July 12

70: The armies
of Titus attacked the walls of Jerusalem after a six-month siege and three days
later they breached the walls, which enabled the army to destroy the Second
Temple.

1191: The armies of the Third Crusade (1189-92), led by England…

July 11

1174: Amalric I who had been King of Jerusalem since 1162 passed
away.  During his reign most of the Jews
were expelled from Jerusalem; a ban that would last until 1175.

1244:
“Khorezmian Turkish horsemen launch an
attack on Jerusalem, s…

July 10

48 BCE: In his
war with Pompey, Julius Caesar barely avoids defeat at the Battle of
Dyrrhachium.  A month later, after
regrouping his forces, Caesar defeated Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus.  While neither of the Roman leaders were…

July 9

118:
Hadrian, Rome’s new emperor, made his entry into the Imperial City. Regardless
of how history remembers him, for Jews, Hadrian is the Emperor who helped to
start the Third Rebellion against Rome. In this case it was the lead by Bar
Kochba …

July 6

1189: Henry
II, King of England, passed away. 
Compared to those who followed him to the throne, Henry’s treatment of
his Jewish subjects was comparatively benign. (The emphasis is on
“comparatively.”)  Henry levied two
special taxes …