the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE, interpreting it as an appeal for a new start. The Roman action under Titus had effectively ended the Jewish priesthood and sacrificial system. One group of Jewish religious leaders, based at the rabbinic academy at Jamnia (Yavne) in Palestine, sought to rebuild Judaism by minutely detailed study of Torah, ‘Law’, and by applying the rules of Temple purity to the home. The synagogue had already become a focus of worship and piety for many, especially in the Dispersion.