*Some of these dates are partially based upon Jewish tradition.

Dawn of History (3760-1700 bce)

*Some of these dates are partially based upon Jewish tradition.

3760bceAdam & Eve created
3630bceSeth born
3500bceChalcolithic Period
2886bceLemech born
2800bceEarly Dynastic period (Akkad)
2704bceNoah born
2700-2400bceOld Kingdom period (Egypt)
2150bceThe Flood
2100-1700bceMiddle Kingdom period (Egypt)

Ancient Israelites (2000-539 bce)

* Some of these dates are partially based upon Jewish tradition.

2000-1750bceOld Babylonian period
2000-1700bceIsrael’s Patriarchal period
1900-1400bceOld Assyrian period
1882bceTerach born
1813bceAbraham born
1750-1200bceHittite empire
1765bceThe Tower of Babel
1713bceIsaac born
1700-1550bceHyksos in Egypt
1677bceSarah dies
1653bceJacob born
1638bceAbraham dies
1600-1150bceKassite period (Babylonia)
1570-1085bceNew Kingdom period (Egypt)
1565bceLevi born
1562bceJoseph born
1533bceIsaac dies
1523bceJacob and his family join Joseph in Egypt
1500-1200bceUgaritic texts
1452bceJoseph dies
1429bceEgyptian enslavement of the Hebrews begins
1400-900bceMiddle Assyrian period
1400-1300bceAmarna period (Egypt)
1393bceMoses born
1355bceJoshua born
1280bceExodus from Egypt
1240bceJoshua launches foray into Jerusalem
1200-1050bcePeriod of the Judges
1150-900bceMiddle Babylonian period
1106bceDeborah judges Israel
1050-450bceProphets Samuel and Malachi
1000-587bceMonarchical period in Israel
1030-1010bceSaul (transitional king)
1010-970bceDavid conquers the Jebusites and makes Jerusalem his capital
970-931bceSolomon builds the First Temple
931bceSecession of Northern Kingdom (Israel) from Southern Kingdom (Judah)
900-312bceNeo-Assyrian period
750-725bceProphets Amos, Hosea, Isaiah
722bceNorthern Kingdom (Israel) destroyed by Assyrians
701bceAssyrian ruler Sennacherib besieges Jerusalem
612-538bceNeo-Babylonian (“Chaldean”) period
600-580bceProphets Jeremiah and Ezekiel
587bceSouthern Kingdom (Judah) and First Temple destroyed-Babylonian exile
541bceFirst Jews return from Babylon to rebuild the city and its walls
539bcePersian ruler Cyrus the Great conquers Babylonian Empire

Post-Babylonian Exile (538-129 bce)

* Some of these dates are partially based upon Jewish tradition.

538-333bcePersian Period
520-515bceSecond Temple rebuilt
520bceProphet Haggai
450-400bceReformation led by Ezra and Nehemiah
438bceAchashverosh becomes king of Persia
426bceHaman’s downfall and execution
425bceHaman’s ten sons executed; Purim celebration
411bceBagoas, a Persian, is made governor of Jerusalem
333-63bceHellenistic period
333bceAlexander the Great conquers the Land of Israel
320-168bceJudaism under Greek Ptolemies & Seleucids
175bceSelicid, king of Syria, plunders Jerusalem
166-160bceJewish Maccabean revolt
142-129bceJewish autonomy under Hasmoneans

Roman Rule (63 bce – 220 ce)

* Some of these dates are partially based upon Jewish tradition.

