Ten Martyrs

The Ten Royal Martyrs (Hebrew: עֲשֶׂרֶת הָרוּגֵי מַלְכוּת ʿĂsereṯ Hārūgē Malḵūṯ) were ten rabbis living during the era of the Mishnah who were martyred by the Roman Empire in the period after the destruction of the Second Temple. Their story is detailed in Midrash Eleh Ezkerah. Although not killed at the same time (since two of the rabbis listed lived well before the other eight), a dramatic poem (known as Eleh Ezkera) tells their story as if they were killed together. This poem is recited in the Eastern Ashkenazic rite in Musaf on Yom Kippur (and at other times in the various Western Ashkenazic rites). A different poem about the Ten Martyrs is recited on Tisha B'Av, and still a third poem is recited in Western Ashkenazic rites on other occasions.