The Bruner Family Journey: Masada

View of Masada from down below

I learned the story of Masada in Hebrew school at a young age and it was forever etched onto my memory. Instead of letting the Romans capture them, the Jewish rebels living on the mesa top of Masada burned their own homes and their possessions, and then drew lots to choose 10 men to kill all the others in their own community. One of the 10 then killed the other nine and the last one committed suicide. The story of Masada is an integral part of the Israeli psyche - a visit is a rite of passage for Israeli school children and the legendary Moshe Dayan initiated the practice of holding Israel Defense Forces swearing in ceremonies here, which conclude with the declaration that "Masada shall not fall again."

View from the top of Masada

The story of Masada is made all the more powerful by the bleak and expansive desert surroundings. Most memories from my trip to Israel in 1977 are vague and hazy, but my memories of visiting Masada are crystal clear: walking up the Roman ramp, visiting Herod's lavish palaces, walking through the windswept ruins, gazing in awe at the dramatic scenery. Needless to say, I'd been eagerly anticipating my return to Masada, and my children's first visit, ever since we landed at Ben Gurion Airport on August 6.

The only written source about Masada is Josephus Flavius’ first century work, The Jewish War. According to this account, Herod the Great fortified Masada in the 1st century BCE. Herod apparently envisioned Masada as a place of refuge in the event of a rebellion or an attempted coup. Herod envisioned a comfortable refuge, so he built two luxurious palaces at Masada, replete with swimming pools and other essential amenities. He was right to fear a rebellion, but it came well after his death. In 66 CE, the Jews rose up against the Romans and a group of Jewish rebels captured Masada, which was lightly manned after Herod's death. After suppressing the Jewish rebellion in 70 CE, the Romans turned their attention to recapturing Masada. The Roman governor of Judaea Lucius Flavius Silva marched against Masada with a large Roman legion and laid siege to the mountaintop stronghold. The Romans set up 8,000 men around the base of the mountain and, using Jewish slave labor, they built an enormous earthen ramp up to the fortress walls. But when the Romans finally breached the fortress, they found only a few woman and children alive, who survived the mass suicide by hiding. As described by Josephus Flavius: “And so met [the Romans] with the multitude of the slain, but could take no pleasure in the fact, though it were done to their enemies. Nor could they do other than wonder at the courage of their resolution ..."

View of the Dead Sea from the top of Masada

The site's history following this epic tragedy is much less eventful. Byzantine monks occupied the site during the 4th-6th centuries, after which the site faded into the desert. The site was identified in 1838 but it wasn't thoroughly excavated until the 1960s. The arid climate has helped to preserve the site and many of its artifacts over the last 2,000 years. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

The kids handled the 50-minute climb up the steep "snake path" admirably (which I must confess is much more arduous than the gradual 20-minute walk up the Roman ramp that I did at age 12). As you might expect, there were a couple of plaintive requests to take the 3-minute cable car ride instead (which we took on the way down). At the top, many tourists head to the extensive ruins on the northern part of the site, but we made sure to spend some time in the less-visited southern portion of the plateau, which includes an ancient underground water cistern; a variety of scattered, atmospheric ruins; and some amazing, and solitary, views of the striking desert scenery. At the end of the day, Jeremy succinctly explained our visit: "It was a really long walk up, but it was a wonderful experience." I imagine his memory of this place will be as strong and lasting as mine has been.