I have stood many times among the ancient ruins of Masada gazing at the sun rise over the Dead Sea pondering the messages that I need to deliver here in this magical, incredible, horrific and conflicting site.I often wonder what kind of impact this place will have on my tourists as we descend into this majestic location, as the impact this place has on me changes constantly as I mature and think about the context of the Israeli culture.
As of now, Masada represents not only a historical story of the 96 men and women whom escaped to this abandoned fortress and fought the Roman Empire and eventually preferred taking their life in their own hands rather than live as slaves for the rest of their life. For me Masada is a story of commitment to your community and to your values. Masada is a story of commitment to one’s family and one’s ideology.
It was not before the late 1920s that Masada got its fame and turned into a national symbol. Young pioneers like my grandfather that left their comfortable life in Europe to travel to Masada and build a different future for the Jewish people and for us their grandchildren. In the dark days of despair, they had to remember their commitment to themselves almost 2000 years after the last battle of Masada. They had to put their heads down and handle the plow and hoes and plant the seeds that would later grow into trees … for us.The history of Masada gave them the inspiration
