BEN ẒIẒIT HA-KASAT

BEN ẒIẒIT HA-KASAT (or ha-Kassaf; "silversmith"), wealthy and prominent citizen of Jerusalem at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple (Git. 56a; Gen. R. 42:1; Lam. R. 1:5, no. 31). It is related that Ben Ẓiẓit and his associates undertook to provide the needs of the inhabitants of Jerusalem throughout the war with Rome, but the Zealots burned their stores (see also Ben Kalba Savu'a\>\> ). Ben Ẓiẓit is possibly the Hebrew equivalent of the Latin crispus ("curly-headed"). -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Graetz, Gesch, 3 pt. 2 (19065), 528; Epstein, in: MGWJ, 63 (1919), 262ff.; Klein, in: Leshonenu, 1 (1928/29), 343. (Zvi Kaplan)