, and the Roman soldiers retreated.
But now the Jews began revolting against the Romans throughout the land. In ever-increasing numbers they joined the movement of the Zealots who were openly preparing for warfare against the Romans. More reasonable elements, especially the Sages, tried to dissuade the people from resorting to violence, but in vain. Young Jews roamed the hills and forests, avenging violence and murder with more violence and murder. For the next few years rebels would rule the entire country.
The rebels caused Rome many losses. The Emperor Nero was sure that the Jews were rebelling against the Roman Empire itself, not just against the abuses of the governor Florus. He sent his best general, Vespasian, with 60,000 Roman soldiers and the most advanced weapons, to quell the revolt. Vespasian was joined by his son Titus. They would begin in the Galilee, in the north of Israel.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/144571/jewish/Kamtza-and-Bar-Kamtza.htm
Share this:
2 Comments
The Story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza
The Sages tell us the story behind Emperor Nero's conviction that the Jews were rebelling against Rome. As mentioned earlier, the nation had fallen to a low spiritual state characterized by baseless hatred. The story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza was the pivotal event that ignited Nero's rage and caused the destruction of the Holy Temple:
A Jew who had a friend named Kamtza and an enemy named Bar Kamtza made a feast. He told his servant to invite Kamtza, but by mistake the servant invited Bar Kamtza. Bar Kamtza took this as a gesture of forgiveness and put on his finest clothes and attended the feast. But when the host noticed Bar Kamtza, he demanded that he leave.
Bar Kamtza was embarrassed. "Since I am here," he requested, "let me stay. I will pay for whatever I eat and drink." But the host refused his offer.
"Then allow me to pay half the cost of the whole feast," begged Bar Kamtza.
"No!"
"Then I am willing to pay the full cost of the feast, but do not embarrass me any more..."
The host had Bar Kamtza dragged from the feast and thrown into the streets.
Bar Kamtza stood up, brushed the dust from his clothing and said to himself: "Since the rabbis were present at the feast and did not stop him, this shows they agreed with him. I'll slander them to the Emperor!"
Bar Kamtza went to Emperor Nero and told him that the Jews were planning a rebellion against him. "How do I know that to be true?" Nero asked. "Send an offering to the Temple and see if it will be accepted," Bar Kamtza said.
Nero sent a choice calf with Bar Kamtza, along with a delegation of Romans. During the journey, Bar Kamtza secretly made a blemish on the animal, disqualifying the animal as a sacrifice, and the animal was not accepted.
The delegation returned to Rome and told the emperor that his offering had been refused. Emperor Nero was furious, and the ramifications of his fury brought about one of the darkest chapters in our history.
Rabbi Elazar said, "Come and see how great is the punishment for causing embarrassment—for G‑d assisted Bar Kamtza [i.e., He allowed Bar Kamtza's plot to succeed because of the embarrassment caused him] and He destroyed His house and burned His Tabernacle."
Share this:
Comment
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953564/jewish/Rabbi-Yochanans-Request.htm
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai's Request
Vespasian's troops brutally conquered the north of Israel, eradicating all resistance. Meanwhile, the Jewish factions – now increasingly concentrated in Jerusalem – moved beyond power struggles into open civil war. While Vespasian merely watched from a distance, various factions of Zealots and Sicarii fought each other bitterly, even those that had common goals. They killed those advocating surrender. Thousands of Jews died at the hands of other Jews in just a few years.
Long before, the residents of Jerusalem had stored provisions in case of a Roman siege. Three wealthy men had donated huge storehouses of flour, oil, and wood—enough supplies to survive a siege of 21 years.
The Zealots, however, wanted all-out war. They were unhappy with the attitude of the Sages, who proposed sending a peace delegation to the Romans. In order to brings things to a head and force their fellow Jews to fight, groups of militia set fire to the city's food stores, condemning its population to starvation. They also imposed an internal siege on Jerusalem, not letting their fellow Jews in or out.
The greatest Jewish sage of the time was Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. He wisely foresaw that Jerusalem was doomed and understood the need to transplant the center of Torah scholarship to another location, to ensure the survival of Torah study after Jerusalem's destruction. He devised a plan that would allow him to leave Jerusalem, despite the Zealots' blockade. He feigned death so that he could be carried out of the city. His disciples carried the coffin out of the city's walls, and Rabbi Yochanan proceeded directly to Vespasian's tent. He entered the tent and addressed Vespasian as "Your Majesty."
"You are deserving of death on two accounts," said Vespasian. "First of all, I am not the emperor, only his general. Secondly, if I am indeed emperor, why did you not come to me until now?"
Rabbi Yochanan answered: "You are an emperor, because otherwise the Holy Temple would not be delivered in your hands.… And as for your second question, the reckless Zealots would not allow me to leave the city."
While they were speaking, a messenger came and told Vespasian that Nero was dead and he had been appointed the new Roman emperor. Vespasian was so impressed with Rabbi Yochanan's wisdom that he offered to grant Rabbi Yochanan anything he wanted as a reward. Rabbi Yochanan made three requests.1 The primary request was that Vespasian spare Yavne – which would become the new home of the Sanhedrin – and its Torah sages.
Rabbi Yochanan thus ensured the continuation of Jewish scholarship after the fall of Jerusalem. Even though they would no longer have a Temple or a homeland, the Jews would always have a spiritual center in the Torah.
In 69 CE, Vespasian returned to Rome to serve as emperor, but first he appointed his son, Titus, to carry on in his stead. In 70 CE, Titus came towards Jerusalem with an army of 80,000 soldiers.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953565/jewish/The-Last-Passover.htm
The Last Passover
In honor of Passover, many Jews from all over Judea risked their lives to make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, arriving just ahead of the swiftly-approaching Roman army. When they arrived, they found a city divided among warring factions, even as the Romans were in sight.
An unlikely alliance of Pharisees and Sadducees – both of whom did not want to engage the Romans in war – held control of large swathes of the city. The Sicarii, led by Simon ben Giora, held much of the Upper City and parts of the Lower City. The Zealots, divided amongst themselves, controlled the Temple area: A moderate faction, led by Eleazar ben Simon, camped in the Temple complex itself while the extreme Zealots, led by Yochanan of Gush Chalav, camped on the Temple Mount—in between the moderate Zealots and the Sadducees.
The moderate Zealots generously opened the gates of the Temple so the Jews could come in and offer their Paschal sacrifices. But the extremists, pretending to be Jews coming to offer sacrifices, also entered. Once inside, they took out their swords and began to kill moderates as well as visiting Jews. Not wanting to increase the panic among the masses of Jews in the Temple, the moderates did not fight back. Thus the extremists took control of the whole Temple area. Eleazar ben Simon's faction was wiped out and it appears that he died.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953566/jewish/Battle.htm
Share this:
1 Comment
Battle
Titus was not sure he would be able to conquer the city, which was swollen with pilgrims and refugees to two or three times its usual population, with many of the people willing to die for their cause. He waited, hoping the Sadducees would take control and send a peace delegation, but no delegation arrived. On the day after Passover, Titus started engaging in active warfare.
Now, finally, all the factions in Jerusalem had no choice but to work together and fight their common enemy. Altogether, there were about 23,000 warriors, both Zealots and moderates, as well as many pilgrims who had come for Passover and gotten stuck inside the city. The outnumbered Jewish defenders fought with great courage.
