Friday, July 5, Into the Desert, Masada and the Dead Sea

Today was a great day!  This morning was our earliest departure of the entire trip.  We were on the bus at 6:45 am to make our way from Jerusalem into the Dead Sea Basin (the lowest point on earth at almost 1400 feet below sea level) and headed towards Masada, Herod’s mountain palace and the site of the Jewish Zealot’s last stand against the Roman Legionnaires.  We left so early because, being in the middle of the desert, Masada is gets very hot and it is important for us to get to the top of the mountain early in order to try to beat the intense afternoon heat. 

We ascended the mountain by cable car and gathered under an awning while Uri shared with us the history of this place. 

There are two stories that define Masada.  The first is the fact that King Herod had this place built as a mountain retreat for himself.  But there is much more to this story.  He had enough water and food storage to sustain a thousand people for YEARS, meaning it would also be a place where he could go if he were in trouble and needed to be kept safe.  Enough water for years?  Uri explained how water was collected on the mountain, through a system of canals that would take the water of the rare flash floods and divert them to the many cisterns on the mountain.  He also had multiple food storage facilities on the mountain as well.  He was definitely planning on spending a lot of time here. 

Uri then walked us to the Northern Palace, Herod’s personal quarters.  There is quite a view from here, and it took advantage of the extended shade that would come as the sun moved during the day, keeping the king as comfortable as possible. 

We also toured the Bath House, and much like all Roman bath houses, this was decked out to the nines.  We saw remnants of the tile floor in the room where they entered…

And then the hottest room with the elevated floor where the hot air was pumped into the steam room.  We noticed the curved ceiling that would prevent the water droplets from dripping on the guests.

It really is an incredible place.  This is where the first part of the history of Masada stops and Uri began to weave the story of the second part of Masada’s history.  During the Roman conquest at around 70 CE, a group of Jewish Zealots escaped Jerusalem and made their way into the Desert for safety.  They brought their families, 960 people in all, and went up to Masada where they were amazed to find enough food and water to sustain them.  Of course, the Romans followed suit and went to capture the Zealots.  And when they got there, they created encampments around the base of Masada and waited.  They knew that the food and water supply would run short and the Jewish Zealots would be forced to come down the mountain.  They had no idea that there was so much food and water already there. 

Here are the ruins of some of the storage facilities on Masada.  Uri shared that they found date pits in a jug and were able to grow a new date tree!  Amazing.

As the siege went on the Romans began to build a ramp to come up and forcibly take Masada.  This is when the story becomes somewhat of a myth.  We do not know if this actually happened, as we have only one source that describes the events of the end of the siege of Masada, and it was written by a Jew who joined the Romans and became the   for the Roman leadership, and we do not know how accurate his information is.  But the story seems to make sense.  The Jews had a few choices.  They could fight, but that would mean certain death and while the Zealots were willing to do this, how could they ask their children, some infants to try to fight?  And if they died in battle, what good would they be to their children then?  They could give up and turn themselves in, but this would certainly mean a life of bitter slavery that would be a fate worse than death.  They could sneak down the mountain and avoid capture, but then what?  They would be in the middle of the desert and would not be able to carry enough supplies to sustain their families.  The last choice was to choose to die on their terms, as free Jews rather than at the hands of the Romans.  Uri took us to the synagogue atop Masada where they could have discussed these options.

Today, in the synagogue at Masada there is an air-conditioned room where a Sofer writes Torah scrolls.  It is so great that we could see this room because as a bat mitzvah gift, one of our dear friends purchased a letter in a Masada Torah in Hayley’s honor.  How terrific she could see the room where her letter would be written.

Uri then took us to the foundation of the ramp built by the Romans to get their troops to the top of Masada where he shared with us what the source says happened. 

After careful consideration, it was decided that the Jews would choose to die on their own terms.  And the killing began.  The men would kill their families in the most painless way possible.  Then the elders would kill all the men.  Then the elders drew lots to see who would be the one to kill all the elders and finally fall on his own sword.  It is a horrible ending to the story.

I cannot imagine the agony of having to make such a horrible decision and would not be able to execute this particular choice.  I watched Hayley as Uri shared the story and could not fathom placing her in this kind of position.  It was a horrible time for sure.  But Masada, today, has come to mean something different for Israelis.  There is a saying that Masada will not fall again, which is a rallying cry for Israel to make sure that she remains a strong military force that can defend herself against all enemies.  Uri brought us back to the war for independence, the 6 Day War and the Yom Kippur War, where there were no options other than victory.  Israel will not fall again.  Uri also shared that while it is important to understand the questions regarding the validity of the facts, it is also important to acknowledge what was perhaps necessary at a time, when the people of Israel needed such stories to push them to victory against all odds.  It was perhaps this mantra that allowed us to stand strong in the breach.  It is also important to recognize, that as a nation matures, we can also re-harness the story of Masada and its outcome and challenge ourselves by asking what is it we do to ensure Jewish continuity. 

We went back down the mountain and headed over to the Dead Sea for lunch and some much needed relaxation floating in the lowest point on earth.  Uri shared with us that the waters are receding at about a meter a year, and unless steps are taken to reverse this (water was damned at the Kinneret, which supplied 90% of the inflow to the Dead Sea), it will eventually disappear.  He also shared that Jordan and Israel are starting to work on a plan to pipe in water from the Red Sea to try to stop the water line from getting lower.

After a good shower back at the hotel, we went to celebrate Shabbat with a local Reform community, Kehillat Tzur Haddassah and their Rabbi Stacey Blank. 

I have brought 2 other groups to Rabbi Stacey’s services and they are always so welcoming to us.  Rabbi Stacey invited our 10 b’nai mitzvah kids to come up and light the candles.  It was quite an honor, and so nice for me to share a service sitting with Hayley in the congregation rather than being on the bima.

Following services, the congregation hosted us for a communal Shabbat dinner where we got to talk with local residents about life in Israel.  It was an enlightening evening of community and terrific food.  The kids started a huge soccer game in the garden.  What a terrific night!

This was the longest day of the trip.  We left the hotel at 6:45 am and ended our day at about 10 pm.  We are all exhausted but exhilarated for our final day in Israel together.