Masada: I came, I saw, I conquered.

On the last day of our Negev trip, my roommates and I got up at five thirty and hurried to Masada just in time to catch the sunrise as we went up. Although it was an incredibly difficult hike, it was well worth it. According to the historian Josephus, Masada was originally built by the Great High Priest Jonathan during the Hasmonian (Macabbean) period and fortified by Herod the Great as a winter palace and as refuge against his enemies. Herod knew that the Jews were planning to revolt and wanted to be prepared. And of course, knowing Herod, we were not surprised to see the splendid palaces, storerooms, cisterns, and fortified walls he built. During the Great Revolt of the Jews against the Romans (beginning in 66 AD), a group of Jewish rebels called the Sicarii conquered Masada and along with other Jewish sects were led by Eleazar Ben Yair. The rebels built a synagogue and mikvehs (ritual baths), which were some of my favorite things to see at Masada, especially after learning so much about them in my Jewish Thought and Culture class. A few years after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Romans laid siege to Masada. The 960 members of the community decided that it would be better to commit suicide than allow the Romans to capture them as slaves. They chose ten men by lots to be the executioners, and by the time the Romans arrived, no one was left. One of the most interesting things to see at Masada was the ten pieces of stones (ostraca) on which the names of the ten executioners were written. Every single one of the names was found. Another fascinating artifact that was found at Masada was scroll fragments under the synagogue, including Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones. I also enjoyed going to the Byzantine church, with its intricate mosaics and pottery designs in the walls. All in all, Masada was a unique experience, and it helped me to better understand the devastating effects of the Roman siege.