63bceRome (Pompey) annexes the land of Israel
37-34bceHerod the Great
20bceHerod creates Temple Mount and begins to rebuild the Temple
13bce-41cePhilo Judaeus of Alexandria
37-100ceJosephus
66-73ceFirst Jewish Revolt against Rome
70ceDestruction of Jerusalem and the second Temple
73ceLast stand of Jews at Masada
114-117ceJewish Revolts against Rome in Cyprus, Egypt and Cyrene
120-135ceRabbi Akiva active in consolidating Rabbinic Judaism
132-135ceBar Kokhba rebellion
136ceHadrian renames Jerusalem Aelia Capatolina and builds a Pagan temple
over the the site of the Second Temple
138-161ceAntoninus Pius repeals many of the previously instituted harsh policies towards Jews
200ceMishnah compiled/edited under Judah the Prince
220-470ceAmoraim flourish
220ceBabylonian Jewish Academy founded at Sura by Rab

Early Christian/Islamic Period (306-439 ce)

306ceCouncil of Elvira forbids intermarriage and social interaction with Jews
315ceCode of Constantine limits rights of non-Christians
325ceFirst Ecumenical Council, at Nicea (Asia Minor), changes the date of Easter from Passover
330ceJerusalem becomes part of Constantine’s Byzantine Empire
359ceHillel creates a new calendar based on the lunar year to replace the dispersed Sanhedrin
368ceJerusalem Talmud compiled
370-425ceHillel founds Beit Hillel
380ceChristianity becomes the religion of Roman Empire
415ceSt. Cyril, the Bishop of Alexandria, champions violence against the city’s Jews
426ceBabylonian Talmud compiled
439ceTheodosis enacts a code prohibiting Jews from holding important positions involving money

Medieval Christian/Islamic Period (511-1567 ce)

