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The son of a humble shoemaker, Akiva is impetuous and action-driven. When he attends Zionist meetings in the Jewish Pale in Russia, he is immediately convinced that Palestine is the promised land of milk and honey. It is Akiva’s rash action of murdering the man who caused his father’s death that leads to his relocation to Palestine along with Barak. Akiva tends toward violence, and convinces Barak to take up arms to defend their settlements. During the years that Akiva works the land of the settlements, hatred over his father’s death festers in him. When his wife and daughter are later killed in another pogrom declared by a Palestinian Arab, Akiva can no longer live under the restraint that his brother preaches. He gathers the most skillful members of the Haganah, the secret army of young Jewish people, and he forms the Maccabees. The move creates a lasting division between the brothers, with Barak accusing Akiva of pitting Jewish people against each other.
Akiva remains resolute in his decision to leave the settlements for years, even though leading the Maccabees has driven him underground and forced him to live in bunkers. But as the years pass, he softens. His efforts to finds ways to visit with Sarah, Ari, and Jordana prove that Akiva cares deeply for his family and his people. It is Akiva who asks Ari to hold out an olive branch to Barak on his behalf, and Barak who refuses to forgive him. Shortly before dying, an aging Akiva reveals his kinder nature when he expresses his personal regrets and advises a young and bitter Dov not to be so serious. He, like Barak, has only ever wanted to live a quiet life tending his fields. The situation in Palestine has never allowed him this luxury, and his personality has driven him to risk-taking and drastic measures. While Akiva does regret the rift with his brother, he does not regret his work on behalf of his homeland. He dies believing that he has served his people well in spite of the fact that his actions have, at times, endangered the Israeli cause.
