This Day in History – 21 Teves – January 3

21 Teves

Yahrtzeiten

2075/1686 B.C.E., Shimon, son of Yaakov Avinu. He was also born on this date in 2195/1566 B.C.E. (According to some, the date is the 28th of the month.)

5436/1675, Harav Shmuel Segal of Brodi, zt”l

5551/1790, Harav Shmuel, zt”l, Av Beis Din of Vilna

5610/1850, Harav Yisrael Dov Ber of Vilednick, zy”a, the She’eiris Yisrael

5731/1971, Harav Matzliach Mazuz of Djerba, Tunisia, Hy”d, mechaber of Ish Matzliach. (He was killed al kiddush Hashem.)

5574/1814

Harav Yisrael Avraham of Tcharni-Ostraha, zt”l

Harav Yisrael Avraham was born in 5534/1774. His father, Harav Meshulam Zusha, the Rebbe Reb Zusha of Anipoli, was over 50 at the time — and he commented that his son had the neshamah of Chizkiyahu Hamelech.

Reb Yisrael Avraham married the daughter of Harav Zev Wolf of Tcharni-Ostroha. Following his marriage, he settled near his father-in-law. When his father-in-law moved to Eretz Yisrael, in 5550/1790, Reb Yisrael Avraham was appointed Rav of Tcharni-Ostroha in his stead. He was 26 years old at the time.

Following the petirah of his father on 2 Shevat 5560/1800, Reb Yisrael Avraham served as Rebbe. He was famed for his humility, and was forever demanding more and deeper avodas Hashem.

He did not lead as Rebbe for very long; Reb Yisrael Avraham was niftar on 21 Teves 5574/1814, at the age of 40.

His Rebbetzin later moved to Eretz Yisrael, where her parents had moved earlier, settling in Tzfas. She was killed in the earthquake of 5597/1837.

Reb Yisrael Avraham was survived by four sons, none of whom replaced him as Rebbe. His son-in-law was Harav Dovid of Tolna, the son of Harav Mordechai of Chernobyl.

Zechuso yagen aleinu.

Jan. 3

In 1777, Gen. George Washington’s army routed the British in the Battle of Princeton, N.J.

In 1861, more than two weeks before Georgia seceded from the Union, the state militia seized Fort Pulaski at the order of Gov. Joseph E. Brown.

The Delaware House and Senate voted to oppose secession from the Union.

In 1911, the first postal savings banks were opened by the U.S. Post Office. The banks were abolished in 1966.

In 1938, the March of Dimes campaign to fight polio was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who himself had been afflicted with the crippling disease.

In 1949, in a pair of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court said that states had the right to ban closed shops.

In 1959, Alaska became the 49th state as President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation.

In 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower announced the United States was formally terminating diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba.

In 1990, ousted Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega surrendered to U.S. forces, 10 days after taking refuge in the Vatican’s diplomatic mission.

In 1993, President George H.W. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed the START II missile-reduction treaty in Moscow. However, the agreement ultimately fell apart.