In addition to the many defenders entrenched in the Temple Mount itself, the Jews were concentrated in two more areas:
The Upper City, to the west of the Temple Mount, was the province of the priests and rich people. A deep valley between the Upper City and Temple Mount could be crossed by bridges. Excavations of this area, in the current Old City of Jerusalem, can be toured today.
The Lower City, to the south of the Temple Mount, was the province of the ordinary folk. This area is outside of the current walls of Jerusalem. (Today it is called the City of David – in Arabic, Silwan – and it can also be toured.)
There was also the "New City," a suburb to the north of the city.
The Roman soldiers attacked the weakest side of Jerusalem, the north side, first. They pounded the wall surrounding the New City with their battering rams and threw stones into the city with their catapults. The defenders, from on top of the wall, threw stones and burning torches onto the Romans, occasionally venturing out in surprise attacks to burn the Romans' battle equipment. On the seventh of Iyar, after two weeks of incessant ramming, the Romans breached this wall, and established their camp in the New City.
On the fifteenth of Iyar, after more fierce fighting, they breached a second wall, allowing them access from the north into the Lower City. They did not completely destroy the Lower City at this point. Instead, they paraded in a show of might intended to frighten the Jews. Then they prepared to storm the Upper City and the Temple area.
First they had to take the Antonia fortress, a towering fortress which had been built by Herod overlooking the Temple Mount. The defenders of the Antonia fortress, led by Yochanan of Gush Chalav, were desperate and wily. The Romans built a huge rampart next to the wall, but the Jews dug a tunnel underneath it, filled it with wood, and ignited it. The tunnel collapsed, causing the rampart to collapse as well. The Roman catapults and battering rams were burnt up.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953567/jewish/Starvation.htm
Starvation
When Titus saw he could not conquer them by force, he decided to starve the Jews into submission. He built a stone wall around the city and sealed all the exits, allowing only Romans with passes to pass through.
A terrible hunger now ravaged the overcrowded city. Soon the last stores of food dwindled down. Rich people gave all their wealth for a bit of food. Even leather was cooked and eaten. At first the Zealots had not been affected by hunger because they took other people's food, but eventually they too became desperately hungry, eating their horses and even their horses' dung and saddles.
In Josephus's account (The Jewish Wars, 5:10): "The roofs were filled with women and small children expiring from hunger, and the corpses of old men were piled in the streets. Youths swollen with hunger wandered like shadows in the marketplace until they collapsed. No one mourned the dead, because hunger had deadened all feeling. Those who fell to the ground turned their eyes for the last time to the Holy Temple and beheld the defenders still fighting and holding out." The best of friends would snatch food from each other. The Talmud recounts the sorry tale of a woman who killed and consumed her own baby, recalling the verse in Leviticus 26:29, "You will eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters you will eat."
The streets were soon filled with corpses, and, as it was hot summer weather, terrible epidemics broke out. Hundreds of people were found dead every morning. In their despair, many of the Jews tried to leave the enclosure of Jerusalem under the cover of night to seek something edible in the fields. They were easily captured, and Titus had them crucified in plain view of the city's defenders on the wall. In one night, Josephus tells us, five thousand Jews were discovered searching for food and were all crucified.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953568/jewish/The-Seventeenth-of-Tammuz.htm
Share this:
Comment
The Seventeenth of Tammuz
Titus saw that the Jews were now weakened by hunger. He had his soldiers cut down all the trees in a thirteen-mile swath around Jerusalem in order to build a new rampart for their assault, and they began dragging their battering rams up again. By the end of the month of Sivan, the Romans were once again battering the Antonia fortress, and this time the Jewish fighters did not have strength to resist. In the beginning of Tammuz, the Romans gained the Antonia fortress. Those who had been defending the fortress now retreated behind the high walls of the Temple complex itself.
As days passed and Titus saw that the fighters in the Temple complex were still holding out, he decided to raze the fortress and attack the Temple complex directly. On the 17th of Tammuz, the wall of the Temple complex was breached.
Knowing the dire situation in the Jewish camp, Titus sent his spokesman, Josephus, to convince the Jews to surrender. The Jewish warriors turned deaf ears to his words and ejected him contemptuously from their presence. The battle now raged in the Temple area.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953569/jewish/The-Destruction-of-the-Temple.htm
The Destruction of the Temple
The battle raged for three weeks. The Jewish warriors were starving, exhausted, and far outnumbered by the Romans, but they continued to drive off the Romans. The last battle was on the morning of the Ninth of Av. The Jews fought valiantly, killing many Romans. Many of the structures adjoining the Temple were burnt or on fire, but that morning the Temple itself was still intact.
According to Josephus, Titus did not want the Temple to be burnt, apparently because a standing (but vanquished) Temple would reflect more on Rome's glory. It was a Roman soldier acting on his own initiative who, hoisted on the shoulders of another soldier, threw a firebrand into the Temple. Titus tried to put a stop to the fire, but in the chaos, his soldiers did not hear him. (Other historians contradict this account of Titus's enlightened perspective and report that Titus ordered the Temple destroyed.)
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953570/jewish/The-Fall-of-the-Upper-City.htm
The Fall of the Upper City
The remaining warriors withdrew into the Upper City, where the forces of Yochanan of Gush Chalav and Simon ben Giora still held out. With the loss of the Temple, the Jews had lost their passion to keep fighting the Romans, but Titus would not allow them to surrender. The defenders did not want to fall into the merciless hands of the Romans, so they continued their preparations for defense.
First the Romans finished razing the Lower City. The Romans found mostly corpses there, as anyone who could join the fighters in the Upper City had done so; whoever the Romans found alive they slaughtered and fed to their dogs. They burned all the houses filled with the starved dead.
On the seventh day of Elul, the Romans applied their battering rams to the walls of the Upper City. The fighters defended it courageously, but in the end, the Romans captured this last stronghold.
Whoever they found alive they killed or took captive. They also found countless dead bodies. Many of the Zealots took to underground tunnels, but the Romans tore up the streets and found them too, along with the dead bodies of two thousand fighters who had either succumbed to hunger or committed suicide. Yochanan of Gush Chalav and Simon ben Giora were taken alive.
___________________________________________________________
In either case, before long, the Temple was engulfed in flames. The Jews frantically tried to stop the fire, but were unsuccessful. In despair, many Jews threw themselves into the flames. The Roman soldiers rushed into the melee. Romans and Jews were crowded together, and their dead bodies fell on top of each other. The sound of screaming filled the air and the floor of the Temple was covered with bodies, with blood streaming down the steps.
The Romans brought idols into the Temple and offered sacrifices to it. They took the golden vessels of the Temple and killed everyone they found. Before the fire consumed the Temple completely, Titus entered the Holy of Holies and performed the most despicable acts. The still-surviving Jews in the Upper City could only watch as the Temple burned down to the foundations. It burnt well into the next day.
When the flames finally died down, left standing was the retaining wall on the western side of the Temple Mount. This is the Western Wall that still stands in Jerusalem today, where Jews over the centuries have gathered to pray.
Labels after Shlmoit Alexander on another post
The Second Temple is Built
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/144774/jewish/The-Roman-Takeover.htm
Before the destruction of the First Temple, Jeremiah had famously prophesized (Jeremiah 29:10), "For so said G‑d: For at the completion of seventy years of Babylon I will remember you, and I will fulfill My good word toward you, to restore you to this place."
