March 27

347: Traditional birthdate for Jerome, the priest and theologian best
known for the creation of the Vulgate Bible, the Latin translation of the text
and the author of correspondence with Augustine of Hippo that frequently
mentioned the …

March 23

1369: King
Pedro of Castile who employed Abraham ibn Zaral as his physician was beheaded
by his rival and brother, Henry of Trastamara marking the end of their civil
war for control of the kingdom. Henry “was as hostile to the Jews as Pedro h…

March 18

37: The Roman Senate
annuls Tiberius’ will and proclaims Caligula emperor. Caligula ruled from 37
until his death in 41. From the Jewish perspective he was not so much an
anti-Semite as a lunatic whose crazy behavior affected the Jews. The bi…

March 16

597 BCE (2nd
Adar): On the secular calendar, according to certain archaeological
calculations, the first conquest of Jerusalem by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar
occurred. In the Bible, the event is recorded in 2 Kings 24:1ff. and in 2
Chronic…

March 13

624: Islamic forces under the command of
Muhammad were victorious at the Battle of Badr which cemented the power of the
Moslem leader with all that we would mean for civilization in general and the
Jews in particular.

1202: Seventy-six-year-…