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While the Jews of Babylonia were relatively safe, the Jews of Israel and the former Parthian provinces suffered under Hadrian. Originally attempting to be conciliatory to the Jews, Hadrian found himself continuing to suppress ongoing Jewish revolt. The Jews of Cyprus were annihilated. Hadrian reversed himself and decreed that the Jewish Temple may not be rebuilt and forbid circumcision of Jews and other Jewish practices throughout the empire. Rabbi Akiva journied from Israel to Nehardea and Gazaka to meet with the Exilarch and others to make preparations for another revolt. Adiabene quietly began sending arms and supplies to Israel.

In 131 CE, Bar Kokba raised the banner of revolt in a well planned attack on Rome in coordination with Parthia. For several years he succeeded in actually producing a short-lived independent Jewish kingdom. In Sefer Yuhasin it is maintained that Bar Kokba waged war with the Romans in Mesopotamia, but this is probably a reminiscence of the struggles under Trajan. It is known that Jews from Babylonia enrolled themselves under Bar Kokba and the crushing of Bar Kokba revolt in 135 CE no doubt added to the number of Jewish refugees in Babylon and Arabia.

It is noteworthy to mention that Bar Kochba who led the revolt against the Romans fifty years after the Destruction of the Temple was considered by Rashi to be a descendant of Herod. At the same time, we find that Rabbi Akiva considered him the Messiah. It is well known that the Messiah must be descended from the House of King David and that a king cannot be a slave. To answer this difficulty some suggest that there were Herod’s descendants that married Jews and eventually were united by marriage with the descendants of King David. Others suggest that Bar Kochba was a descendant of Agrippa I who was Jewish according to Rashi.