Protocols of the Elders of Zion Is Published
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the most widely distributed anti-Semitic publication in history, is first published in Znamya, a Russian newspaper.
First Conference of Russian Zionists Is Held in Warsaw
Held a few weeks before the Second Zionist Congress was set to convene in Basle, Switzerland, 160 Russian Zionists from ninety-three cities and towns in Russia meet secretly in Warsaw, Poland.
Theodor Herzl Publishes “The Jewish State”
“Der Judenstaat” (The Jewish State), subtitled, “An Attempt at a Modern Solution to the Jewish Question,” by Theodor Herzl is first published in Vienna. 500 copies are originally printed and distributed.
First Gathering of Hovevei Zion Takes Place
Delegates convene in Katowice (presently southern Poland) for the first gathering of the Hovevei Zion (Lovers of Zion) movement.
Literary Pioneer Yosef Haim Brenner Is Born
September 11, 1881 Yosef Haim Brenner, the leading Israeli literary figure of the early 20th century, is born in Novi Mlini, Ukraine. He grows up receiving a Jewish education and joins the Bund, a Jewish…
Czar Alexander II Is Assassinated
Czar Alexander II, the leader of Russia, is assassinated in St. Petersburg when a bomb is thrown into his carriage.
Unification of German Empire Leads to Jewish Emancipation
Jews in all of Germany were finally given emancipation when the North German Confederation Constitution was extended to Bavaria.
Leo Motzkin Is Born
Raised in a traditional Jewish household, early Zionist activist Leo Motzkin is born in present-day Brovary, Ukraine.
Michah Joseph Berdichevski Is Born in Ukraine
Scholar and writer Michah Joseph Berdichevski is best known for his Hebrew writings, which included his lengthy debate with Ahad Ha’am about the nature of Hebrew literature, as well as his extensive recording of Jewish folklore.
Pope Pius IX Protests Emancipation for Jews in Italy
Pope Pius IX writes to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Leopold II, to protest the Grand Duke’s decision to grant levels of emancipation to Jews in the Grand Duchy.
9 Jews Freed After Damascus Blood Libel
September 6, 1840 The nine surviving Damascus Jews accused of killing a Franciscan Capuchin friar and his servant to harvest the blood are freed by order of Muhammad Ali, the Ottoman pasha who controls an…
Allahdad: Jews Are Forcibly Converted, Massacred in Mashhad, Iran
The tensions between the local Shiite population and Jews erupt in the northeast Iranian city of Mashhad.
Chaim Nahman Bialik Is Born in Ukraine
Chaim Nahman Bialik, famed Zionist poet, is born in the village of Radi, near Zhitomir in Volhynia (Northwest Ukraine).
France Grants Citizenship to Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews living in France are granted equal rights and given French citizenship by the National Assembly.
French National Assembly Debates Citizenship for Jews
Following the French Revolution and the August 26, 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man, the issue of Jewish rights is debated in the French National Assembly for three days with no conclusion.
Aeltesten Reglement: Constitution of the Jewish Community of Berlin Is Issued
Berlin’s Jewish community reorganizes with a new constitution, the Aeltesten Reglement.
Safed Synagogues Upset Sultan
Ottoman Sultan Murad III orders an investigation into the number of synagogues in Safed.
Jews Are Ousted From Safed
Ottoman Sultan Murad III issues a firman (royal decree) ordering that 1,000 Jews from Safed be sent to live in Famagusta, Cyprus.
Conversos Massacred in Cordoba
A riot breaks out against the conversos or marranos–Jews who had publicly converted to Christianity but continued to practice Judaism behind closed doors.
Archduke Orders All Austrian Jews Arrested
Austrian Archduke Albert V ordered that all his Jewish subjects were to be imprisoned and their possessions confiscated following libelous accusations against an influential member of Viennese Jewish community.
Jews Expelled from England
Following decades of exploitation and persecution that included heavy taxation and attempts at forced conversion, King Edward I of England issues an expulsion order for the Jews of England.
Charter of Duke Frederick II of Austria Is Issued
In 1244, the Duke issues a charter extending rights to Jews. His goal is to build the region’s economy. The charter encourages Jewish money-lending and Jewish migration to an outlying area. It also guarantees Jewish safety.
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