Important Dates for September – Elul/Tishrei

September 1, 1938/5 Elul
Mussolini canceled the civil rights of Italian Jews and ordered the expulsion of all foreign-born Jews.

September 7, 1654/25 Elul
A party of 23 Jews from Recife, Brazil arrived in New Amsterdam on the St. Catherine. They became the pioneers of New York's Jewish community.

September 8, 1930/15 Elul
The study of Hebrew as a modern language was introduced for the first time into the public schools of New York.

September 9, 1899/5 Tishrei
The second trial of Alfred Dreyfus ended in his conviction.

September 9, 1940/6 Elul
Italian planes bombed Tel Aviv, a non-military target, killing 117 people.

September 11, 1923/1 Tishrei
The Daf Yomi, a daily selection of a Talmudic portion studies by Jews in many countries was initiated by Rabbi Meir Shapira of Lublin.

September 12, 1645/1 Tishrei
The first Jewish congregational service was held in Manhattan.

September 12, 1931/1 Tishrei
The first organized attack upon Jews by Nazi storm troopers took place in Berlin.

September 14, 1948/10 Elul
The Supreme Court of Israel was inaugurated.

September 15, 1825/3 Tishrei
The foundation stone of Ararat, a planned city of refuge for displaced Jews on Grand Island in the Niagara River, was laid by Mordecai M. Noah in Buffalo, N.Y.

September 17, 1794/22 Elul
General Tadeusz Kosciuszko appointed Berek Joselewicz commander of the Jewish regiment fighting with the Polish Revolutionary Army. It was the first Jewish fighting force in modern times.

September 18, 1862/23 Elul
Rabbi Jacob Frankel, head of Philadelphia's Congregation Rodeph Shalom, was appointed a military hospital chaplain. He was the first American Rabbi in the U.S. Chaplaincy.

September 19, 1724/2 Tishrei
Glueckel of Hamlen, author of a historical diary, died.

September 21, 1922/28 Elul
President Warren G. Harding signed a Joint Resolution of Congress expressing approval "of the establishment in Palestine of a National Home for the Jewish People."

September 22, 1973/25 Elul
Henry Kissinger, America's first Jewish secretary of state, was sworn in. 

September 23, 1737/27 Elul
The General assembly of New York passed a resolution that "persons of the Jewish religion be not admitted to vote for representatives in this colony."

September 23, 1943/23 Elul
The Nazis liquidated the ghetto of Vilna.

September 24, 1493/14 Tishrei
Columbus set out on his second expedition to the New World, financed with money confiscated from the Jews expelled from Spain in 1942.

September 24, 1950/13 Tishrei
Operation Magic Carpet, which transferred the entire Jewish community of Yemen to Israel was completed on this day.

September 30, 1676/10 Tishrei
Shabbetai Zevi, the Pseudo-messiah whose activities led to internal Jewish upheavals in the 17th and 18th centuries, died.