A character from the
Hebrew Bible/
Old Testament. Dinah is
Jacob's only daughter by
Leah. Traditionally Dinah is viewed as being was raped by
Shechem. Other interpretations see her as
sleeping with him outside of marriage, and blame the outrage of her brothers on prejudice rather than
a true need for vengeance. Jacob agrees to his daughter's marriage to Shechem if all the men he
controls are
circumcised, which Shechem agrees to do. Jacob's sons
Simeon and
Levi are not satisfied with this and
"avenge" their sister by killing every man in the city where Shechem lived.
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is a retelling of Dinah's story from her point of view.