A leader of the Zealots in Galilee during the war against Rome and a leading fighter for freedom at the end of the Second Temple era. Although his town, Giscala (Gush Halav), remained the only fortress unconquered, he realized that the decisive battle of the war would be fought for Jerusalem and hence there was no point in defending an isolated Galilean fortress. He therefore managed to escape from the Roman siege and reached Jerusalem. He favored the people of the Galilee over the Judeans and opposed the Sicarii and the Zealots of Judea, who threatened to bring civil war on the country. He initially deposed the government in Jerusalem and for a time fought against the Zealots of Judea. After the destruction of Jerusalem, he was caught by the Romans and sentenced to life imprisonment.
