OCTOBER 16

521 BCE (10th of Tishrei): Darius, the
Persian monarch under whose rule the Second Temple was completed, and six
companions killed another claimant to throne and cemented his position as
ruling monarch.

912: Abd-ar-Rahman III began his rei…

OCTOBER 15

586
BCE (16th of Cheshvan, 3176): King Zedekiah was blinded and taken
into captivity. He was the last king of Judea. Zedekiah’s
(“Tzidkiyahu”) original name was Matanya. He was torn between the two
great powers of Egypt and Babylon. Unfortu…

OCTOBER 14

680:
Wamba, the Visigoth King of
Hispania, abdicated.  During his reign,
he issued an order expelling the Jews from Spain.  This was part of an on-going policy of abuse,
mistreatment and humiliation the Jews suffered under the Cat…

OCTOBER
13

54: Roman Emperor Claudius passed away. 
For Jews, Claudius has to rate as one of the best of the Roman rulers.
Among other things, he took the side of the Jews when they were attacked in
Alexandria; he maintained a genuine friendship …

OCTOBER 12

539 BCE: The Persian armies of Cyrus the Great captured
Babylon.  Within the year, Cyrus would make it possible
for the Jews to return to their homeland.

1129: The tombstone of Elijah ben Simon dated October 12, 1129 is among
the olde…