511ceRebellion leader Mar Zutra usurps power from Kobad the Zenduk, establishing an independent Jewish state in Babylon
516ceSouthern Arabian king Ohu Nuwas adopts Judaism
587ceRecared of Spain adopts Catholicism and declares that children of mixed marriages be raised Christian
570ceBirth of Prophet Muhammad, Makkah
610ceVisigothic ruler Sesbut prohibits Judaism
614cePersian General Romizanes captures Jerusalem and allows Jews to run the city
617cePersians forbid Jews from living within three miles of Jerusalem
624-627ceMuhammad attacks Jewish Arabian tribes for refusing to convert to Islam
627-629ceEmperor Heraclius massacred any Jews he found and forbids them entry into Jerusalem
632ceThe Jewish tribe Kaibar defends itself against Muslim forces
600-1300cePeriod of the Jewish Rabbinic Geonim
637ceMuslim forces capture Caesarea, forcing the city’s estimated 100,000 Jews to follow the Pact of Omar
638ceCaliph Umar conquers Jerusalem and Jews are permitted to return to the city
685ceMuslims extend Jerusalem and rebuild walls and roads
691ceFirst account of Jews in England
692ceDome of the Rock built by Caliph Abd el-Malik
712ceJews help Muslim invaders capture Spain, ending Visogoth rule
715ceAl-Aqsa Mosque built, Jerusalem
760ceKaraite Judaism founded
740-1259ceJewish Kingdom of Khazar
807ceHarun Al Rashid, Caliph of the Abbasids forces Baghdad Jews to wear a yellow badge
882-942ceSaadia Gaon
942ceOffice of the Exilarch was abolished
1000ceRabbi Gershon of Mainz, Germany, publishes a ban on bigamy
1008ceEgyptian Caliph Hakkim forced all Jews to wear a “golden calf” around their necks
1009ceOldest existing text of full Hebrew Bible is written
1032ceRebel Abul Kamal Tumin conquered Fez and decimated the Jewish community
1139ceJudah Halevi completes his influential philosophy of Judaism known as The Kuzari
1040-1105ceRashi
1066ceIn the wake of the Norman conquest of England, Jews left Normandy
1070ceRashi completes his commentaries on most parts of the Bible
1070-1139ceMoses Ibn Ezra
1071ceSeljuk occupation of Jerusalem
1078cePope Gregory VII prohibited Jews from holding offices in Christendom
1086-1145ceJudah Halevi
1090ceIban Iashufin, King of the Almoravides, captured Granada and destroyed the Jewish community
1095ceHenry IV of Germany issued a charter to the Jews and a decree against forced baptism
1096ceParticipants in the First Crusade massacre Jews in several Central European cities, beginning centuries of pogroms linked to the Crusades
1099ceFirst Crusade Begins rule in Jerusalem
1120ceJews from Muslim countries begin to settle in Byzantium
1135-1204ceRambam
1147ceSecond Crusade begins
1171ceIn the town of Blois, southwest of Paris, Jews are falsely accused of committing ritual murder and blood libel
1181cePhilip expels Jews from France
1187ceSaladin recaptures Jerusalem from Crusaders grants Jews permission to re-enter
1191ceThird Crusade begins
1194-1270ceMoses Ben Nachman (Nachmanides)
1195ceMaimonides completes The Guide to the Perplexed
1202ceFourth Crusade begins
1210ce300 French and English rabbis make aliyah
1215ceThe Church’s Fourth Lateran Council decrees that Jews be differentiated from others by their type of clothing
1217ceFifth Crusade begins
1228ceSixth Crusade begins
1229ceKing Henry III of England forced Jews to pay half the value of their property in taxes
1239cePope Gregory IX orders the kings of France, England, Spain and Portugal to confiscate Hebrew books
1243ceFirst accusation of desecration of the Host in Berlitz, Germany
1244ceTartars capture Jerusalem
1247cePope Innocent IV issued a Bull refuting blood libels
1248ceSeventh Crusade begins
1253ceKing Henry III of England ordered Jewish worship in synagogue to be held quietly
1254ceFrench King Louis IX expelled the Jews from France
1254-1517Mamluk Islamic rule in Egypt
1258ceFall of Islamic Abbasid dynasty to Hulagu (Mongol)
1267ceVienna city council forced Jews to wear the Pileum cornutum, a cone-shaped headdress
1267ceRamban (Nachmanides) arrives in Israel
1270ceEighth and Ninth Crusades begin
1275ceKing Edward of England banned usury and forced Jews over the age of seven to wear an identifying badge
1278ceThe Edict of Pope Nicholas III requires compulsory attendance of Jews at conversion sermons
1282ceThe Archbishop of Canterbury, John Pectin, ordered all London synagogues to closed and prohibited Jewish physicians from practicing on Christians
1285ceBlood libel in Munich, Germany
1287Blood libel in Oberwesel
1290ceEnglish King Edward I expels the Jews from England
1306cePhilip IV orders all Jews expelled from France
1321ceJews were accused of encouraging lepers to poison Christian wells in France
1321ceHenry II of Castile forces Jews to wear yellow badges
1322ceCharles IV of France expels all French Jews
1348-1349ceMuch of Europe blames the Black Plague on the Jews and tortured to confess that they poisoned the wells
1348ceBasle burns 600 Jews at the stake and forcibly baptizes 140 children, expelling the city’s other Jews
1348cePope Clement VI issues an edict repudiating the libel against Jews
1386ceEmperor Wenceslaus expels the Jews from Strassbourg and confiscate their property
1389cePope Boniface continues the policy of Clement VI, forbidding the Christians to harm Jews, destroy their cemeteries or forcibly baptize them
1391ceFerrand Martinez, archdeacon of Ecija, begins a campaign against Spanish Jewry
1391ceKing Pedro I orders Spain not to harm the remaining Jews
1415ceBenedict XIII bans the study of the Talmud
1420cePope Martin V favorably reinstates old privileges of the Jews
1420ceAll Jews are expelled from Lyons
1422cePope Martin V issues a bull reminding Christians that Christianity was derived from Judaism and warns the Friars not to incite against the Jews
1453ceOttomans begin rule from Constantinople
1463cePope Nicholas V authorized the establishment of the Inquisition
1480ceInquisition established in Spain
1486ceFirst prayer book published in Soncino, Italy
1488ceThe first complete edition of the Hebrew Bible is printed in Soncino, Italy
1492ceEnd of Muslim states in Spain
1492ceChristian expulsion of Jews from Spain
1494cePolish King Jan Olbracht’s orders Jews to leave to leave Crakow
1496ceManuel of Portugal expels Jews from Portugal
1510ce38 Jews were burned at the stake in Berlin
1516ceJews in Venice are relegated to a ghetto
1543ceLuther writes “About the Jews and Their Lies”
1547ceIvan the Terrible becomes ruler of Russia and refuses to allow Jews to live in his kingdom
1555ceJewish ghetto instituted in Rome
1567ceShulhan Arukh published

