Recap: Aunt Annabelle recovered, and they continued on to Jerusalem. A man rode up to their carriage and warned that the Arab king was on their heels.
Ava suspects the man is setting a trap and they ride away from him. She worries that he may still be following them.
We reached Jerusalem as the sun was rising on a new day. Aunt Annabelle signaled Arash to stop at the gate. I helped my aunt out of the carriage. She was still very weak from her illness. We bowed down and kissed the ground.
“We’re here in our holy land!” Tears streamed down Aunt Annabelle’s cheeks.
I was here in Jerusalem. I was in Hashem’s home. I felt something inside that I could never describe. I felt Hashem was there to greet me and welcome me.
I heard myself say what was overflowing in my heart. “Dear aunt, I made my decision. I want to follow Hashem and I want to be Jewish.”
We embraced and our tears melted together.
Just then, we heard the pounding of horses’ hooves. Had that man followed us?
We’d come so far. Please, Hashem, protect us. Let us reunite with Aunt Helena.
There was a carriage; to my amazement, Jasmin’s parents and Jasmin alighted.
She raced over to me, and we hugged and hugged. “Baruch Hashem, I never thought I’d see you again,” I said.
Jasmin’s long dark hair was whipped in the wind.
“We had to flee. Arnan was after us. I can’t believe we found you so quickly.”
She glanced back toward the carriage. “There’s someone who came with us.”
The carriage door opened and Galla stepped out. There was a haunted look in her eyes.
What happened? Galla looked so distraught. A terrible premonition crossed my mind.
She stood at a distance from us.
“Where are Nazanin and Omer?” I whispered to Jasmin.
“They wouldn’t come. We went there to rescue them when we heard Arnan was coming but they refused. At the last minute, Nazanin thrust Galla out the door and instructed her to come with us. There wasn’t time for her to even say goodbye to her parents. The Arab soldiers were within a few yards when my parents quickly ushered her into our carriage and we took off.
We heard the horrible screams coming from the Nori house as we galloped away.”
I gasped. Poor Galla. What a horror.
I rushed over to her and reached out to embrace her. She shrank back.
“I’m so sorry, Galla,” I whispered.
She didn’t respond.
Jasmin motioned me to come close to her.
“She’s been this way. It will take time. Let’s walk together into Jerusalem.”
We linked arms and followed my cousin Mirhan, Aunt Annabelle, and Arash, who walked the horse and parked the carriage outside the gate. Jasmin’s parents followed behind. Jasmin’s mother linked her arm in Galla’s and brought her with her.
We walked through the gate. The white stone walls shone in the early morning light.
“We’ll go to Helena’s palace,” Aunt Annabelle whispered.
We could hear the sound of the Leviim singing.
Aunt Helena’s palace was nearby.
“How was your trip here?” Jasmin asked me.
“Baruch Hashem,” I said. “I can’t believe we’re actually here.”
It felt like a dream. Aunt Helena welcomed us with baskets of fruit and fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice.
“I am so honored, Annabelle, that you are here. We have a whole guest wing ready for you.”
She turned to me. She was a regal woman with kind, blue eyes.
“You must be Ava. Come here, child.”
She planted a kiss on each of my cheeks.
“After you all eat you must go and rest. We will talk together after you rest.”
She was such a kind hostess. She motioned Galla to come close, and she took her aside and I saw her speaking to her and smoothing Galla’s hair. It was as if she was breathing new life into Galla.
When Galla walked away, she had some of the old light back in her eyes.
Galla came over to me. “I want to apologize. I know that in the past, I didn’t act the way I should towards you. I know now that we are actually sisters. Please forgive me. I have learned the hardest way.” She paused; a sob escaped her lips.
“I don’t know what will happen with my parents. Queen Helena believes they were taken captive. Please pray for them. For our parents.”
I bowed my head. “Yes, of course. I’m so sorry, Galla.”
“Do you forgive me? Jasmin has been so kind. She forgave me.”
I linked my arm in hers. “Of course, I forgive you. We’re sisters, you know.”