And indeed, that is what happened. A little more than fifty years after the destruction of the First Temple, the Babylonians, who had destroyed the First Temple, were vanquished by the rising Persian Empire. The Persian king, Cyrus the Great, soon authorized the Jews to rebuild the Temple, but construction ground to a halt due to interference by the Samaritans. In 353 BCE, exactly seventy years after the destruction of the First Temple, the Jews began building again—at first independently, but King Darius soon ratified their effort. The Second Temple was completed in 349 BCE. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, the community in Judea became vibrant and secure.
The Second Temple Era spanned 420 years, ending with the Roman's destruction of the Holy Temple in 70 CE.1 For much of this period, Judea was under foreign domination. First the Jews were ruled by the Persians, and then, after the conquests of Alexander the Great, they were ruled by the Greeks. The Hasmonean revolt in 140 BCE brought about a period of Jewish monarchy. But the Hasmoneans did not rule for long.
The Beginning of the Roman Takeover
One radiant period of peace and tranquility during the Hasmonean dynasty was the ten-year reign of Queen Shlomit Alexander (76-66 BCE). There was political and religious harmony and Torah study and observance flourished. But this would not last into the next generation.
Queen Shlomit had two sons. The older son, Hyrkanus, was meek by nature and the younger son, Aristoblus, was greedy and ambitious. Upon the Queen's death, the populace was divided as to who should be the successor to the throne. Bloody riots ensued, and the country was plunged into civil war. The brothers agreed to involve the Roman general Pompey as a mediator. Pompey chose the docile Hyrkanus to be king, intending to make him a puppet and Judea another province of the expanding Roman Empire.
Many Jews, faithful to Aristobulus, refused to accept Pompey's decision. Fighting broke out in Jerusalem. The Temple became a fortress for the rebellious faction. In 63 BCE, Pompey's troops entered the Holy City and put down the rebellion.
The revolutionaries were executed, and Hyrkanus was installed as the puppet king and High Priest. But the effects in the long-term were monumental. By allowing Pompey to become involved in the internal affairs of the Holy Land, Hyrkanus and Aristobulus had inadvertently given Judea into the hands of the Roman Empire.
Judea was heavily taxed by Rome and a Roman governor of Judea was appointed.
« Previous
Next »
10 Comments
FOOTNOTES
1. There is some disagreement regarding the exact year in which the Second Holy Temple was destroyed. According to Rashi, it happened in 68 CE, while according to Tosafot, it was 69 CE. Josephus, a historian of the time, records the year as 70 CE. Some of this apparent disagreement can be attributed to different ways of counting the Jewish year: whether the five days before Adam's creation constitute Year 1 or Year 0
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953556/jewish/Herod-the-Great.htm
Share this:
1 Comment
Herod the Great
In 36 BCE, an Idumean named Herod took over as king of Judea. Known as Herod the Great, he apparently suffered from paranoia and ruled with ruthless brutality. He put to death forty-six leading members of the Sanhedrin and killed all the remaining members of the Hasmonean family, including, eventually, his own wife and children.
Herod was also an ambitious builder. His projects included, among others, the fortress in Massada, the building over the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, and the port city of Caesaria. But his most ambitious project by far – which he embarked on in 19 BCE – was the renovation and expansion of the Temple, which was dilapidated after 334 years. (He undertook this renovation as atonement for all the rabbis he killed.)
The result was spectacular.1 Herod's Temple was made of white marble and covered with gold plates. According to Josephus, "it reflected so fierce a blaze of fire that those who tried to look at it had to turn away, as if they had looked straight at the sun. To approaching strangers it appeared in the distance like a mountain covered with snow." The Sages concurred: "He who has not seen the Temple of Herod, has never seen a beautiful building" (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Batra, 4a; Shemot Rabba 36:1).2
After Herod's death, the country largely descended into anarchy. The Roman governors oppressed the Jews and allowed lawlessness to reign. Arab gangs and corrupt Roman officers plundered and killed. Former High Priests – who had paid their way into the office and then been replaced – formed their own militias to control the Temple. As a result of the violence and chaos, in 28 CE, the Sanhedrin left their post in the Temple.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953558/jewish/The-Four-Factions.htm
The Factions of the Second Temple Era
It was an era of great political upheaval internally, with an ongoing struggle for supremacy amongst different groups of Jews. The Jewish factions crystallized into four sects:
The Pharisees were the led by the rabbis and Sanhedrin (rabbinical supreme court). The word "Pharisees" comes from the Hebrew word perushim, "separatists." There are various views as to the etymology of this word. One explanation is that they separated themselves from the follies and pleasure of the world. Another is that they were careful to maintain ritual purity, and separated themselves from those who did not strictly observe these laws.
The Sadducees rejected the Oral Torah and the leadership of the rabbis. Many of them were rich priests and they took control of the priesthood, sometimes buying their way into the office of High Priest. Those who wanted to befriend the Romans were mostly Sadducees.
The Zealots were passionate nationalists who broke away from the Pharisees because they wanted to fight the Romans at all costs, while the Pharisees hesitated. (Although the Pharisees too wanted to be free of Roman rule, they thought it wiser to pursue peace. They feared the Roman reprisals to a no-holds-barred revolt would destroy the nation.)
The Sicarii were against any form of government altogether. "Sicarii" literally means "dagger-men." They resorted to stealth and terrorism to achieve their objectives. They would carry small daggers under their cloaks and stab their enemies – Romans or Roman sympathizers, often wealthy Jews and elites associated with the priesthood – and then blend into the crowd. (In contrast, the Zealots aimed their violence against Romans.)
While the First Temple was destroyed due to idol worship, illicit relationships and murder, our Sages attribute the destruction of the Second Temple to the baseless hatred that prevailed among the Jews. If the Jews had been united, they would have merited G‑d's protection. They would have withstood the Romans. It was the factionalism among Jews that ultimately brought about the destruction of the Second Temple.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953562/jewish/Revolt-against-Rome.htm
Revolt against Rome
By 66 CE, the Jews in many of the coastal cities were treated as despised outsiders. They were easy prey for robbers and murderers, suffering the taunts of the Europeans who had migrated there. The Roman governor of Judea, Florus, imprisoned any Jew who brought a claim against a foreigner, even if the claim was justified. He also raided the Temple treasury for his own personal gain. He encouraged Roman soldiers to provoke the Jews into rioting against him.
On one day in Jerusalem, 3,600 Jews were killed by Roman troops who had been sent in to quell the riots. Florus hoped the Jews of Jerusalem would try to avenge the slaughter so he could justify the mass killing of the Jewish population, loot their possessions, and seize the Holy Temple. Instead, the Jews organized a march seeking to make peace with the governor. The Roman soldiers, lusting for blood, charged into the crowd of marchers, killing many Jews, and continued on to the Temple Mount. Many Jews had gathered in there to block the entrances. They were successful, and the Roman soldiers retreated.
But now the Jews began revolting against the Romans throughout the land. In ever-increasing numbers they joined the movement of the Zealots who were openly preparing for warfare against the Romans. More reasonable elements, especially the Sages, tried to dissuade the people from resorting to violence, but in vain. Young Jews roamed the hills and forests, avenging violence and murder with more violence and murder. For the next few years rebels would rule the entire country.
