Johanan ben Zakkai, Rabbi

Johanan ben Zakkai, Rabbi: Mishnaic sage, student of Hillel and Shammai, was appointed as the head the Sanhedrin in 50 CE. During the Roman siege on Jerusalem, he advocated concession to the enemy. He escaped Jerusalem and founded a Torah academy in the city of Yavneh, making it the Torah center of Israel. He enacted many practices to memorialize the destroyed Holy Temple and to ensure Jewish continuity.