Ottoman Muslim Empire (1517-1670 ce)

1517ceVictory of (Muslim Ottoman Turk) Selim I over Egypt
520-1566ceSulayman I, “the Magnificent,” rules
1553ceUnder the direction of Cardinal Caraffa, later Pope Paul IV, the Talmud was confiscated and publically burned in Rome
1554ceCornelio da Montalcino, a Franciscan Friar who converted to Judaism, is burned alive in Rome
1555cePope Paul IV renewed all anti-Jewish legislation and installed a ghetto in Rome
1558ceIn Recanti, Italy Joseph Paul More, a baptized Jew, entered a synagogue on Yom Kippur and tried to preach a conversion sermon
1585ceFirst known Jew to step on American soil, Joachim Gaunse (Ganz), lands on Roanoke Island
1566cePope Pius V reinstates the restrictions of Pope Paul IV
1586cePope Sixtus V forbids Jews from living in the Papal states and to print the Talmud
1593cePope Clement VIII expelled Jews from all Papal states except Rome and Ancona
1603ceFrei Diogo Da Assumpacao, a partly Jewish friar who embraced Judaism, was burned alive in Lisbon
1614ceVincent Fettmilch, who called himself the “new Haman of the Jews,” led a raid on a Frankfurt synagogue
1615ceKing Louis XIII of France decreed that all Jews must leave the country
1616ceJesuits arrives in Grodno, Poland and accused the Jews of blood orgies and host desecrations
1619ceShah Abbasi of the Persian Sufi Dynasty increased persecution against the Jews
1621ceSir Henry Finch makes the first English call to restore the Jews to their homeland
1622-1629cePersian Jews are forced to convert to Islam
1625cePope Urban VIII forbids Roman Jews to erect gravestones
1636ceRhode Island grants religious liberty to Jews
1639ceMore than 80 New Christians were burned at the stake in Lima, Peru
1642ceThe first Jewish colony in the New World is established in Recife, Brazil
1648ceBogdan Chmelnitzki massacres 100,000 Jews in Poland
1654ceArrival of 23 Jews from Brazil in New Amsterdam
1655ceDutch West India Company allows Jewish settlers to reside permanently in New Amsterdam
1655ceJews readmitted to England by Oliver Cromwell
1657ceThe first Jews gain the rights of citizens in America
1670ceJews expelled from Vienna

Contemporary Period (1712-1948 ce)

