This Day in History – 22 Kislev/November 25

22 Kislev

In 5118/1357, Charles IV issued letters of protection for the Jews of Strasbourg. Two years later, mobs burned 1,000 Jews, Hy”d, and forced many others to convert, R”l.

In 5383/1622, the King of Denmark invited Jews of Amsterdam to settle in Norway and enjoy religious freedom.

Yahrtzeiten

5346/1585, Harav Elazar Ashkenazi, zt”l, mechaber of Maasei Hashem

5447/1686, Harav Meshulam Mirels, zt”l, father-in-law of the Chacham Tzvi

5667/1906, Harav Yoel Ashkenazi of Zlotchov, zt”l

5690/1929, Harav Yechezkel Panet of Dezh, zt”l, the Knesses Yechezkel

5757/1996, Harav Shabsai Yudelevitz, zt”l, a maggid in Yerushalayim

5758/1997, Harav Chaim Chassar, zt”l, zekan Rabbanei Teiman

5758/1997, Harav Shalom Schwadron, zt”l, Maggid of Yerushalayim

5566/1805

Harav Pinchas of Ostroha, zt”l

Harav Pinchas of Ostroha, Ukraine, was the son of Harav Yaakov Yosef, better known as Harav Yeivai of Ostroha, an acronym of Yaakov Yosef ben Yehudah. Harav Yeivai was a talmid of the Mezritcher Maggid, and close with other talmidim of the Baal Shem Tov. He served as Maggid in Ostroha after the petirah of his father, Harav Yehudah Leib.

Reb Pinchas was best known for his ascetic life and his tzidkus. All his life, he secluded himself in the attic of the shul, doing his avodas Hashem.

In Ostroha, Reb Pinchas was known to merit seeing Eliyahu Hanavi from a young age.

Following the petirah of his father on 20 Tishrei, 5551/1790, Reb Pinchas became Rebbe in Ostroha.

He was niftar on 22 Kislev 5566/1805, in Ostroha.

His sons were Harav Yaakov Yosef (the second) of Ostroha and Harav Moshe, founder of the Ohrzshishtcheb dynasty. He also had a son-in-law, Harav Pinchas of Ostroha, the grandfather of Harav Pinchas of Ostillah.

Zechuso yagen aleinu.

November 25

In 1783, the British evacuated New York, their last military position in the United States during the Revolutionary War.

In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered a slight stroke.

In 1963, the body of President John F. Kennedy was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery; his widow, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, lit an “eternal flame” at the gravesite.

In 1973, Greek President George Papadopoulos was ousted in a bloodless military coup.

In 1986, the Iran-Contra affair erupted as President Ronald Reagan and Attorney General Edwin Meese revealed that profits from secret arms sales to Iran had been diverted to Nicaraguan rebels.

In 1999, five-year-old Elian Gonzalez was rescued by a pair of sport fishermen off the coast of Florida, setting off an international custody battle.

In 2001, as the war in Afghanistan entered its eighth week, CIA officer Johnny “Mike” Spann was killed during a prison uprising in Mazar-e-Sharif, becoming America’s first combat casualty of the conflict.

In 2002, President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security and appointed Tom Ridge to be its head.