Masada shall NOT fall again!

I am back with the amazing story of Masada that reminds us that like then, also today, Israel is surrounded with enemies.

As a young man, in the 60’s, I spent two summer time vacations excavating Masada and we were taught that Masada will not fall again. Growing up in a country surrounded by enemies, that lesson from Masada keeps creeping back in.

Herod the Great, was a paranoid but also one known for his extravagant buildings. Even the Romans said that “it’s better to be a pig in Herod’s backyard than to be one of his sons” (Herod killed two of his sons and his beloved wife).

Herod built Masada as a royal refuge for himself and as such, built two Palaces, 18 big store rooms stocked with every supply you could think of, and a roman bath. In addition, he ensured there would be enough water by building a water system to fill all the cisterns. Given there is no rain in the desert, this entire system was dependent on collecting the flood waters coming from the west.

The rebellion against the Romans started 70 years after Herod passed away and a group of Jews from Gamla (Golan Heights) fleeing from the Roman legions found refuge in Masada and conquered the mountain from the few Romans that were there. They lived there until it was reconquered by the Romans.

I’d like to thank the Watchman and Danny Herman for this video.