Gateway Teams

On top of the fortress 'Masada'.

GYI Israel continued...


March 13, 2008 (journal)

This was the day that we would go to Masada, the fortress that Herod the Great constructed on sharp cliffs overlooking the Dead Sea. But, what Masada is most known for is the last stand of 200 Jewish zealots and their families when Rome was trying to root out all opposition after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. These 200 holed up in Masada with the Romans closing in all around them. Over the course of 3 years the Romans camped out around Masada and began a task of building a ramp to lay siege on the fortress and overtake them. It not only took 3 years for them to make the ramp (with much assistance from other Jews that they had captured previously), but it took 3 months for them to break through once having started the assault on the fortress. An amazing account (with thanks to Josephus Flavius). It was very cool to see all that had been constructed at this place; palaces, huge cisterns, even a synagogue. It was a huge fortress! It was also neat to get there via a cable car!

The view from atop 'Masada'.

The Romans' ramp that was constructed over 3 years to assault the Zealot group holed up in Masada in AD 73.

From Masada some of the group went to Ein Gedi for the hike that those of us who were a part of the pre-conference had done the previous week; the rest of us headed back for rest and relaxation at the hotel! Finally. We had been keeping quite the pace for over a week at that point and an afternoon of relaxing was appreciated by just about everyone.
A view of sunset over the Dead Sea with the Mountains of Edom in the background in the east.