Aaron ben Zerah

Who is Aaron ben Zerah?

Aaron ben Zerah was a French Jew, who suffered martyrdom at Estella in Navarre, March 5, 1328. Banished from his original home in 1306 by order of King Philip the Fair, of France, who confiscated his property, he sought refuge at Estella, where, after a residence of twenty years, he, his wife, and several of his sons were slaughtered by the Christians. The horrors of that event are described in "Ẓedah la-Derek," a work written by Aaron's son Menahem, who escaped death.