1712ceFirst public Jewish synagogue in Berlin
1730ceJews build first North American synagogue in Lower Manhattan, Shearith Israel
1740ceEngland grants naturalization rights to Jews in the colonies
1753ceParliament extends naturalization rights to Jews resident in England
1761ceFirst English prayer book for High Holidays is published in New York
1763ceThe Jews of Newport, Rhode Island dedicate a Sephardic synagogue
1768-1828ceIsrael Jacobson
1775cePius VI issues Editto sopra gli ebrei suppressing the Jewish religion
1729-1786ceMoses Mendelssohn
1765cePortugal holds the last public Auto de Fe “Act of Faith,” a ceremony where the Inquisition announces its punishments
1781ceJoseph II of Austria rescinds law requiring Jews to wear distinctive badges
1783ceThe Sultan of Morocco expels the Jews
1784-1885ceSir Moses Montefiore, created numerous agricultural settlements in Eretz Israel
1791ceFrench Jews granted full citizenship
1791ceTsarist Russia confines Jews to Pale of Settlement
1795ceFirst American Ashkenazi synagogue, Rodeph Shalom, is established in Philadelphia
1796ceThe Netherlands grants citizenship to Jews
1808cePolonies Talmud Torah, the first Jewish school on record in the United States established in New York
1812cePrussia’s Edict of Emancipation grants citizenship to Jews
1814ceKing Ferdinand VII of Portugal reestablishes the Inquisition
1814ceDenmark grants citizenship to Jews
1819ceRebecca Gratz establishes the first independent Jewish women’s charitable society in Philadelphia
1819-1900ceIsaac Mayer Wise
1820ceA royal decree officially abolished the Spanish Inquisition
1824ceSociety of Reformed Israelites is established in Charleston
1827ceRussia’s Conscription Law mandates 31 years of military service for Jews, beginning at age 12
1830ceGreece grants citizenship to Jews
1831ceBelgium grants citizenship to Jews
1832ceCanada grants Jews political rights
1837ceFirst Passover Haggadah printed in America
1838ceRebecca Gratz establishes Hebrew Sunday School in Philadelphia
1840ceJews are accused of murdering a Franciscan friar in the Damascus blood libel
1840ceFirst organized movement by American Jewry to protest false accusations of blood libel in Damascus, Syria
1840ceThe first Hebrew printing press in India is established
1843ceB’nai B’rith is organized
1845ceIsaac Leeser publishes his translation of the Pentateuch
1847-1915ceSolomon Schechter
1848ceIn every part of Germany, excluding Bavaria, Jews had been granted granted civil rights
1852ceMount Sinai, the first Jewish Hospital in the United States is founded
1852ceThe Ghetto of Prague is officially abolished
1853ceIsaac Leeser publishes his translation of the Bible into English
1855ceFirst acknowledged non-Muslim visitor permitted to enter Temple Mount since 1187 CE
1860ceMishkenot Sha’ananim, built outside Jerusalem’s walls
1860-1904ceTheodore Herzl
1861ceNorway allows Jews to enter the country
1864ceLeon Pinsker writes Autoemancipation and argues for creation of a Jewish state
1866ceJews become a majority in Jerusalem
1866ceSwitzerland grants Jews equal rights
1867ceFirst rabbinical school in America, Maimonides College, is founded in Philadelphia
1867ceHungary passes legislation emancipating the Jews
1867ceGerman journalist Wilhelm Marr coins the word “anti-Semitism”
1869ceItaly grants emancipation to Jews
1870ceSweden grants citizenship to Jews
1870ceGhettos abolished in Italy
1870ceThe Edict of Pope Nicholas III which required compulsory attendance of Jews at conversion sermons since 1278 is abolished
1871ceFirst Yiddish and Hebrew newspaper in America is published
1871ceGreat Britain grants full emancipation to Jews
1871ceGerman constitution gives German Jews full legal equality
1873ceReform Judaism in U.S. establishes Union of American Hebrew Congregations
1874ceJews in Switzerland receive full rights of citizenship
1875ceIsaac Mayer Wise founds Hebrew Union College
1877ceNew Hampshire becomes the last state to offer Jews political equality
1878ceThe anti-Semitic German Christian Social Party is founded by Adolf Stoecker
1881ceOttoman government announces permission for foreign (non-Ottoman) Jews to settle throughout Ottoman Empire
1881ceMay Laws restricting the movements and conduct of Jews are enacted in Russia
1881ceThe word “pogrom” enters the English language, as Russian mobs begin a series of violent attacks against Jews and their property
1884ceFirst Conference of Hovevei Zion Movement
1885ceReform Jewish Pittsburgh Platform