The rebels caused Rome many losses. The Emperor Nero was sure that the Jews were rebelling against the Roman Empire itself, not just against the abuses of the governor Florus. He sent his best general, Vespasian, with 60,000 Roman soldiers and the most advanced weapons, to quell the revolt. Vespasian was joined by his son Titus. They would begin in the Galilee, in the north of Israel.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/144571/jewish/Kamtza-and-Bar-Kamtza.htm
Share this:
2 Comments
The Story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza
The Sages tell us the story behind Emperor Nero's conviction that the Jews were rebelling against Rome. As mentioned earlier, the nation had fallen to a low spiritual state characterized by baseless hatred. The story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza was the pivotal event that ignited Nero's rage and caused the destruction of the Holy Temple:
A Jew who had a friend named Kamtza and an enemy named Bar Kamtza made a feast. He told his servant to invite Kamtza, but by mistake the servant invited Bar Kamtza. Bar Kamtza took this as a gesture of forgiveness and put on his finest clothes and attended the feast. But when the host noticed Bar Kamtza, he demanded that he leave.
Bar Kamtza was embarrassed. "Since I am here," he requested, "let me stay. I will pay for whatever I eat and drink." But the host refused his offer.
"Then allow me to pay half the cost of the whole feast," begged Bar Kamtza.
"No!"
"Then I am willing to pay the full cost of the feast, but do not embarrass me any more..."
The host had Bar Kamtza dragged from the feast and thrown into the streets.
Bar Kamtza stood up, brushed the dust from his clothing and said to himself: "Since the rabbis were present at the feast and did not stop him, this shows they agreed with him. I'll slander them to the Emperor!"
Bar Kamtza went to Emperor Nero and told him that the Jews were planning a rebellion against him. "How do I know that to be true?" Nero asked. "Send an offering to the Temple and see if it will be accepted," Bar Kamtza said.
Nero sent a choice calf with Bar Kamtza, along with a delegation of Romans. During the journey, Bar Kamtza secretly made a blemish on the animal, disqualifying the animal as a sacrifice, and the animal was not accepted.
The delegation returned to Rome and told the emperor that his offering had been refused. Emperor Nero was furious, and the ramifications of his fury brought about one of the darkest chapters in our history.
Rabbi Elazar said, "Come and see how great is the punishment for causing embarrassment—for G‑d assisted Bar Kamtza [i.e., He allowed Bar Kamtza's plot to succeed because of the embarrassment caused him] and He destroyed His house and burned His Tabernacle."
Share this:
Comment
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953564/jewish/Rabbi-Yochanans-Request.htm
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai's Request
Vespasian's troops brutally conquered the north of Israel, eradicating all resistance. Meanwhile, the Jewish factions – now increasingly concentrated in Jerusalem – moved beyond power struggles into open civil war. While Vespasian merely watched from a distance, various factions of Zealots and Sicarii fought each other bitterly, even those that had common goals. They killed those advocating surrender. Thousands of Jews died at the hands of other Jews in just a few years.
Long before, the residents of Jerusalem had stored provisions in case of a Roman siege. Three wealthy men had donated huge storehouses of flour, oil, and wood—enough supplies to survive a siege of 21 years.
The Zealots, however, wanted all-out war. They were unhappy with the attitude of the Sages, who proposed sending a peace delegation to the Romans. In order to brings things to a head and force their fellow Jews to fight, groups of militia set fire to the city's food stores, condemning its population to starvation. They also imposed an internal siege on Jerusalem, not letting their fellow Jews in or out.
The greatest Jewish sage of the time was Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. He wisely foresaw that Jerusalem was doomed and understood the need to transplant the center of Torah scholarship to another location, to ensure the survival of Torah study after Jerusalem's destruction. He devised a plan that would allow him to leave Jerusalem, despite the Zealots' blockade. He feigned death so that he could be carried out of the city. His disciples carried the coffin out of the city's walls, and Rabbi Yochanan proceeded directly to Vespasian's tent. He entered the tent and addressed Vespasian as "Your Majesty."
"You are deserving of death on two accounts," said Vespasian. "First of all, I am not the emperor, only his general. Secondly, if I am indeed emperor, why did you not come to me until now?"
Rabbi Yochanan answered: "You are an emperor, because otherwise the Holy Temple would not be delivered in your hands.… And as for your second question, the reckless Zealots would not allow me to leave the city."
While they were speaking, a messenger came and told Vespasian that Nero was dead and he had been appointed the new Roman emperor. Vespasian was so impressed with Rabbi Yochanan's wisdom that he offered to grant Rabbi Yochanan anything he wanted as a reward. Rabbi Yochanan made three requests.1 The primary request was that Vespasian spare Yavne – which would become the new home of the Sanhedrin – and its Torah sages.
Rabbi Yochanan thus ensured the continuation of Jewish scholarship after the fall of Jerusalem. Even though they would no longer have a Temple or a homeland, the Jews would always have a spiritual center in the Torah.
In 69 CE, Vespasian returned to Rome to serve as emperor, but first he appointed his son, Titus, to carry on in his stead. In 70 CE, Titus came towards Jerusalem with an army of 80,000 soldiers.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953565/jewish/The-Last-Passover.htm
The Last Passover
In honor of Passover, many Jews from all over Judea risked their lives to make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, arriving just ahead of the swiftly-approaching Roman army. When they arrived, they found a city divided among warring factions, even as the Romans were in sight.
An unlikely alliance of Pharisees and Sadducees – both of whom did not want to engage the Romans in war – held control of large swathes of the city. The Sicarii, led by Simon ben Giora, held much of the Upper City and parts of the Lower City. The Zealots, divided amongst themselves, controlled the Temple area: A moderate faction, led by Eleazar ben Simon, camped in the Temple complex itself while the extreme Zealots, led by Yochanan of Gush Chalav, camped on the Temple Mount—in between the moderate Zealots and the Sadducees.
The moderate Zealots generously opened the gates of the Temple so the Jews could come in and offer their Paschal sacrifices. But the extremists, pretending to be Jews coming to offer sacrifices, also entered. Once inside, they took out their swords and began to kill moderates as well as visiting Jews. Not wanting to increase the panic among the masses of Jews in the Temple, the moderates did not fight back. Thus the extremists took control of the whole Temple area. Eleazar ben Simon's faction was wiped out and it appears that he died.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953566/jewish/Battle.htm
Share this:
1 Comment
Battle
Titus was not sure he would be able to conquer the city, which was swollen with pilgrims and refugees to two or three times its usual population, with many of the people willing to die for their cause. He waited, hoping the Sadducees would take control and send a peace delegation, but no delegation arrived. On the day after Passover, Titus started engaging in active warfare.
Now, finally, all the factions in Jerusalem had no choice but to work together and fight their common enemy. Altogether, there were about 23,000 warriors, both Zealots and moderates, as well as many pilgrims who had come for Passover and gotten stuck inside the city. The outnumbered Jewish defenders fought with great courage.
In addition to the many defenders entrenched in the Temple Mount itself, the Jews were concentrated in two more areas:
The Upper City, to the west of the Temple Mount, was the province of the priests and rich people. A deep valley between the Upper City and Temple Mount could be crossed by bridges. Excavations of this area, in the current Old City of Jerusalem, can be toured today.
