72 Friday, August 26, 1983

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

The Bar Kokhba Revolt Was Inspiration for 'If I Forget Thee'

of Israel. Most of the rabbis
approved.

By CHARLES MADISON

Primarily a work of fic-
tion, "If I Forget Thee" by
Brenda Lesley Segal (St.
Martin's Pres) deals basi-
cally with the Second Revolt
in 132-133 CE, organized
and led by Simmon ben
Kosiba, blessed and re-
named Bar Kochba by the
famous Rabbi Akiva. Sixty
years after the destruction
of the Jerusalem by Titus,
the surviving Jews in Judea
continued to suffer under
the yoke of the Roman Em-
pire. The leading rabbis,
headed by Rabbi Akiva, de-
veloped the ritualistic
means of survival; timidly
pacific toward the Romans,
they accepted their rule as
the will of God.
Then Hadrian issued his
proclamation against cir-
cumcision, calling it a bar-
barous mutilation. To viol-
ate this covenant with God
was a sin no Jew could ac-
cept. The rabbis felt out-
raged. Most Jews cried out
against it: "Do not stand be-
tween me and my God."
Soon the rabbis assembled
in Rabbi Akiva's house to
discuss how they may op-
pose the edict.
Rabbi Akiva had long
been distressed by Roman
oppression and determined
to oppose it even if it forced a
rebellion. He had long
known Simmon ben Kosiba
and admired his dedication
to Israel, his fine mind and
physical stature; also his
military art of warfare. At
the assembly he selected
him to lead the revolt, re-
named him Bar Kochba and
crowned him a nesi (prince)

With many Jews flock-
ing to him, Bar Kochba
had surprising success in
defeating the Roman
legions stationed in
Judea. The land was now
liberated and optimism
prevailed.

Deeply antagonized by
this unexpected defeat,
Hadrian ordered 12 legions
from every part of the em-
pire to Judea. He was de-
termined to make this stub-
born people an example of
the fate of any rebellion
against the empire, and ap-
pointed Julius Serverus, his
best general, to lead the at-
tack.
Bar Kochba perceived
that the odds against him
were too great. His rela-
tively small army fought
hit-and-depart battles, kil-
ling many thousands of
legionnaires but also suffer-
ing serious losses. Driven
more and more into the
hills, Bar Kochba was
forced to make his head-
quarters in the mountain
town of Bater, where he
strengthened his defenses.

Serverus, however, took
his time, knowing that after
months of privation the re-
bels would be easy prey. Nor
was Bar Kochba helped by
the attacks of the rabbis,
Akiva excepted,. who called
him liar and fraud for bring-
ing the Jews into the jaw of
the enemy.

In the end Judea was
completely devastated,
and those who could fled
to Parthia or hid in the
Galilean hills.

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NM Extent of revolt

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to Miles

0 5 10 15 Km .

The map above, from the Encyclopedia Judaica,
depicts the extent of the Bar Kochba revolt in its third
and fourth years.

The foregoing part of the
book, based upon years of
research and the latest ar-
cheological discoveries, is in
a sense the base of the novel.
The fictional part, consist-
ing of hiStorical as well as
imaginary characters and
fully integrated with the
progress and defeat of the
revolt, is superbly told.
We first meet Jara, fic-
tional yet having the heroic
aspects of Deborah and
Judith. A 12-year-old
maiden, orphaned, brought
up on the tales of an old
nurse, she was wilful, stub-
born, self-condifent, proud
of her presumed lineage,
keeping herself quite to
herself. Her mother having
died in childbirth, she „re-
sented the gossip that her
mother was a witch and was
determined to know more
about her.
When she learned that a
woman in Tiberias knew
her mother and could
enlighten her, she went to
her and was told that her
mother, in her young teens,
was defiled by the Romans
and sold to a brother; she
was also told that her
father, a physician, had
attended her mother's ill-
ness and married her. Her
hatred of the Romans was
intensified and she longed
to fight them in any way she
could.

When her one friend
Shimona was to be mar-
ried, Florus Valerens,
leader of a group of
legionnaires, entered the
village at the time of the
wedding. He claimed the
right of Ius prima noctus
and carried Shimona to
his abode in Tiberias. De-
flowered and returned to
her village, she became a
physical and mental
wreck.

Jara soon suffered the
same fate. Forced by village
custom to marry as soon as
the flow had begun, she fi-
nally agreed. Again Vale-
rens happened to be in the
village, observed the wed-
ding preparations, and car-
ried Jara off with him.

