January 1, 1012- Jewish mourners were attacked at the Levaya / funeral of Rabbi Shemaria ben Elchanan in Fostat, Egypt.
1180- King Philip Augustus of France arrests large numbers of Jews in shuls on the Shabbos, 1180.
1497- Jews are expelled from Graz (now Styria in Austria). Jews had settled there since 1160 and it was not until 1861 that Jews were legally allowed to spend the night in Graz. Present-day Austrian Jewry is primarily composed of Holocaust survivors (and their children), returning Austrian expatriates, and refugees from eastern Europe. In
recent years, Austria has offered sanctuary to many Soviet and Iranian Jews.
January 15, 1755- Jeronimo Jose Ramos, a merchant from Braganza, Portugal, was the last known Jew to be burned alive for secretly practicing Judaism.
January 30, 1933- Adolph Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany.
The November 1932 elections saw the Nazis emerge as the largest party in the Reichstag. Leading German politicians and businessmen persuaded President Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor, as a way to stabilize the government and economy. Hindenburg reluctantly agreed. Two months later, the Nazis passed the Enabling Act, giving Hitler dictatorial authority. Hitler's government then banned all other political parties, and in July 1933, a Concordat (agreement) was signed with the Vatican. Hitler secured popular support by persuading Germans that he was their savior from the Depression, the Communists, the Versailles Treaty, and the Jews. Hitler would use this power to launch World War II and oversee the murder of 6 million Jews.
January 30, 1933- Founding of the Society of Youth Aliya, which brought to Israel over 115,000 children 12-16.
January 17, 1945- Beginning of the evacuation of Auschwitz concentration camp, See 5 Shvat.
January 17, 1945- Soviet and Polish forces liberate Warsaw.