Page 31 - Holyland Magazine - 2021 Edition

By Sas Fialko
The mountain that proudly rises above
the Dead Sea has witnessed many
upheavals. After 2,000 years, Masada
received international recognition as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Throngs
of visitors flock there and bring the place to life
night and day, so what makes it so special?
Fortunately, beyond the archeological remains
and the spectacular view, there survives an
incredible historical tale, told by Joseph Ben
Mattathias (a Jewish historian who worked for
the Romans during the first century C.E., also
known by the Roman name Josephus Flavius)
in his book The Wars of the Jews. The climax
of the story is when Elazar Ben Yair, leader
of the zealots, called for the besieged on the
mountain to commit suicide rather than fall
prisoner to the Romans. The book was written
around the time of Masada’s fall, in 73 BCE.
The story of Masada could have simply faded
away had the Christian Church not copied and
preserved Josephus’ book, out of the belief
that the story of Jerusalem’s destruction and
the failure of the revolt against the Romans
was the realization of Jesus’ prophesy. And
there you have history’s convoluted ways.
The Jews who survived the destruction of the
Second Temple, headed by Rabban Yochanan
Ben Zakai, apparently wanted to discard the
story of Masada, which was not compatible
with their worldview. Masada was not even
mentioned in books such as the Mishna and
the Talmud. It appears only once in a letter
from the days of the Bar Kochva revolt.
The story of the mass suicide at Masada
takes a turn in the book Yosifun, written during
the tenth century by a Jew under the alias
Joseph Ben Gurion, and extracted from the
Latin translations of Flavius’ book, adapted to
the worldview of the Jewish sages. While the
physical Masada was forgotten, it lived on in
the annals of history.
In the nineteenth century, with the birth of
research and intense interest in the Holy Land
and the Dead Sea area, American researcher
Edward Robinson identified the Masada rock
(1838), which until then was called something
completely different by the Bedouins living in
the area.
In the early twentieth century, Masada was
restored to consciousness by two literary
Frescoes in Herod’s Palace - ancient
art. Photo: Itamar Grinberg
articles: Jacob Naphtali Simchoni’s Hebrew
translation of Josephus Flavius’ The Wars of
the Jews, and Yitzhak Lamdan’s heroic poem
Masada. The story of Masada evoked in the
poem reignites the imagination. The most
quoted line from his poem, “Masada shall not
fall again!” nearly became an anthem.
The corporeal Masada became a coveted
designation. Journeys to it are complex,
perilous and last many days. The flow of
people ascending the mountain increases,
and the myth of Masada continues to
entrench itself into people’s hearts. The motto archeological excavations. The visit offers
is that of a war of freedom, not suicide.
Life comes back to the mountain
A current tour of Masada enables you to touch
times of yore. You cannot remain indifferent to the visitor.
the history and the plethora of buildings and
findings on and around the mountain plateau:
palaces, mosaics and murals, mikvehs
(Jewish ritual baths), sophisticated water
systems, a synagogue and beit midrash
(Jewish house of learning), monks’ caves
and a church, baths and a Roman blockade
that survived intact and is the only one of its shops for camping and sports equipment,
type in the world. A history of two millennia,
covered in dust and rubble.
In recent history however, Masada has been
experiencing a rebirth. Mosaics and frescoes
that were preserved are being restored, and
three dimensional models and signs are being
placed on the mountain, helping the average
tourist understand. Torah scrolls have been
returned to the guardroom in the ancient
synagogue on the mountain. Many Bar
Mitzvah boys read their Torah portions there.
In its genizah (repository for old religious
items), scroll segments and Chapter 37 of
The mosaic in Herod’s Western Palace
Photo: Avinoam Michaeli, Israel Nature
and Parks Authority
the Book of Ezekiel, which is the Dry Bones
prophesy were discovered.
A moving nighttime audiovisual show is
screened in an open theater at the foot of the
mountain and depicts the story of Masada with
lights and sounds at sunset. Visitors arriving
from the east (Road 90) can enjoy a gallery and
display of the history of Masada. From here,
you can ride the cable car to the top.
Just a few years ago, the Yigael Yadin Masada
Museum was opened. It houses findings from
a unique and innovative type of time travel,
by presenting the archeological findings in
their historical context on a three dimensional
theatrical background, which adds depth to
the evidence and an exciting experience for
In the middle of 2011, a spacious and modern
entertainment and shopping complex was
launched, the largest in the Dead Sea
area. It is designed in an old world style
and has a huge restaurant that seats more
than 1,000, a wide variety of food vendors,
souvenirs, photography, and a foreign
currency exchange service. The complex also
has a unique concept shop called Masada
Memories – entirely devoted to Masada and
to the experiences that you can take home at
the end of your thrilling visit to the mountain.
Because of its universal value, Masada was
declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in
2001. Thousands of visitors from Israel and
worldwide flock to the mountain and despite
the “craze” and the throngs of visitors – the
magic still remains.
The writer is the Visitors Department Supervisor of the
Israel Nature and Parks Authority’s Southern District
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