September 2008
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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.
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Sep 14 2008 08:21 am |
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President tells leaders of Arab-Israeli community ‘the God that you pray to in Arabic and the one we pray to in Hebrew does not command us to throw bombs’
hosted Tuesday evening leaders of the Arab-Israeli community for a traditional dinner to break the Ramadan fast. “We are all descendents of our father Abraham and can coexist.
“The God that you pray to in Arabic and the one we pray to in Hebrew does not command us to throw bombs but to pray,” he said. “A world without Islam will be a more miserable one, as will a world without Judaism, Christianity or Buddhism.”
Among the dignitaries who attended the dinner were the Jordanian and Turkish ambassadors to Israel, Islamist Movement founder Sheikh Abdullah Nimar Darwish and Shawki Hatib, chairman of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee.
The president continued to say that “we do not aspire to be conquerors” and compared the Arab-Israeli conflict to other disputes that
were eventually resolved.
“During the 60 years since Israel’s inception we have fought seven wars, but also signed two peace agreements,” he said. “Did we not return (all of the conquered land) to Egypt? We also gave Jordan all of the water resources back. This is how we ended the occupation. I am certain that this scenario will repeat itself with the Palestinians.”
The president said the solution must entail an independent Palestinian state. “I don’t believe one state for two nations is feasible. There must be two separate states for two nations,” he said.
Sep 10 2008 06:54 am |
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Friday marked the first week of Ramadan, a month-long Muslim religious observance that includes prayers for forgiveness for past sins, and day-long fasting from dawn until sunset every day.
The first Friday prayers of Ramadan in Jerusalem saw monumental attendance—approximately 90,000 Muslims filled the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Since riots have taken place in the past during this time of year, Israeli police prevented men under the age of 45 from entering the Temple Mount compound. This decision has created controversy, which adds to the existing controversy that has continually surrounded the Temple Mount, which is holy both to Jews and Muslims.
Ramadan falls out on the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, which does not correspond with a specific Gregorian calendar year. This year, Ramadan corresponds to the Jewish month of Elul, which is also a time of prayer for forgiveness for past sins.
Sep 09 2008 09:59 am |
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Not all Christians believe that Jesus was crucified and buried on the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Some believe instead that the Garden Tomb, a peaceful site outside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, once set the scene for one of the most pivotal moments in history.
The Garden Tomb is believed by some to be the garden and tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man who donated his own grave for the body of Jesus. It is said in the Gospels of Nicodemus that Joseph requested permission from Pontius Pilate to remove the body of Jesus from the cross and prepare him for burial. Pilate acquiesced, and swathing the body of Christ in linen, Joseph interred the body in the sepulcher that he had built for himself.
Later, he reported to Jewish elders that had had witnessed a miraculous resurrection.
British General Charles Gordon called attention to the Garden Tomb while stationed in Jerusalem in 1883. What initially drew his attention to the site was the skull-like formation of the rocks—Golgotha, the hill whereupon the crucifixion took place, is described as resembling a skull. Residing nearby are a garden and ancient tombs which fit the description of Christ’s tomb as it is recorded in the New Testament.
The main argument against the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as an authentic site is the fact that it is situated within the city limits of Jerusalem. It is against Jewish custom to bury the dead within the city walls. Moreover, the Romans would not have performed a crucifixion within city limits either. In contrast, the newly discovered Skull Hill, being near the Old City of Jerusalem but still outside it, would have been an ideal location for executions.
Many tales have attached to Joseph of Arimathea, some of which connect him—and with him, Christianity—to the earliest myths of Britain. According to one legend, Joseph was appointed keeper of the Holy Grail, which would someday inspire the knights of King Arthur. This is but one of the many legends which float about Joseph of Arimathea in myth and in Christian tradition.
Sep 04 2008 07:05 am |
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