In his 2003 article “Conversion to Judaism in Classical Antiquity,” published in Hebrew Union College Annual, the classicist Louis Feldman analyzed the striking increase in the number of Jews between 586 BCE and the 1st century CE. He concluded that this was likely due to widespread, voluntary conversion to Judaism. In searching for clues as to the reasons behind this apparent trend, Pinchas Landis examines the legends of famous converts from antiquity, in both the Talmud and historical sources.

At the beginning of the first Jewish-Roman War in 66 CE, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, known simply as Nero, was the emperor of Rome. It was he who sent Vespasian to put down the Jewish Revolt—the same Vespasian who, together with his son Titus, eventually conquered the country and destroyed the Second Temple.

Roman history records that, in 68 CE, a rebellion was mounted against Nero in Rome. He was declared a public enemy and sentenced to death by the Roman Senate in absentia. When Nero learned of his fate, he committed suicide.

Jewish [sources] tell a different story. The Talmud teaches that Nero came to Jerusalem during the war. In an attempt to see if fate would be on his side, he shot arrows in all four directions. All landed facing Jerusalem. In an attempt to explore further, he asked a Jewish child what verse in the Jewish Bible he was learning. The child responded by quoting the book of Ezekiel: “And I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel.” [In talmudic literature, Edom is taken a stand-in for Rome.]

Nero concluded that “The Holy One, Blessed be He, wishes to destroy his Temple, and to wipe His hands with that man (referring to himself).” Nero then fled, and was so inspired by the pseudo-prophecy that he received that he converted to Judaism. The great Rabbi Meir, upon whose teaching much of the Mishnah is based, is said to be descended from him.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.