The Lower City, to the south of the Temple Mount, was the province of the ordinary folk. This area is outside of the current walls of Jerusalem. (Today it is called the City of David – in Arabic, Silwan – and it can also be toured.)
There was also the "New City," a suburb to the north of the city.
The Roman soldiers attacked the weakest side of Jerusalem, the north side, first. They pounded the wall surrounding the New City with their battering rams and threw stones into the city with their catapults. The defenders, from on top of the wall, threw stones and burning torches onto the Romans, occasionally venturing out in surprise attacks to burn the Romans' battle equipment. On the seventh of Iyar, after two weeks of incessant ramming, the Romans breached this wall, and established their camp in the New City.
On the fifteenth of Iyar, after more fierce fighting, they breached a second wall, allowing them access from the north into the Lower City. They did not completely destroy the Lower City at this point. Instead, they paraded in a show of might intended to frighten the Jews. Then they prepared to storm the Upper City and the Temple area.
First they had to take the Antonia fortress, a towering fortress which had been built by Herod overlooking the Temple Mount. The defenders of the Antonia fortress, led by Yochanan of Gush Chalav, were desperate and wily. The Romans built a huge rampart next to the wall, but the Jews dug a tunnel underneath it, filled it with wood, and ignited it. The tunnel collapsed, causing the rampart to collapse as well. The Roman catapults and battering rams were burnt up.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953567/jewish/Starvation.htm
Starvation
When Titus saw he could not conquer them by force, he decided to starve the Jews into submission. He built a stone wall around the city and sealed all the exits, allowing only Romans with passes to pass through.
A terrible hunger now ravaged the overcrowded city. Soon the last stores of food dwindled down. Rich people gave all their wealth for a bit of food. Even leather was cooked and eaten. At first the Zealots had not been affected by hunger because they took other people's food, but eventually they too became desperately hungry, eating their horses and even their horses' dung and saddles.
In Josephus's account (The Jewish Wars, 5:10): "The roofs were filled with women and small children expiring from hunger, and the corpses of old men were piled in the streets. Youths swollen with hunger wandered like shadows in the marketplace until they collapsed. No one mourned the dead, because hunger had deadened all feeling. Those who fell to the ground turned their eyes for the last time to the Holy Temple and beheld the defenders still fighting and holding out." The best of friends would snatch food from each other. The Talmud recounts the sorry tale of a woman who killed and consumed her own baby, recalling the verse in Leviticus 26:29, "You will eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters you will eat."
The streets were soon filled with corpses, and, as it was hot summer weather, terrible epidemics broke out. Hundreds of people were found dead every morning. In their despair, many of the Jews tried to leave the enclosure of Jerusalem under the cover of night to seek something edible in the fields. They were easily captured, and Titus had them crucified in plain view of the city's defenders on the wall. In one night, Josephus tells us, five thousand Jews were discovered searching for food and were all crucified.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953568/jewish/The-Seventeenth-of-Tammuz.htm
Share this:
Comment
The Seventeenth of Tammuz
Titus saw that the Jews were now weakened by hunger. He had his soldiers cut down all the trees in a thirteen-mile swath around Jerusalem in order to build a new rampart for their assault, and they began dragging their battering rams up again. By the end of the month of Sivan, the Romans were once again battering the Antonia fortress, and this time the Jewish fighters did not have strength to resist. In the beginning of Tammuz, the Romans gained the Antonia fortress. Those who had been defending the fortress now retreated behind the high walls of the Temple complex itself.
As days passed and Titus saw that the fighters in the Temple complex were still holding out, he decided to raze the fortress and attack the Temple complex directly. On the 17th of Tammuz, the wall of the Temple complex was breached.
Knowing the dire situation in the Jewish camp, Titus sent his spokesman, Josephus, to convince the Jews to surrender. The Jewish warriors turned deaf ears to his words and ejected him contemptuously from their presence. The battle now raged in the Temple area.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953569/jewish/The-Destruction-of-the-Temple.htm
The Destruction of the Temple
The battle raged for three weeks. The Jewish warriors were starving, exhausted, and far outnumbered by the Romans, but they continued to drive off the Romans. The last battle was on the morning of the Ninth of Av. The Jews fought valiantly, killing many Romans. Many of the structures adjoining the Temple were burnt or on fire, but that morning the Temple itself was still intact.
According to Josephus, Titus did not want the Temple to be burnt, apparently because a standing (but vanquished) Temple would reflect more on Rome's glory. It was a Roman soldier acting on his own initiative who, hoisted on the shoulders of another soldier, threw a firebrand into the Temple. Titus tried to put a stop to the fire, but in the chaos, his soldiers did not hear him. (Other historians contradict this account of Titus's enlightened perspective and report that Titus ordered the Temple destroyed.)
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/953570/jewish/The-Fall-of-the-Upper-City.htm
The Fall of the Upper City
The remaining warriors withdrew into the Upper City, where the forces of Yochanan of Gush Chalav and Simon ben Giora still held out. With the loss of the Temple, the Jews had lost their passion to keep fighting the Romans, but Titus would not allow them to surrender. The defenders did not want to fall into the merciless hands of the Romans, so they continued their preparations for defense.
First the Romans finished razing the Lower City. The Romans found mostly corpses there, as anyone who could join the fighters in the Upper City had done so; whoever the Romans found alive they slaughtered and fed to their dogs. They burned all the houses filled with the starved dead.
On the seventh day of Elul, the Romans applied their battering rams to the walls of the Upper City. The fighters defended it courageously, but in the end, the Romans captured this last stronghold.
Whoever they found alive they killed or took captive. They also found countless dead bodies. Many of the Zealots took to underground tunnels, but the Romans tore up the streets and found them too, along with the dead bodies of two thousand fighters who had either succumbed to hunger or committed suicide. Yochanan of Gush Chalav and Simon ben Giora were taken alive.
___________________________________________________________
In either case, before long, the Temple was engulfed in flames. The Jews frantically tried to stop the fire, but were unsuccessful. In despair, many Jews threw themselves into the flames. The Roman soldiers rushed into the melee. Romans and Jews were crowded together, and their dead bodies fell on top of each other. The sound of screaming filled the air and the floor of the Temple was covered with bodies, with blood streaming down the steps.
The Romans brought idols into the Temple and offered sacrifices to it. They took the golden vessels of the Temple and killed everyone they found. Before the fire consumed the Temple completely, Titus entered the Holy of Holies and performed the most despicable acts. The still-surviving Jews in the Upper City could only watch as the Temple burned down to the foundations. It burnt well into the next day.
When the flames finally died down, left standing was the retaining wall on the western side of the Temple Mount. This is the Western Wall that still stands in Jerusalem today, where Jews over the centuries have gathered to pray.
Labels after Shlmoit Alexander on another post
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Sweden May Admit All Jews Reatning in Norway; “violent Deaths” in Holland
http://archive.jta.org/article/1942/12/10/2859329/sweden-may-admit-all-jews-reatning-in-norway-violent-deaths-in-holland
December 10, 1942
Sweden May Admit All Jews Reatning in Norway; “violent Deaths” in Holland
STOCKHOLM, Dec. 9 (JTA) –
Swedish newspapers today indicated that the authorities here, in an effort to prevent further deportation of Jews form Norway to Nazi-held territories, may be ready to admit the few Norwegian Jews who are still held in Norway.
