This week in Jewish history: Israeli peace accords and a massacre in Lebanon

Sept. 13, 1993: 

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) chairman Yasser Arafat signed the Oslo Accords peace agreement in Washington. The accords provided for the withdrawal of some IDF forces from the West Bank and Gaza, and for the establishment of the self-governing Palestinian Authority (PA). Rather than bringing peace, unfortunately, Oslo led to the Palestinian suicide bombings and terrorist attacks of the Second Intifada.

Elul 11, 5302 (1542): 

Twenty years after beginning to compile Beit Yosef, his comprehensive commentary on the halachic code, Rabbi Yosef Caro completed the monumental work in Safed. It took another 10 years for the writings to be published.

Sept. 15, 2020: 

The “Abraham Accords Peace Agreement: Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization Between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel” was signed at the White House. The UAE thus became the third Arab country after Egypt and Jordan to agree to formally normalize its relationship with the Jewish state.

Sept. 16, 1982: 

Christian Falangist Arabs slaughtered Muslims in the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps in Lebanon. After this was misrepresented in Western media as Israel’s responsibility, prime minister Menachem Begin commented: “Goyim [gentiles] kill goyim, and they blame the Jews.”

Sept. 17, 1978: 

The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, and US president Jimmy Carter. These accords, based on the principle of total withdrawal for total peace including diplomatic ties, open borders, and trade relations, led to a formal peace treaty still in effect today.

Sept. 18, 1831: 

Birthday of Siegfried Marcus, who in 1875, eleven years ahead of Karl Benz, built a forerunner of the modern automobile. Despite great efforts by the Nazis to wipe out every mention of his name and his automobile because of his Jewish ancestry, the vehicle was moved to a basement and bricked in. When “re-discovered,” it still ran. Marcus held 76 patents, which included electric lights and voice recording.

Sept. 19, 1921: 

Isaac “Daddy” Ochberg and 200 Jewish orphans from the Ukraine who met the requirements of the South African government arrived in Cape Town from London to a tumultuous welcome. These orphans, who were among the thousands resulting from World War 1 and the ongoing pogroms, survived only as a result of Ochberg’s persistence and determination. Many grew up to become pillars of the South African Jewish community. 

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