Pope Sylvester  Dec. 31. was the Pope when Constantine freed the Christians and other faiths below gives the history of New years day in the web site. So now we have the Pope who was persecuted but then became free. Now his feast day ends the year for the next. This is two paragraphs of the article. Throughout the medieval and post-medieval periods, January 1 -supposedly the day on which Jesus’ circumcision initiated the reign of Christianity and the death of Judaism – was reserved for anti-Jewish activities: synagogue and book burning s, public tortures, and simple murder. The Israeli term for New Year’s night celebrations, “Sylvester,” was the name of the “Saint” and Roman Pope who reigned during the Council of Nicaea (325 C.E.).  The year before the Council of Nicaea convened, Sylvester convinced Constantine to prohibit Jews from living in Jerusalem.  At the Council of Nicaea, Sylvester arranged for the passage of a host of viciously anti-Semitic legislation.  All Catholic “Saints” are awarded a day on which Christians celebrate and pay tribute to that Saint’s memory.  December 31 is Saint Sylvester Day – hence celebrations on the night of December 31 are dedicated to Sylvester’s memory. LINK to A History of New Years