This Day in History – 26 Nisan/May 2

Alcatraz cellhouse shelled by mortars, May 1946

26 Nisan

In 5703/1943, 13,000 Jews of Amsterdam were deported to Sobibor and Auschwitz. The deportation lasted until 30 Av of that year.


2517, Yehoshua bin Nun

5495/1735, Harav Efraim Navon, zt”l, mechaber of Machaneh Efraim

5664/1904, Harav Moshe Betzalel Luria of Suvalk, zt”l

5698/1938, Harav Yehoshua Heschel Rabinowitz, Rebbe of Monastritch, zt”l


Rav Moshe Halberstam, Zt”l

Rav Moshe Halberstam was born in the town of Tshakawe, Galicia, to Harav Yaakov Halberstam, zt”l, and his wife, Aidel Dina Moskowitz, a”h, daughter of Harav Shalom Moskowitz, Shatzer rebbe of London, Zt”l. He was a great-great-great grandson of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, zy”a.

As a youth, he studied at Yeshivas Beis Avraham Slonim under the Nesivos Shalom of Slonim. His rebbi muvhak was Hagaon Harav Shmuel Wosner, zt”l. Rav Moshe was a talmid chacham of note and delivered shiurim for decades in a kollel for halachah that he headed. As a member of the Eidah Hachareidis beis din he would answer she’eilos and oversee the kashrus division. He was the Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivas Tshakawe and the Rav of Shaarei Tzedek hospital. In 5757/1997, he was appointed a member of the Badatz in Yerushalayim.

He published a collection of responsa called Divrei Moshe and wrote many approbations for various seforim. He also founded the Vaad HaRabbonim LeInyonei Tzedaka, and was the head gabai tzedakah of Kollel Chibas Yerushalayim Kupas Rebbe Meir Baal Haness.

Rav Moshe was niftar on 26 Nisan in Yerushalayim and was buried on Har Hazeisim.

Zecher tzaddik livrachah.

May 2

In 1933, Hitler banned trade unions in Germany.

In 1941, General Mills began shipping its new cereal, “Cheerioats,” to six test markets. (The cereal was later renamed “Cheerios.”)

In 1946, prisoners revolted at California’s Alcatraz prison.