1886ceEtz Chaim, the first yeshiva for Talmudic studies in the United States, established in New York
1887ceJewish Theological Seminary opens in New York
1888ceJewish Publication Society of America is founded
1891ceGrand Duke Segai orders the expulsion of 14,00 Jewish families living in Moscow
1892ceOttoman government forbids sale of state land to foreign (non-Ottoman) Jews in Palestine
1894ceFrench general staff officer Alfred Dreyfus is sentenced to life on Devil’s Island
1894-1917ceRussian Czar Nicholas II commissioned the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”
1897ceFirst Jewish Zionist congress convened by Theodor Herzl in Basle, Switzerland, Zionist Organization Founded
1897ceThe Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) begins training Orthodox rabbis
1898ceEastern European immigrants organize a Union of Orthodox Congregations
1898ceEmile Zola publishes J’Accuse
1899ceEmile Zola wins a new trial for Alfred Dreyfus
1899ceTheodor Herzl establishes the Jewish Colonial Trust
1901ceThe Fifth Zionist Congress decides to establish Keren Kayemet LeIsrael
1902ceSolomon Schechter comes from England to America to head the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
1903ceBritish Government proposes “Uganda Scheme”
1903ceKishinev massacre increases Jewish exodus from Russia
1903-1907ce500,000 Jews flee Russia, 90% go to the United States
1904-1914ceSecond Aliyah, mainly from Russia and Poland
1905ceGimnazia Herzilia, the first Hebrew high school, opens in Tel Aviv
1906ceAmerican Jewish Committee is founded
1906ceFirst Hebrew high school founded in Jaffa and Bezalel school founded in Jerusalem
1908ceTurkey grants Jews political rights
1908-1914ceSecond Yemenite Aliyah
1909ceFirst kibbutz, Degania, founded
1909ceFounding of Tel Aviv
1909ceHashomer, the first Jewish self-defense organization is founded
1912ceHenrietta Szold founds Hadassah
1912ceHaifa’s Technion is founded
1912ceAgudah (Agudat Israel) formed
1913ceTrial of Leo Frank
1913ceSolomon Schechter founds the United Synagogue of America
1915ceThe Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is created
1915ceLeo Frank is hung by a lynch mob
1917ceJewish Telegraphic Agency is founded
1917ceFour-hundred years of Ottoman rule ended by British conquest
1917ceThe Balfour Declaration favors Jewish Palestinian State
1917ceTurkish Governor of Jaffa orders all Jews to leave Tel-Aviv and Jaffa
1917ceJews granted full rights in Russia
1917ceThe Jewish Welfare Board is created
1917ceSurrender of Ottoman forces in Jerusalem to Allied Forces
1918ceAmerican Jewish Congress is founded
1919ceRomania grants citizenship to Jews
1919ceChaim Weizmann heads Zionist delegation at Versailles Peace Conference
1919-1923ceThird Aliyah, mainly from Russia
1920ceHistadrut (Jewish labor federation) and Haganah (Jewish defense organization) founded
1920ceVaad Leumi (National Council) set up by Jewish community
1920ceKeren Hayesod created
1920ceChaim Weizmann elected president of the World Zionist Organization
1920ceFall of Tel Hai to Arab attackers
1921ceThe Times of London pronounces the Protocols of the Elders of Zion a forgery
1921ceU.S. immigration laws “reformed” to effectively exclude Eastern European Jews
1921ceArab riots in Jaffa and other cities
1921ceNahalal founded in the Jezreel Valley
1921ceRabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and Rabbi Ya’akov Meir are elected the first two cheif Rabbis of Eretz-Israel
1922ceBritain granted Mandate for Palestine
1922ceTransjordan set up on three-fourths of the British mandate area
1922ceJewish Agency set up
1922ceMordecai M. Kaplan founds the Society for the Advancement of Judaism
1922ceUnited States Congress and President Harding approve the Balfour Declaration
1922ceLeague of Nations Council approves Mandate for Palestine
1922ceFirst British census of Palestine shows total population 757,182 (11% Jewish)
1923ceTechnion, first institute of technology, founded in Haifa
1924-1932ceFourth Aliyah, mainly from Poland
1924ceBenjamin Frankel starts Hillel Foundation
1924ceThe first conference of the General Zionist movement is held in Jerusalem
1925ceHebrew University of Jerusalem opened on Mt. Scopus
1928ceBritain recognizes independence of Transjordan
1928ceYeshiva College is dedicated in New York
1929ce2,000 Arabs attack Jews praying at the Kotel
1929ceHebron Jews massacred by Arab militants
1929-1939ceFifth Aliyah, from Germany
