The first Hasmonean queen of Judea, Salome Alexandra, inherited the throne from a wicked husband then immediately set her sights on restoring holiness across the land. (Salome’s late husband had been focused on a military alliance with another powerful queen, Cleopatra III of nearby Egypt, while his wife governed affairs at home in the Levant. He was infamously cruel and violent, which speaks to Salome’s reputation that she was independently able to end the civil war that her late husband started.) As matriarch of the dynasty descended from Maccabean warriors, Salome revived the ancient traditions of oral law and reunited the kingdoms of Israel and Judea. Scribes said her reign was so prosperous that lentils grew as large as coins. For nine years the skies refused to rain on any day but Shabbat, ensuring the working class never suffered in the fields. Each man sat under his own vine and fig tree (Micah 4:4). Freedom was widely respected, as their queen built up grand stone fortresses across the country to deter invaders. She offered a glittering example of virtuous leadership. She was the last ruler of Judea to die as the sovereign of an independent nation.

This NFT portrait features an unlockable poem written by Elad Arnon. Art by Jill Blutt.