Our Israel Trip: "Masada Shall Not Fall Again."

Have you ever heard the expression, “That would make a great movie"? It is usually spoken about a story, whether fact or fiction, that is so compelling you can visualize it being projected on the “Big Screen.” Such is the story of Masada. It’s a true story and it’s already been made into a movie! The movie, “Masada”, released in 1981, chronicled the heroism of 960 Jewish rebels who defended the mountain fortress against 8,000 Roman soldiers. The fortress, overlooking the Dead Sea, fell to the Romans in 73 A.D. after a long siege and when the Romans finally entered the city they found that almost all of the inhabitants had committed suicide.

On Wednesday morning we visited this mountain top plateau that is accessible only by means of a footpath, called the “Snake Path”, and a cable car. (We chose the cable car.) It is amazing to see the ruins of the city that King Herod built to serve as his summer palace. There were actually 5 palaces (2 large ones for King Herod and 3 small ones for visitors) along with a large bathhouse, swimming pool and stables (later converted by the rebels into a synagogue). Numerous storage houses and cisterns held abundant supplies of food and water.

Masada today has become one of the Jewish peoples' greatest symbols. It is also one of the most popular tourist destinations in Israel, 2^nd only to the City of Jerusalem, and its significance in Jewish culture is so great that Israeli soldiers are required to take an oath there: "Masada shall not fall again."