More self-controled than
Shimona, she suffered de-
filement and asked for a
written pass home. Once
she received it, she stabbed
him to death with a knife on
the table and managed to
escape. She turned to the
hills, where she was saved
from bandits by the chance
presence of Simmon ben
Kosiba and brought to the
home of Rabbi Akiva.
As the revolt was about to
begin, she was eager to take
part in it. Simmon was
strongly attracted to her, as
she was to him; but to him
war came first. She met Be-
ruria, the beautiful and
highly erudite daughter of a

prominent old 'rabbi and
both soon became friends.
She also saw Andreas, a
handsome young Roman
Jew who was active in the
revolt. He too was strongly
attracted to Jara's strange
beauty, but did not then
show it.

All through the fighting
Jara remained near or
with Bar Kockba, becom-
ing his lover and inspira-
tion. When the end was
becoming unavoidable,
Bar Kochba had Andreas
take Jara through the
secret underground pas-
sage out of Betar. While
alone in the cave, their
controlled affection for
each other, kept at bay
because of her devotion
to admiration of Bar
Kochba, exploded in both
simultaneously.

Pictured above is the coin of the Bar Kochba re-
volt, with date palm and instricption "Shimon Nesi
Yisrael" ("Simeon prince of Israel"). (From
Encyclopedia Judaica).

Andreaas then disap-
peared while she slept, and
she in time reached her
town in Galilee. Many now dead the situation in
months later she bore a son Judea would improve.
who obviously resembled
"If I Forget Thee" is a
Andreas. Reconciled never work of intrinsic merit both
to see Andreas again, she historically and fictionally,
devoted herself to the up- even though Brenda Segal
bringing of her son. One tends to glamorize her im-
day, however, Andreas agined characters. She has
came. He had managed to spent many years in basic
escape to Parthia, where he research, so that the his-
had a villa. Once conditions toric element is alive with
had quieted, he returned in 'human authenticity and
search of her. Shown their persuasive appeal. Of even
son, Andreas was overjoyed greater interest and imag-_
and persuaded Jara taleave inative creativity are the
with him for Parthia, assur- fictional characters, espe-
ing her that with Hadrian cially Jara and Andreas.

The narrative is written
with appealing clarity and
literary maturity. Though
conventional in plot and
complexity, the major char-
acters are delineated with
sound psychological in-
sight. Jara, Bar Kochba,
Andreas, Rabbi Alcva, to
mention only a few, are de-
picted with sympathy, con-
viction and persuasiveness.
Although the book extends
to over 400 large pages, it
retains its interest in the
fascination of the people
dealt with to the last page.

Prophetic Faith, Secular Age'

By ARTHUR SLOAN

"Prophetic Faith and the
Secular Age" has been pub-
lished by Ktav in New York
and the Institute for Jewish
Studies in Dallas. It was
written by Dr. Levi A. Olan,
rabbi emeritus of Temple
Emanu-El, Dalls.
Anyone who has contact
with Rabbi Olan becomes
immediately aware of his
scholarship and intellec-
tualism, displayed in this
book containing 395 notes
with a multitude of refer-
ences to prophets,
philosophers and literary
figures. The book concerns
itself with the faith of the
biblical prophets and its re-
levancy to the human condi-
tion today.
Rabbi Olan concludes
that the significance of the
prophetic writings today is
their assertion that men
and nations are subject to
universal moral laws which
are an integral part of crea-
tion. To modern secular
man the idea of God om-
nipotent and judge of his-
tory is alien to the culture in
which he lives. Meaningful
to an earlier generation, it
is meaningless in an age
pervaded by science and
reason.

Nevertheless, we are
haunted by the suspicion
that the problems to
which the seers of old ad-
dressed themselves are
essentially similar to
those which perplex and
threaten modern man.
They spoke of poverty,

irillm-rnor•i+nr

hypocrisy, injustice and
war; and are not these the
very issues that dominate
our _troubled world to-
day?

five chapters examines the
prophetic faith as it moved
from original biblical
through post-biblical and
modern periods of history,
Modern culture is predo- applying neoclassical theol-
minantly secularistic and is ogy and trying to determine
alienated by the theism its validity in the post-
which is basic to prophetic modern view of the universe
teaching. Modern man, like which the new scientific
the physicist, accepts the revolution has revealed.
use of words like justice,
It ends with a description
love and peace even though of the life and death crisis of
he may not comprehend the human condition today
their profound meaning, and asks whether this faith
but God is an incomprehen- offers modern man realistic
sible word in his working -hope for benign resolution.
vocabulary.
I heartily recommend this
This
stimulating, book to the serious reader
thought-provoking book in and deep thinker.

Israeli Clinic Provides
Free Dental Care for Aged

A free dental clinic in the Jerusalem suburl; of
Talpiot provides services to the elderly in the commu-
nity. The clinic is one of the services encouraged
under the Jerusalem Neighborhood Project, spon-
sored by the municipality of Jerusalem and the
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

I-MCA