1930ceHope-Simpson report recommends and end to all Jewish immigration to Eretz-Israel
1930ceLord Passfield issues his White Paper banning further land acquisition by Jews and slowing Jewish immigration
1930ceSecond British census of Palestine shows total population of 1,035,154 (16.9% Jewish)
1931ceEtzel (the Irgun), Jewish underground organization, founded
1933ceRiots in Jaffa and Jerusalem
1934ceIn Afghanistan, two thousand Jews are expelled from towns
1935ceJewish rights in Germany rescinded by Nuremberg laws
1935ceHakibbutz Hadati, the religious kibbutz movement is founded
1935ceRegina Jonas was ordained by Liberal (Reform) Rabbi Max Dienemann in Germany, becoming the first woman rabbi
1935ceZe’ev Jabotinsky founds the New Zionist Organization
1936ceWorld Jewish Congress convened in Geneva
1937ceReform Jewish Columbus Platform
1937ceThe Peel Commission recommends the partition of Palestine between Jews and Arabs
1937ceChaim Weizmann and David Ben-Gurion accept partition plan
1937ceCentral conference of American Rabbis reaffirm basic reform philosophies in the Colombus Platform
1938ceKristallnacht
1938ceCharles E. Coughlin, a Roman Catholic priest, launches media campaign in America against Jews
1939ceJewish immigration severely limited by British White Paper
1939ceS.S. St. Louis, carrying 907 Jewish refugees from Germany, is turned back by Cuba and the United States
1940ceNazis establish ghettos in Poland
1940ceBritish refuse illegal immigrant ship, the Patria, permission to dock in Palestine
1941ceLohamei Herut Yisrael (Lehi) or Stern Gang underground movement formed
1941cePalmach, strike force of Haganah, set up
1942ceRabbi Stephen S. Wise publicizes Riegner report confirming mass murder of European Jews
1942ceBiltmore Conference of American Zionists
1942ceNazi leaders refine the “Final Solution” at Wannsee Conference
1943ceWarsaw Ghetto Uprising
1943ceRaphael Lemkin coins the term genocide
1943ceZionist Biltmore Conference
1945ceInternational tribunal for war crimes is established at Nuremberg
1946ceThe west wing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem was destroyed by members of the Irgun
1946ceThe British Government announced that it will allow no more unscheduled immigration into Palestine
1947ceBritish Cabinet decided to partition Palestine
1947ceUnits of the British Royal Navy took the disabled “Moledeth” with 1,600 illegal Jewish refugees
1947ceThe British Government requested France and Italy to prevent Jews from embarking for Palestine
1947ceA British naval unit boarded the refugee ship “Guardian” and seized it along with 2,700 passengers
1947ceThe 1,200 ton Haganah freighter “Trade Winds” was seized by the Royal Navy
1947ceThe British government protested to the United States government against American fund-raising drives for Jewish underground groups
1947ceA British naval party boarded the immigrant ship “Mordei Haghettoath”
1947ceThe Haganah ship “Yehuda Halevy” arrived under British naval escort with 399 illegal Jewish immigrants; they were immediately transferred to Cyprus
1947cePresident Truman asked all persons in the US to refrain from helping Jewish underground groups
1947ceRioting broke out among the passengers of the “Exodus 1947” when they learned they were to be resumed to France
1947ceHaganah sank the British tansport “Empire Lifeguard” in Haifa harbor
1947ceTwo small Haganah ships loaded with 1,174 Jews from North Africa were intercepted by British naval units
1947ceBritish troops completed a two-day forced debarkation of 4,300 “Exodus 1947” illegal Jewish refugees from three ships in Hamburg, Germany
1947ceA terrorist bomb damaged the US. consulate general in Jerusalem
1947ceAbout 185 European Jews landed near Netanya from a small schooner and escaped before the British could intercept them
1947ceThe “Kadimah,” was seized and brought to Haifa by the British
1947ceThe United States Department of State announced that they were placing an embargo on all American arms shipments to the Middle East
1947ceThe Dollis Hill Synagogue in London was set on fire
1947ceUN proposes the establishment of Arab and Jewish states in the Land
1947ceScrolls dating from approximately 22 B.C.E. are discovered at Qumran, near the Dead Sea
1948ceThe U.S. War Assets Administration received orders from Army Secretary Kenneth Royal to cancel its sale of 199 tons of M-3 explosive to a purchasing agent of the Jewish Agency
1948ceThe FBI arrested six New York men on charges of trying to ship Haganah 60,000 pounds of TNT