Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai

Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was a first-century Jewish leader and scholar who oversaw the fragile transition of the Jewish people to life without a Temple, upon the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE at the hands of the Romans. While he sought accommodation with the Romans, he was unable to convince the faction of zealots to give up their position, which ultimately led to the destruction of Jerusalem. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai's students smuggled him out of Jerusalem, enabling him to renew Jewish life and learning from Yavneh. He is famous for establishing takkanot, halakhic decrees, that represent the shift from a Temple-centric Judaism to a Judaism without a Temple.