Rav Meir Halevi Abulafia, the Yad Rama, 1244.
Rav Meir Berlin, later Hebraized to Meir Bar-Ilan (1880-1949). Born in Volozhin, Lithuania, he joined the Mizrachi movement in 1905, representing it at the Seventh Zionist Congress, voting against the “Uganda Proposal” to create a “temporary” Jewish “homeland” in Uganda in East Africa, as suggested by Great Britain. In 1911 he was appointed secretary of the world Mizrachi movement. In 1913 he came to the United States and in 1915 became president of the U.S. Mizrachi, holding the position until 1928. He founded the Mizrachi Teachers Institute in 1917. In 1925 he became a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish National Fund devoted to financing the rebuilding of the Jewish homeland in the then British Mandate of Palestine. In 1923 he moved to Jerusalem. He opposed the Palestine partition plan in 1937, and of the British White Paper of 1939. He was the founder and editor of Hatzofeh in 1939. He authored: Fun Volozhin biz Yerushalayim (an autobiography), Bishvil ha-Techiah. Along with Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, he was also the editor of the Talmudical Encyclopedia. He wrote articles on Talmudic subjects for various periodicals. He inspired the founding of Bar Ilan University in Israel which is named for him
Rav Yosef Dov Soloveichik (1903-1993). Son of Rav Moshe Soloveitchik, and older brother of Rav Ahron Soloveichik. Great-grandson of Rav Yosef Ber Soloveitchik, the Beis HaLevy (1820- 1892), and nephew of the Brisker Rav, Rav Velvel. Born in Pruzhan, Poland, on 30 Shvat. He was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Berlin, and then settled in Boston in the early 1930’s. He became Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva University, and gave weekly shiurim to senior students, while delivering philosophy lectures to graduate students.
Rav Moishe Ellinson, Rav of Ohel Torah Manchester
Today in History- 18 Nissan
· Anti-Jewish riots broke out in Seville, Spain, 1464.
· Purim of the Bomb was celebrated by the Jews of Fossano, south of the Alps, to commemorate their escape from massacre, 1796.
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