This Day in History – 4 Adar II/March 11

4 Adar

In 5043/1283, the Maharam of Rottenberg was imprisoned in the Ensisheim fortress and held for a huge ransom, but he forbade the community to pay as it would encourage more hostage taking.

Even after the Maharam’s petirah in 5053/1293, his body was not released until it was ransomed, 14 years later, by Alexander ben Shlomo (Susskind) Wimpen, who was subsequently laid to rest at his side in the beis hachaim in Worms.

In 5558/1798, the Jews of Rome were declared free citizens by the French army.

Yahrtzeiten

4266/506, the Amora Rav Achai bar Rav Huna.

5627/1867, Harav Chaim Yosef Gottlieb, zt”l, Rav of Stropkov and mechaber of Tiv Gittin VeKiddushin

5657/1897, Harav Shraga Tzvi Tenenbaum, zt”l, mechaber of Neta Sorek

5670/1910, Harav Eliezer Gordon, zt”l, Rosh Yeshivah of Telshe (Adar I)

5675/1915, Harav Dovid Friedman of Pinsk, zt”l, mechaber of Piskei Halachos (Adar I)

5754/1994, Harav Yaakov Goldwicht, zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Kerem Beyavneh

5757/1997, Harav Dovid Mann, zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Beis Hillel

5767/2007, Harav Avraham Blumenkrantz, zt”l, posek (Famous for his Pesach Guide)

5551/1791

Harav Leib Sarah’s, Zy’’a

Born 17 Tammuz 5490/1730 in Rawani, Harav Leib was the son of Harav Yosef, zt”l.

Rav Leib Sarah’s, as he was known (after his mother), was held in high esteem by the Baal Shem Tov.

He spent his life wandering from place to place to raise money for pidyon shevuyim, ransoming imprisoned Jews.

He traveled to many places, and on his travels uncovered “lost souls.” The most famous of these was a young shepherd whom he found singing. He convinced this boy to go to the Rebbe Harav Shmelke of Nikolsburg, zy”a; later the boy became a Rebbe himself — Harav Yitzchak Eizik of Kaliv.

Rav Leib’s talmidim included Harav Yitzchak of Lvov (Lemberg), zy”a, and Harav Ezriel Palitzker, zt”l.

Harav Leib Sarah was niftar on 4 Adar II 5551/1791.

Zechuso yagen aleinu.

March 11

In 1888, the Blizzard of ’88, also known as the “Great White Hurricane,” began inundating the northeastern United States, resulting in some 400 deaths.

In 1901, U.S. Steel was formed when industrialist J.P. Morgan purchased Carnegie Steel Corp. The event made Andrew Carnegie the world’s richest man.

In 1918, what are believed to be the first confirmed U.S. cases of a deadly global flu pandemic were reported among U.S. Army soldiers stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas; 46 would die. (The worldwide outbreak of influenza claimed an estimated 20 to 40 million lives.)

In 2003, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of Turkey’s governing party, was named prime minister.

In 2011, a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami struck Japan’s northeastern coast, killing nearly 20,000 people and severely damaging the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station.