For the first time since she’d emerged from the carriage, she smiled.
I watched Queen Annabelle talking with Queen Helena. Through the window, golden sunlight reflected off the stones of the gates to the Beis HaMikdash. I realized I was home. This was home.
Epilogue:
I closed the book. “Wow, some story,” I said.
“Yeah, my father told me Queen Helena was a real person. She converted to Judaism, and during a famine there she helped feed the people in Jerusalem and saved their lives. Her two sons also converted and both underwent bris milah at great risk.”
Dad called to me. “Danny, let’s go pack up. Ephraim, Uncle Ephraim invited us to come for the whole Shabbos.”
“Great!” I couldn’t believe it. So many wonderful things had happened and, best of all, I was going to have Shabbos with my dad and my newly found stepcousins and uncle and aunt.
THE END
Historical Note:
Over 2,000 years ago, Queen Helena of Adiabene, the capital of a rich country that was a part of the former Assyrian Empire, decided to convert to Judaism. She lived during the time of the Second Beis HaMikdash.
Queen Helena met Jewish merchants who came to Adiabene on business, and that was how she first became interested in Judaism.
Her husband died, and her youngest son Izates became the next king. He also became interested in Judaism. They both employed a Jewish merchant by the name of Ananias (Chananyah) to be their teacher. She and her son left their pagan religion and converted to Judaism.
Rabbi Eliezer of Galilee visited Adiabene, and King Izates asked him to become his teacher. Monobaz II, the king’s elder brother, joined in the lessons.
When Rabbi Eliezer taught them about bris milah, both brothers decided to have a bris. There was a risk that the pagan people might rebel against such a step, but the brothers did it anyway. The royal family was loved by their people, and they stayed loyal to the royal family even though they had converted to Judaism.
After 24 years, Izates was niftar and then Monobaz took over the throne of Adiabene. The royal house of Adiabene helped the Jewish state in many ways. They sent large sums of money to Jerusalem for the Beis HaMikdash and also to help the poor. Once there was a terrible famine in Israel. Queen Helena and her son used a lot of the money from their state treasury to purchase grain in Alexandria and dried fruits in Cyprus. Then they sent all of this food to Jerusalem.
When Monobaz was criticized by some of his advisers for squandering his money on the poor, both in his own country and in the Jewish state, he replied:
“My ancestors amassed treasures in this world, while I gather treasures for the world to come. My ancestors placed their treasures in chambers, and had to guard them against thieves; my treasures are far from the reach of any greedy hand, and will be safe forever. My ancestors’ treasures did not produce any fruits, but mine continue to bring more and more fruit.”
The Mishnah details gifts that Queen Helena and her son gave to the Beis HaMikdash, for which they are remembered for all time. She donated a golden candelabra placed above the entrance to the Beis HaMikdash, which not only had its own light, but early in the morning it reflected the sun’s first rays. This enabled the kohanim to know the actual time to recite Sh’ma in the morning.
She also donated a gold tablet with the text of Sotah inscribed. In addition, King Monobaz and his mother donated golden handles for all vessels used in the Beis HaMikdash on Yom Kippur.
In Yerushalayim, there is a street named after Helena HaMalkah.
Stay tuned for the next serial, “The Skater’s Edge.”
Susie Garber is the author of a newly released historical fiction novel, Captured (Menucha Publishers, 2025), as well as historical fiction novels Please Be Patient (Menucha, 2024), Flight of the Doves (Menucha, 2023), Please Be Polite (Menucha, 2022), A Bridge in Time (Menucha, 2021), Secrets in Disguise (Menucha, 2020), Denver Dreams, a novel (Jerusalem Publications, 2009), Memorable Characters…Magnificent Stories (Scholastic, 2002), Befriend (Menucha, 2013), The Road Less Traveled (Feldheim, 2015), fiction serials, and features in Binah Magazine and Binyan Magazine, and “Moon Song” in Binyan (2021–2022) and Alaskan Gold (2023–2024).