Jewish Life Digital Edition November 2013 | Page 10

INSIDE STORY

THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOU NEVER KNEW

TESTIMONY OF THE NATIONS

Ernest Renan, French writer, philosopher and expert on Middle East ancient languages and civilisations, 1823-1892

It was customary for Tunisian Jews to call Rosh Chodesh Tevet, “Rosh Chodesh for the Daughters”. Women
of the house would bake honey cakes and give gifts to the daughters. Likewise, men would send delicacies
to their betrothed – and in every house a special meal was prepared in honour of the day. This custom
developed in commemoration of the salvation of the Jewish people brought about when Yehudis slew the
enemy Haliphernes.

THIS MONTH IN JEWISH HISTORY
WE TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE DURING THE
MONTHS OF KISLEV AND TEVET

KISLEV

19 KISLEV

3 KISLEV

22 KISLEV
9 KISLEV

25 KISLEV

17 KISLEV

TEVET

27 TEVET

8 TEVET

10 TEVET
28 TEVET
T

11 TEVET

23 TEVET

29 TEVET

A STORY OF VALOUR

FOR CHANUKAH

The light of the eight days of Chanukah has become
the light of the Jews, especially in the land of Israel.
And the valour of the Maccabees has become a
symbol of its national spirit.
With the approach of Chanukah, it is fitting to
highlight the heroism of Willy Tal, whose Menorah
was donated to the artefacts collection at Yad
Vashem.
Willy Tal was born in Amsterdam in September
1922, the second child of Felix and Greta Tal, a
brother to Florry. For his barmitzvah, Willy received
a special gift – an impressive Chanukah Menorah,
which he particularly cherished.
At the outbreak of World War II, Willy found
employment as a nurse at a Jewish hospital for the
mentally ill, and worked there under the auspices
of the local Jewish council.
On 21 January 1943, the hospital where Willy
worked came under a two-day ‘Action T4’ (Nazi
Germany’s “euthanasia programme”). Willy, who
learnt about the ‘action’ ahead of time, managed
to call his mother and asked her to tell her brother
to remove his daughter, Ada, who was hospitalised
there. However, unlike other hospital workers
who fled, Willy refused to abandon his patients,
preferring to be sent with them to their deaths
at Auschwitz. He and all of his patients were
murdered on 30 April 1943.
Understanding what the future held in store for
them in occupied Holland, Willy’s family took their
valuables, including Willy’s menorah, and survived
the remainder of the war hiding in a rented room
in Amsterdam.
In 1947, Greta, her daughter Florry, and her son-inlaw Eli Asscher, immigra FVBF