The papers appeal to Vidkun Quisling, pro-Nazi premier of occupied Norway, to permit the Jews of his country to emigrate to Sweden. It is estimated that about 300 Norwegian Jews have already reached Sweden during the past few weeks.
The Jewish community of Malmo today held a special meeting in the local synagogue commemorating the Jews killed by the Nazis in Europe and praying for the Jews of Norway.
The Joodsche Weekblad, organ of the Jewish Council of Amsterdam which was received here today from occupied Holland, reports numerous cases of "violent deaths." Among those listed in the paper as having died of "violent death" in the Jewish concentration camp of Westerbork is a mother of 85, her daughter aged 37, her son-in-law aged 40 and her grandson aged 13.
Citation - Click to see see this article's citation
"Sweden May Admit All Jews Reatning in Norway; “violent Deaths” in Holland." Jewish Telegraphic Agency 10 Dec 1942.
December 10, 1942
Sweden May Admit All Jews Reatning in Norway; “violent Deaths” in Holland
STOCKHOLM, Dec. 9 (JTA) –
Swedish newspapers today indicated that the authorities here, in an effort to prevent further deportation of Jews form Norway to Nazi-held territories, may be ready to admit the few Norwegian Jews who are still held in Norway.
The papers appeal to Vidkun Quisling, pro-Nazi premier of occupied Norway, to permit the Jews of his country to emigrate to Sweden. It is estimated that about 300 Norwegian Jews have already reached Sweden during the past few weeks.
The Jewish community of Malmo today held a special meeting in the local synagogue commemorating the Jews killed by the Nazis in Europe and praying for the Jews of Norway.
The Joodsche Weekblad, organ of the Jewish Council of Amsterdam which was received here today from occupied Holland, reports numerous cases of "violent deaths." Among those listed in the paper as having died of "violent death" in the Jewish concentration camp of Westerbork is a mother of 85, her daughter aged 37, her son-in-law aged 40 and her grandson aged 13.
Citation - Click to see see this article's citation
"Sweden May Admit All Jews Reatning in Norway; “violent Deaths” in Holland." Jewish Telegraphic Agency 10 Dec 1942.
Frankfurt Jews Faring Worse Under American Military Occupation Than Former Nazis
http://archive.jta.org/article/1945/07/09/2867601/frankfurt-jews-faring-worse-under-american-military-occupation-than-former-nazis
July 9, 1945
Frankfurt Jews Faring Worse Under American Military Occupation Than Former Nazis
Frankfurt, Jul. 8 (JTA) –
The ragged remnants of Frankfurt's once flourishing, prosperous Jewish community have, up to now, fared worse under the American occupation than many Germans who discarded their Nazi party badges the day the city was taken.
Those who have struggled home from concentration camps in the past two months returned ill and penniless, and, sometimes, on the verge of starvation. But they were bolstered by the hope that they would soon regain their homes, their possessions and their positions in the community. Their hopes have not been realized, a survey by a Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent discloses.
The Jews have discovered that no machinery has been set up for restitution of their property, and many are living in squalor while Germans occupy their former homes.
Frankfurt's pre-Hitler Jewish population exceeded 30,000, and was the second largest in Germany. Only 600 are in the city today. Of these, 140 escaped deportation to concentration camps and managed to remain here. The others are survivors from concentration camps who returned home in recent weeks on foot, or in pitiful truck caravans. More than 7,000 Frankfurt Jews were sent to Theresienstadt, and 326 who have returned from there report that the others were murdered.
MILITARY GOVERNMENT SAYS JEWS WILL BE TREATED LIKE OTHER GERMANS
Dr. Albert Adelsberger, a former professor of economies at Heidelberg University, who remained in Frankfurt all during the Nazi regime, now heads the Jewish community. He told this correspondent of his vain efforts to obtain help for those released from concentration camps. Because many of the refugees are suffering from malnutrition and lack essential clothing he attempted to secure extra supplies from the Frankfurt military government. The executive officer, he asserted, told him that Jews would be treated just like other Germans.
Dr. Adelsberger said that he then called the officer's attention to a statement by Maj. Gen. G.A. Ulio, Adjutant General of the War Department, who said that "the Supreme Commander's policy is to consider stateless persons, or persons who have been persecuted because of their race or religion or activities in favor of the United Nations, in the same category as United Nations nationals."
Military government officials admit that they are powerless to obtain restitution of Jewish property. There is no specific military government regulation stipulating that confiscated Jewish property shall be returned to its owners, nor does there presently exist any machinery by which Jews can institute legal proceedings for return of their property. This must wait upon a decision of the Allied Group Control Council. All the military government can do at present is to list claims.
Asked how Frankfurt Germans treated returning Jews, Dr. Adelsberger said sardonically: "Now, they are all friends of the Jews. Just as you have doubtlessly found that none were Nazis."
Citation - Click to see see this article's citation
"Frankfurt Jews Faring Worse Under American Military Occupation Than Former Nazis." Jewish Telegraphic Agency 9 Jul 1945
July 9, 1945
Frankfurt Jews Faring Worse Under American Military Occupation Than Former Nazis
Frankfurt, Jul. 8 (JTA) –
The ragged remnants of Frankfurt's once flourishing, prosperous Jewish community have, up to now, fared worse under the American occupation than many Germans who discarded their Nazi party badges the day the city was taken.
Those who have struggled home from concentration camps in the past two months returned ill and penniless, and, sometimes, on the verge of starvation. But they were bolstered by the hope that they would soon regain their homes, their possessions and their positions in the community. Their hopes have not been realized, a survey by a Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent discloses.
The Jews have discovered that no machinery has been set up for restitution of their property, and many are living in squalor while Germans occupy their former homes.
Frankfurt's pre-Hitler Jewish population exceeded 30,000, and was the second largest in Germany. Only 600 are in the city today. Of these, 140 escaped deportation to concentration camps and managed to remain here. The others are survivors from concentration camps who returned home in recent weeks on foot, or in pitiful truck caravans. More than 7,000 Frankfurt Jews were sent to Theresienstadt, and 326 who have returned from there report that the others were murdered.
MILITARY GOVERNMENT SAYS JEWS WILL BE TREATED LIKE OTHER GERMANS
Dr. Albert Adelsberger, a former professor of economies at Heidelberg University, who remained in Frankfurt all during the Nazi regime, now heads the Jewish community. He told this correspondent of his vain efforts to obtain help for those released from concentration camps. Because many of the refugees are suffering from malnutrition and lack essential clothing he attempted to secure extra supplies from the Frankfurt military government. The executive officer, he asserted, told him that Jews would be treated just like other Germans.
Dr. Adelsberger said that he then called the officer's attention to a statement by Maj. Gen. G.A. Ulio, Adjutant General of the War Department, who said that "the Supreme Commander's policy is to consider stateless persons, or persons who have been persecuted because of their race or religion or activities in favor of the United Nations, in the same category as United Nations nationals."
Military government officials admit that they are powerless to obtain restitution of Jewish property. There is no specific military government regulation stipulating that confiscated Jewish property shall be returned to its owners, nor does there presently exist any machinery by which Jews can institute legal proceedings for return of their property. This must wait upon a decision of the Allied Group Control Council. All the military government can do at present is to list claims.
Asked how Frankfurt Germans treated returning Jews, Dr. Adelsberger said sardonically: "Now, they are all friends of the Jews. Just as you have doubtlessly found that none were Nazis."
