Israel Tour for You

Masada is a mountain that rises in splendid isolation from the Judean Desert. Located on the Western shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest and one of the most desolate regions on earth, Masada is a place of stark majestic beauty. It is also the site of one of the most dramatic episodes in history. Nineteen centuries ago on this gaunt plateau, a group of freedom fighters against the might of ancient Rome decided to kill themselves rather than submit to the oppressor’s yoke.

Last Stand

The summit had been fortified by King Herod the Great during the latter part of the first century BCE. He had constructed a wall around the rock’s perimeter, built defence towers, storehouses, huge cisterns to hold water, barracks and a magnificent palace. For Herod, Masada had been a personal citadel - a refuge in case his subjects deposed him, and a haven from his enemy Cleopatra, who, it is said, spoke often to Mark Anthony of her desire to extend the kingdom of Egypt to Judea. By the middle of the first century CE, Masada was held by a small group of Jewish fighting men and their families. When, in 70 CE, after four years of full-scale Jewish revolt against Rome, the Roman General Titus conquered and sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple, a number of warriors evaded capture and joined the group at Masada. Together they numbered less than 1000 souls.

For two years their control of Masada remained unchallenged. Then, in 72 CE, the Roman governor Flavius Silva moved up the 15,000-man Tenth Legion, which camped at the foot of the mountain stronghold and besieged the defending force entrenched on its summit. The Romans built a wall around Masada, as well as a massive ramp of boulders and earth. We are told by the historian Josephus Flavius - who based his story on the testimony of two survivors - how the defenders watched these preparations for the onslaught.

When the defenders’ leader, Eleazar ben Ya’ir, realized that the end was near, he bade his followers to remain true to the cause for which they had fought so long and so valiantly. “Let us rather die”, he cried, “than be enslaved by our enemy. Let us leave this world in freedom”. Nine hundred and sixty men, women and children died by their own hands. The men embraced their wives and children and put them to the sword. Next, lots were cast, and ten men were chosen to take the lives of their comrades. Finally, the last surviving warrior set fire to the palace and fell upon his own blade. The defenders had left untouched abundant supplies of food and water, so that the Romans might know that they had preferred death to enslavement.

The Message of Masada

For many generations the story of Masada was considered a semilegendary tale. Then, in 1963, Masada was excavated by a large, international archaeological expedition headed by Professor Yigael Yadin. The two-year dig proved this ‘legend’ to be history, and revealed hitherto unknown details. Masada has become the symbol of the determination of a people to be free in its own land. After two thousand years, the sacrifice of Eleazar ben Ya’ir and his comrades remains a reminder of the love of freedom which is as important to the Jewish nation today as it was in that bygone era.