The Dovekeepers

The Dovekeepers is a novel by Alice Hoffman, published in 2011. A work of historical fiction, it is set during the first Roman-Jewish War in the first century CE; the famous siege of the fortress of Masada is a major component of the plot.

The story opens with Yael, a young Jewish woman, telling the story of how she came to be wandering the desert with her father, Yosef, and a man named Ben Simon, his wife Sia, and their family. Yael reflects on the events in Jerusalem where the Romans moved troops into the city to subdue the rebelling Jews, driving her and her father out of their house along with many of their neighbors, leaving Jerusalem empty and abandoned behind them.

Yael’s mother died in childbirth, and she knows her father blames her for this, and has always resented her. Her father was an assassin, killing political opponents. Yael was born with bright red hair which attracts unwanted attention, and as a result she has learned to keep to herself. While in the desert, she begins an affair with Ben Simon despite the proximity of his family, and despite the fact that Sia had attempted to be kind to her and be friendly. Later, Ben Simon and his family become sick with fever, because the desert is a thankless, unforgiving place. Yosef and Yael attempt to help, but Ben Simon and his family die.



Warriors from the stronghold of Masada arrive, sent by Yael’s brother, Amram. They are taken to the fortress as Yael realizes she is pregnant with Ben Simon’s child. She is haunted by Sia, and suffers pangs of guilt over her behavior.

The story changes over to a woman named Revka, already in Masada. Revka’s husband was killed by Roman soldiers, and she took her daughter, Zara, son-in-law Yoav, and grandchildren out into the desert to flee. While Yoav goes to pray, more soldiers arrive and assault Zara. Revka, trying to protect her children and grandchildren, is knocked unconscious. When she awakes, Zara has been raped and tortured. Revka puts her daughter out of her misery by slitting her throat. Realizing that her grandchildren have all gone mute, traumatized by what they’ve witnessed, she seeks her revenge by baking bread laced with poison and bringing it to the soldiers under the guise of begging for mercy. She then makes her way to Masada, burdened by guilt. She worries about Yoav, who was once scholarly and gentle but becomes increasingly angry and violent after what happened to his wife.

In Masada, another woman named Shirah takes center stage. Shirah is a kedisha, a sacred, anointed prostitute, who came to the fortress with Eleazar ben Ya'ir, the leader of the forces at Masada. She is known as the Witch of Moab, skilled in spells and potions. Everyone assumes he is her cousin, but in reality she is his lover, which is why he brought her with him. Shirah has two children, Adir and Aziza, who was born out of wedlock. After they were waylaid by bandits and Shirah felt helpless, she began dressing Aziza as a boy so she would never feel the same way, and Aziza became a skilled warrior after being trained by her foster father. When they came to Masada, Shirah made Aziza back into a girl, but Aziza winds up taking Adir’s place when the call goes out for warriors because she is a much better fighter than he is.



All four women—Yael, Revka, Shirah, and Aziza—meet when they begin working in the fortress’ dovecotes, where they gather materials to make fertilizer for the gardens. Revka initially dislikes Yael, but when she witnesses Yosef beat her when her pregnancy becomes obvious, she warms up to the woman and invites her back to her house. Shirah, on the other hand, likes Yael very much, sparking jealousy in Aziza, who worries that Yael is supplanting her. Shirah reveals that she was actually Yael’s nurse when she was a baby, and slowly Aziza and Yael become very close, almost sisters.

The Jews have sworn to defend Masada to the last warrior in order to deny the Romans a true victory, even though Masada is the last remnant of the resistance and their fight is purely symbolic. When the Romans finally breach the defenses, only seven Jews remain alive inside, among them the women and children. Yael stands up to the Romans and tells them she is Shirah, Eleazar ben Ya'ir’s companion, and that she will tell the story of Masada if they spare her and the others. She tells the stories, and they are set free.

In the end, Yael and the others live in Alexandria. Yael, following in Shirah’s footsteps as a keshida, is known as the Witch of Moab, keeping up Shirah’s memory.