This week in Jewish history: The SS Exodus, Tisha B’Av, and Nobel pioneers

This week in Jewish history covers significant events and figures, including the yahrzeit of Aharon, the first High Priest, and Rabbi Yitzhak Luria, founder of modern Kabbalah. Key historical moments include the 1942 roundup of 13,152 Jews in Paris by French police, their subsequent deportation to Auschwitz, and the 1947 Exodus ship incident where British forces killed three Jews and wounded over 100 Holocaust survivors attempting to reach pre-state Israel, a cruel act that "enraged world public opinion and helped force the British out of Israel."

• The article also highlights the observance of Tisha B’Av, a day of national mourning commemorating five major tragedies, including the destruction of both Holy Temples, yet also a day of hope as "the Messiah will be born on this very day."
• Nobel laureates featured include Shmuel Yosef Agnon (Literature, 1966), Tadeusz Reichstein (Physiology or Medicine, 1950), Selman Waksman (Physiology or Medicine, 1952), Baruch Samuel Blumberg (Physiology or Medicine, 1976), and Shimon Peres (Peace, 1994).
• Other notable events include the League of Nations granting Britain the mandate for Palestine in 1922, Libya's nationalization of Jewish property in 1970, and Yael Arad becoming the first Israeli Olympic medalist in 1992.