Citation - Click to see see this article's citation
"Frankfurt Jews Faring Worse Under American Military Occupation Than Former Nazis." Jewish Telegraphic Agency 9 Jul 1945
The Destruction of the First Holy Temple
Daily Quote
A person does not comprehend the mind of his teacher until the end of forty years
- Talmud, Avodah Zarah 5b
Share this:
16 Comments
The Destruction of the First Holy Temple
Two Temples stood in succession on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The First Temple was constructed by King Solomon, based on detailed plans that G‑d had given to his father, King David through the prophet Nathan. King David had wanted to build it himself, but was told that his son would be the one to do it.
In the fourth year of his reign, 833 BCE, King Solomon found himself at peace with his neighbors and began the construction of the Temple. The site chosen by King David was the top of Mount Moriah, where Abraham had once proved his readiness to offer up his dearly beloved son in obedience to G‑d's command.
It was the archetype of the "dwelling for G‑d in the physical world" that is the purpose of creation.Tens of thousands of men were needed to perform the many tasks required for the gigantic undertaking. Men were sent to Lebanon to cut down cedar trees. Stones were hewn near the quarries, and then brought up to Moriah, there to be fitted together. In the valley of the Jordan the bronze was cast. Craftsmen were brought in from Tyre to help perfect the work. Ships set sail eastward and westward to bring the choicest materials for the adornment of the House of G‑d.
It took seven years to complete the Temple. In the twelfth year of his reign, in 827 BCE, King Solomon dedicated the Temple and all its contents. The Ark of the Covenant was brought into the Temple amidst inaugural celebrations that lasted for seven days.
For the next 410 years, the Jewish people would bring daily offerings in this magnificent edifice, and here the nation would gather three times a year to "see and to be seen by the face of G‑d." Here the Divine Presence was manifest. Ten daily miracles – such as the wind never extinguishing the fire on the altar – attested to G‑d's presence in the Temple. This was the archetype of the "dwelling for G‑d in the physical world" that is the purpose of creation.
Solomon's reign was a golden era. His capital became the center of wisdom, riches, and splendor. Monarchs as well as ordinary people came to gaze on all the marvels to be seen there, and left wide-eyed with amazement and awe. The Land of Israel developed into a great center of commerce. The Jews lived in peace and happiness, "every man under his vine and under his fig tree."
The Beginning of the End
At the end of King Solomon's life, he was guilty of indiscretions unbefitting his great stature. G‑d told him he would be punished. After his death, the kingdom would be torn in two.
Indeed, after Solomon's death, the ten northern tribes refused to accept his son Rehoboam as their king. In 796 BCE, the country was divided into two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Israel in the north and the Kingdom of Judah (containing Jerusalem) in the south.
The kings of the Kingdom of Israel practiced idolatry, but so did many of the kings of the Kingdom of Judah. G‑d sent prophets repeatedly to admonish the Jews, but they refused to change their ways, choosing instead to deride these prophets as false messengers coming to discourage them with predictions of destruction.
G‑d sent prophets repeatedly to admonish the Jews, but they refused to change their ways
In one egregious example, in 661 BCE, the prophet Zechariah ben Jehoiada chastised the nation for their sins, warning them of the grave punishments that would befall them if they would not change their ways. Rather than accept his rebuke, the nation stoned Zechariah to death in the Temple courtyard. Incredibly, this occurred on Yom Kippur.
Rather than allowing Zechariah's blood to settle into the earth, G‑d caused it to bubble up. The people tried to cover it with earth, but it continued to seethe for the next 252 years, until the Destruction of the Temple (more on this later on).
As a result of the disobedient and corrupt behavior of the Jews, G‑d did not provide either kingdom with the peace and security that the united kingdom had enjoyed under Solomon's reign. Their common enemy was the Assyrian empire to the north.
In 555 BCE, Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, fell to the Assyrians, and the Kingdom of Israel came to an end. Scores of thousands of the conquered people were led into captivity. They were transported to distant provinces of the Assyrian empire, and they disappeared completely. The Assyrians repopulated the land with exiles that had been uprooted from other countries, whose descendants came to be called the Samaritans or Kuttim. No trace has been found of the Ten Tribes.
The Kingdom of Judah miraculously survived the Assyrian threat and lasted another 150 years. Their kings were not uniformly evil as the kings of the Kingdom of Israel had been; they had several truly righteous monarchs – notably among them Hezekiah and Josiah – and enjoyed occasional bouts of resurgent spiritual health. But eventually, they would fall victim to the Babylonians.
The Book of Lamentations
Beginning in 463 BCE, Jeremiah prophesized about the Babylonian threat and warned the Jews of the terrible devastation they would incur if they did not stop worshipping idols and mistreating each other. But his melancholic prophecies, recorded in the Book of Jeremiah, went largely unheeded by the Jews, who mocked and persecuted him.
Some eighteen years before the destruction of the Temple, Jeremiah was imprisoned by King Jehoiakim (apparently due to his persistent prophecies foretelling the fall of Jerusalem). G‑d then spoke to Jeremiah (Jeremiah ch. 36):
Children starving; cannibalism on the part of hunger-crazed mothers, the city abandoned..."Take for yourself a scroll and write upon it all the words that I have spoken to you concerning Israel and concerning Judah. . . . Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the evil that I plan to do to them, in order that they should repent, each man of his evil way, and I will forgive their iniquity and their sin."
Jeremiah summoned his devoted disciple, Baruch ben Neriah, and dictated to him a heart-rending and graphic warning of the coming doom; this prophecy eventually became known as the Book of Lamentations ("Eichah").
In this scroll, Jeremiah described and mourned the devastation that G‑d would wreak upon Jerusalem and the Holy Land: children starving; cannibalism on the part of hunger-crazed mothers, the city abandoned.
Baruch ben Neriah followed Jeremiah's instructions. He publicly read the scroll in the Holy Temple.
When the king was informed of this event, he asked that the scroll be read to him. After hearing but a few verses, the king grabbed the scroll and callously threw it into the fireplace.
When Jeremiah was informed of the king's actions, he sat and composed another chapter that he added to the book. This Book of Lamentations is read in the synagogue every year on the eve of the Ninth of Av.
The Babylonians Are Coming
The Assyrians had long dominated the Middle East, but their power was waning. Even with the help of the Egyptians, who were getting stronger, they were not able to fight off the Babylonians. These three empires were engaged in a power struggle, and the Kingdom of Judah was caught in the middle.
In 434 BCE, the Kingdom of Judah tried to form an alliance with Egypt. The Jews thought, despite Jeremiah's prophecies, that this would keep them safe. But instead, the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, marched on Judah. He pillaged Jerusalem and deported tens of thousands of Jews to his capital in Babylon; all the deportees were drawn from the upper classes, the wealthy, and craftsmen. Ordinary people were allowed to stay in Judah, and Nebuchadnezzar appointed a puppet king over Judah, Zedekiah.
But Zedekiah, though G‑d fearing and righteous, was foolishly courageous, and (despite Jeremiah's repeated admonitions not to) he tried to break free from the Babylonians. So Nebuchadnezzar marched on Jerusalem again. This time he would not be content with making Judah into a vassal state. On the tenth of Tevet, 425 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar began the siege of Jerusalem.
