Ishmael ben Elisha ha-Kohen
Ishmael ben Elisha ha-Kohen Elisha Kohen Gadol was one of the prominent leaders of the first generation of the Tannaim.
Jewish tradition describes his father as High Priest in the Second Temple of Jerusalem, though no High Priest by the name Elisha is historically known. In the Talmud, he describes how he once entered the Holy of Holies, where God asked him for a blessing, and he replied by asking for God to treat Israel mercifully.
Ishmael was also one of the Ten Martyrs, along with Shimon ben Gamliel. According to Jewish tradition, his son and daughter were taken captive as slaves in the Roman conquest. As the two slaves were both extremely beautiful, their respective owners decided to mate them together and share the offspring. They were brought together at night, when they could not see each other, but refused to cohabit. When they recognized each other in the morning, they embraced each other and cried until their souls departed. This story is recited in one of the Kinnot for Tisha BeAv, entitled "Ve'Et Navi Hatati".
Ishmael's traditional tomb is located in the Druze village of Sajur in the Upper Galilee.
