bruria

In 62 CE, early in a fraught decade in the Land of Israel, Bruria, a twelve-year-old maturing into young womanhood, accompanies her father from their home in Gamla on the Golan plateau to Tiberias. She meets Yohanan ben Zakai, Bereniki, and others who will significantly impact her life.

Bruria is thrust into adulthood when Roman Legions lay siege to her hometown. Her family—and most Gamlans—are killed in battle. Heeding her father’s last words— “Choose life!” —Bruria and four friends escape, only to be attacked by Zealots. Bruria, Hanna (her best friend), and Misha (Hanna’s betrothed), are rescued by queen’s Troopers. Travelling together, Bereniki introduces Bruria to a new world of sensuality and Mitzri, the Troop’s top sergeant, teaches her Tahtib, the Egyptian style of stick-fighting.

In Jerusalem, Yohanan ben Zakai adopts Bruria. She discovers that Yohanan’s public persona as Torah teacher and leader of the Peace Party covers a secret: he is designing radical religio-legal seeds for the continuity of the Jewish People following the Temple’s destruction, and generating new organizational infrastructure in which those seeds will flourish. The risk: if known, his life would be forfeit to fanatic Zealots who would vilify him as a traitor and heretic. Or worse.

Yohanan’s revolutionary innovations require careful preparation, using and shaping major changes in Jewish communal life: the idea of the local synagogue is spreading; the ordinance to create schools for orphaned boys—proclaimed by Yehoshua ben Gamla as Hight Priest—is being executed and expanded. As the quality and reputation of national leadership deteriorates, Yohanan develops working relationships with local leaders and later reconnects to them from Yavne.

Recognized for his Torah acumen, Yohanan expands his comfort zone into skill-areas we know today as strategic social planning, organizational development, board (Sanhedrin) management, public education, fundraising, and marketing. Bruria joins Yohanan’s group of advisors who serve as his intellectual foil and emotional support. When Yohanan falters, Bruria reminds him of the Jewish vision: a society permeated by justice, kindness, protecting the weak, recognizing God’s image in every person…. Meanwhile, her Tahtib skills are put to lethal tests.

Bruria meets characters later noted in the Talmud: Abba Sikra, the wise leader of the Biryonim; Mirta bat Boetus, wife of Yehoshua ben Gamla; and Yohanan’s student Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, an early romance. More contemporary names, like Biniyahoo, also appear. Bruria and Betzalel, a repentant Zealot, each resolve sexuality issues to complete their betrothal. Bruria helps smuggle Yohanan out of the city and is part of the conversation where Titus allows a new Academy in Yavne.

Bruria and Betzalel arrive in Yavne as Yohanan opens his Academy. His seminars wrestle with values and organization for a new Jewish society: will prayer and good deeds suffice to replace Temple sacrifices? Will the People accept the transfer of spiritual focus from Temple to Synagogue, from Jerusalem to Yavne, from the xenophobic power of religious fanatics to the principled pragmatism of local community? Will women be accepted as scholars and leaders?

Even as Yohanan trains the next generation of rabbi-teachers, the Legions close the noose around Jerusalem, Roman spies search out rebellion in the Academy, and Zealots watch Yohanan’s every move. Will Yohanan’s experiment succeed? The future of the Jewish People is at stake.