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Today in Jewish History

Mass suicide and fart jokes

by
Hadara Graubart
April 16, 2010

Lest you forget that we Jews have long been embroiled in battles on various fronts, here are three momentous events that took place on this date in history:

According to the website New Europe, “In 73 AD, in crushing a Jewish revolt, the Roman army break into the mountaintop fortress of Masada, only to find its 960 defenders had chosen death over defeat,” launching Jews into a tradition of martyrdom that continues to this day.

In 1947, multimillionaire presidential adviser Bernard Baruch coined the term “Cold War” to describe the shenanigans then going on between the United States and the U.S.S.R., saying of the icy enemies: “Our unrest is the heart of their success.”

And in 1987, the Federal Communications Commission decided to “correct an altogether too narrow interpretation of decency,” cracking down primarily on shock jockey Howard Stern and making him the next in a timeless tradition of Jewish advocates for vulgarity.

Hadara Graubart was formerly a writer and editor for Tablet Magazine.