This week in Jewish history: The SS Exodus, Tisha B’Av, and Nobel pioneers

This week in Jewish history, the article commemorates several significant events and figures. It marks the Yahrzeit of Aharon, the elder brother of Moshe and the first high priest of Israel, traditionally regarded as a model peacemaker. DNA research suggests all kohanim (priests) are descended from him.

The article also recalls the tragic events of July 16, 1942, when French police rounded up 13,152 Jews, including 4,115 children in Paris. These individuals were imprisoned in the Vélodrome d’Hiver stadium under inhumane conditions before being deported to Auschwitz, with only 30 adults surviving.

Further historical notes include the birthday of Shmuel Yosef Agnon, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1966 for his characteristic narrative art. He was the first Israeli citizen and Hebrew writer to receive this honor. The article also references the July 18, 1947, incident where the ship Exodus, carrying 4,500 Holocaust survivors, attempted to breach the British blockade of pre-state Israel. The British intervention resulted in casualties and forced the survivors back to Germany, an event that galvanized world public opinion against the British mandate.

Additional historical markers include the yahrzeit of Rabbi Yitzhak Luria, known as Ha’ari Hakadosh, the founder of modern Kabbalah, who revolutionized Jewish mysticism. The article also notes the birthday of Tadeusz Reichstein, the Swiss chemist who synthesized ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Finally, it mentions the "nationalization" of Jewish property in Libya by Col. Muammar Gaddafi in 1970.