The Destruction
"Zechariah, Zechariah! I have slain the best of them; do you want all of them destroyed?" Thirty months later, in the month of Tammuz, after a long siege during which hunger and epidemics ravaged the city, the city walls were breached. King Zedekiah tried to escape through an eighteen-mile long tunnel, but he was captured in the plains of Jericho by enemy soldiers who, while chasing a deer, saw him emerging. He was brought before Nebuchadnezzar in Riblah. There Zedekiah's sons and many other Jewish personages were slain before his eyes; then his eyes were put out, and he was led in chains to Babylon.
On the seventh day of Av, the chief of Nebuchadnezzar's army, Nebuzaradan, began the destruction of Jerusalem. The walls of the city were torn down, and the royal palace and other structures in the city were set on fire.
Our Sages say that when Nebuzaradan entered the Temple he found the blood of Zechariah seething. He asked the Jews what this phenomenon meant, and they attempted to conceal the scandal, but he threatened to comb their flesh with iron combs. So they told him the truth: "There was a prophet among us who chastised us, and we killed him. For many years now his blood has not rested."
Nebuzaradan said, "I will appease him." He then killed the members of the Great and Small Sanhedrins, then he killed youths and maidens, and then school-children. Altogether, he killed 940,000 people. Still the blood continued to boil, whereupon Nebuzaradan cried: "Zechariah, Zechariah! I have slain the best of them; do you want all of them destroyed?" At last the blood sank into the ground (Talmud, Gittin 57b).1
On the ninth day of Av, toward evening, the Holy Temple was set on fire and destroyed. The fire burned for 24 hours.
Our Sages taught: When the first Holy Temple was destroyed, groups of young priests gathered with the keys to the Sanctuary in their hands. They ascended the roof and declared: "Master of the World! Since we have not merited to be trustworthy custodians, let the keys be given back to You." They then threw the keys toward Heaven. A hand emerged and received them, and the priests threw themselves into the fire (Talmud, Ta'anit 29b).
Everything of gold and silver that still remained was carried off as loot by the Babylonian soldiers. All the beautiful works of art with which King Solomon had once decorated and ornamented the holy edifice were destroyed or taken away. The holy vessels of the Temple that could be found were brought to Babylon. The high priest Seraiah and many other high officials and priests were executed. In addition to the 940,000 people killed in the aforementioned incident, millions more were killed inside and outside of the city. Many thousands of the people that had escaped the sword were taken prisoner and led into captivity in Babylon, where some of their best had already preceded them. Only the poorest of the residents of Jerusalem were permitted to stay on to plant the vineyards and work in the fields.
All this had been predicted in the Torah, and it came to pass with all the horror of which Moses had warnedThus ended the empire of David and Solomon; thus the magnificent city and Holy Temple were destroyed. Thus G‑d punished His people for deserting Him and His laws. All this had been predicted in the Torah, and it truly came to pass with all the horror of which Moses had warned.
Jeremiah also promised that the Jewish people would return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. That would come to pass seventy years later.
For this our heart has become faint, for these things our eyes have grown dim.
For Mount Zion, which has become desolate; foxes prowl over it.
But You, O G‑d, remain forever; Your throne endures throughout the generations.
Why do You forget us forever, forsake us so long?
Restore us to You, O G‑d, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old.
—Lamentations 5:17-21
16 Comments
FOOTNOTES
1. Alternatively, according to the Midrash (Kohelet Rabbah 3:16), the blood of the young priests and the members of the Great and Small Sanhedrin poured until it reached the grave of Zechariah. Nebuzaradan cried to Zechariah's blood: "Is your blood better than theirs?" At that point G‑d was filled with compassion. He signaled to the blood and it settled into the ground.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
The Secret of Sion
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006D31YE4/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_nmBhqb0N3XGQC
Since 1996, William Henry has been courageously establishing and documenting his revolutionary connection between the original Christianity, stargates and the ascension of humanity into beings of light. His goal has been to recover the authentic teaching of Jesus about how we can transform ourselves into beings of pure light (and love), open a stargate and beam ourselves home.
The Secret of Sion represents the culmination of William’s unique search in Gnostic literature and sacred art that maps the path, called the Way of Light, that leads to the gate of heaven. His quest led him ‘through the worm hole’ where he peered into the promised land of Sion, a place at the center of our galaxy that is inhabited by ascended humans. His journey is presented as an invitation to follow his path in the form of the greatest collection of third eye opening and soul rising ascension art ever assembled, one that illuminates the esoteric mysteries of the greatest cosmic story ever told.
The Secret of Sion reveals:
* Jesus is an avatar of a race or tribe of advanced and wise humans, called Perfect Light Humans, who dwell at the center of our galaxy and travel via wormhole to and from this cosmic center.
* Jesus will return the same way he left…via stargate.
* Members of the race of Perfect Light Humans have remained on earth for thousands of years. They are the most ancient of aliens.
* The Magi are representatives of the Perfect Light Humans.
* Encoded within ascension art is a Stargate technology called ‘the Kit’. It includes the Star Crown (of Rose Thorns), a mysterious anointing oil and a robe of light called the Beaming Garment.
* The Kit is periodically reassembled in preparation for the return of the Avatars of Sion.
* Sion is rising and with it a new, new world order.
* The connection between the Mayan image of the serpent rope from the center of the galaxy and Christian Last Judgement art that shows a serpent linking earth and the Throne of God.
The old ways, the old days are over. Humanity is crossing a threshold and emerging into the light of Sion. It’s time to put our fear behind us and embrace the Way of Light. It’s time to reveal The Secret of Sion.
Since 1996, William Henry has been courageously establishing and documenting his revolutionary connection between the original Christianity, stargates and the ascension of humanity into beings of light. His goal has been to recover the authentic teaching of Jesus about how we can transform ourselves into beings of pure light (and love), open a stargate and beam ourselves home.
The Secret of Sion represents the culmination of William’s unique search in Gnostic literature and sacred art that maps the path, called the Way of Light, that leads to the gate of heaven. His quest led him ‘through the worm hole’ where he peered into the promised land of Sion, a place at the center of our galaxy that is inhabited by ascended humans. His journey is presented as an invitation to follow his path in the form of the greatest collection of third eye opening and soul rising ascension art ever assembled, one that illuminates the esoteric mysteries of the greatest cosmic story ever told.
The Secret of Sion reveals:
* Jesus is an avatar of a race or tribe of advanced and wise humans, called Perfect Light Humans, who dwell at the center of our galaxy and travel via wormhole to and from this cosmic center.
* Jesus will return the same way he left…via stargate.
* Members of the race of Perfect Light Humans have remained on earth for thousands of years. They are the most ancient of aliens.
* The Magi are representatives of the Perfect Light Humans.
* Encoded within ascension art is a Stargate technology called ‘the Kit’. It includes the Star Crown (of Rose Thorns), a mysterious anointing oil and a robe of light called the Beaming Garment.
* The Kit is periodically reassembled in preparation for the return of the Avatars of Sion.
* Sion is rising and with it a new, new world order.
* The connection between the Mayan image of the serpent rope from the center of the galaxy and Christian Last Judgement art that shows a serpent linking earth and the Throne of God.
The old ways, the old days are over. Humanity is crossing a threshold and emerging into the light of Sion. It’s time to put our fear behind us and embrace the Way of Light. It’s time to reveal The Secret of Sion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)