Tikvah
Editors’ Pick

October 13, 2015

The Ancient Queen Who Converted to Judaism

The story behind Jerusalem's Queen Helena Street.

Jerusalem’s Reḥov Heleni ha-Malkah (Queen Helena Street) was named for a Byzantine Christian queen. After Israel gained its independence, a second Helena’s name graced the street. This Helena was the 1st-century-CE queen of Adiabene—a principality located in what is now Iraq—who converted to Judaism. Elaine Rose Glickman recounts some of the talmudic legends about this remarkable historical figure:

SaveGift