"Nearly 1,000 Jews lay dead on top of the mountain. But, not from the hands of the Romans . . but by their own choosing!"  
 
ISRAEL
Israel is the only Jewish state in the world . I was surprised how small the country is. It's only about the size of New Jersey. I could easily travel to my next town in only a few hours!
 
Israel has a population of around 8 1/2 million (2016). 74.8% are Jewish, 20.8% are Arab, and the remaining 4.4% include non-Arab Christians and other faiths.
 
THIS IS THE HOLY LAND!
Israel is the center of the "Holy Land", but not all of it! 'The Holy Land' includes places mentioned in the Old and New Testaments. They are:
 
  *Egypt (Sinai Peninsula) where Moses and the Israelites wandered for 40 years.
   *Syria where Elijah took refuge and St Paul was converted.
   *Jordan from where Moses saw the Promised Land and Jesus was baptized.
   *Israel and Palestine, where most of the Jewish and Christian sites are located. Islam also claims Jerusalem as an important religious site, though not their main one. 

 
DAY TRIP FROM JERUSALEM
Jerusalem is a great place to use as your base and do day trips to other areas from. Today I waited on a dark street corner at 3 a .m. for a van driver to pick me up. I hired a van, along with a few other people, to take me to some places not easy to get to using public transportation. The driver is not a guide. He will wait as we visit the sites, then drive us to the next place, until the day is over. We will visit Masada, En Gedi, Jericho, and the Dead Sea!

MASADA IN HISTORY
A couple of hours before daylight, we arrived in Masada (60 miles from Jerusalem), and started climbing the switchback mountain trail called "The Snake Path"! We hike, one by one, on our own, in the early morning darkness, for about an hour, to reach the top.

On top of this mountain 960 Jews committed suicide rather than become slaves to the Romans in 73 A.D. But . . . I am getting ahead of myself with the story! 

Masada (meaning 'stronghold'), is a fort, built by King Herod the Great, on the mountain top, surrounded by 18 foot walls. It was his defense against revolts or other enemies . (King Herod The Great ordered the death of every first-born son in Israel in the Bible). He used it as a winter fort.

Masada is 1300 feet above the Dead Sea, with steep cliffs on all sides. When you look up at it from the bottom (or top), of the mountain, the fort looks unreachable!  

There are palaces, huge water cisterns, storerooms, a lot of Roman baths, and even a swimming pool! There are covered walks leading to terraces on 3 levels! Herod's palace is built on the side of the mountain, as if it is clinging to the side of the cliffs!

I sat on a wall and waited for the sun to rise over the Dead Sea, and the land of Moab below!

Death in Masada!
The Romans destroyed Jerusalem's temple in 70 A.D. When this happened, a number of Jews from Jerusalem took refuge in Masada for several years. But, in 73 A.D., the Romans built a dirt ramp up one side of the mountain, to retake the fortress . You can still see the ramp coming up the side of the mountain!

When the Romans broke through the walls, with a battering ram, in the spring of 73 A.D., they found all 960 Jews dead!

The Jews drew lots and ten men were picked to kill the rest of the people. Then, one of those ten killed the other nine. The last man committed suicide. Judaism forbids suicide. So, this way, only one man committed suicide!. The story was told by 2 women that hid in a water cistern to escape the death plan.

Before the deaths, the commander of the Jews ordered the men to destroy everything except the food. He wanted the world to know they had the means to continue living, but chose the time of their death over slavery or execution by the Romans. There is a museum at the bottom of the mountain that has some jars that were excavated, with the food still in them. But, none of the staff would open the museum before daylight for us!

In the future when I think of Israel, I will think of Masada . I imagine the sounds of battle, as the small number of Israelites fought with the courage and passion of this small nation that has fought to survive through so many centuries! 

For many years when the Israeli soldiers completed their basic training, they would hold the graduation ceremony on the mountaintop of Masada, and declare, “Masada shall not fall again.” But, now they repeat this oath in Jerusalem, at the Western (Wailing) Wall.


BIBLICAL MASADA
Some Bible scholars believe 1 Samuel 22:4 refers to Masada. This scripture tells how David hid his parents in Moab when he was on the run from King Saul. When David returned to Israel, he took refuge in “the stronghold.” Scholars believe this included the area of Masada and En Gedi, near the Dead Sea. 

EN GEDI IN HISTORY
En Gedi is located along the western shore of the Dead Sea and our 2nd stop! Fresh water springs, waterfalls, and palm trees, make En Gedi an oasis in the desert . Many people think it is one of the most beautiful places in Israel, and is very popular with the locals.

There are a lot of springs around the Dead Sea, but most have a high salt content. En Gedi is one of only two fresh water springs in the area.

Not too far from Jerusalem, this beautiful area is the perfect place to spend a day outdoors. Hike up the mountain, past the botanical gardens, waterfalls, and wild ibex goats! There are refreshing pools of water to take a swim in along the hike.

BIBLICAL EN GEDI
This area around the Dead Sea was famous in the time of Solomon (Josh 15:62), and belonged to the tribe of Judah.

En Gedi means “the spring of the kid (goat)." There is evidence the ibex goats have always lived here, near the springs of En Gedi. Today, I saw them roaming around the mountain!

En Gedi is one of the places David went to hide from Saul . "And David . . . dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi” (1 Sam 23:29).And I Sam 24:2 "Then Saul...went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats." In a cave near here, David cut off the corner of Saul’s robe (1 Sam 24).

I enjoyed climbing the path David climbed while hiding from Saul! Since we are on our own, and not tied to a group, we go at our own pace. Seeing the waterfalls and wildlife along the way was amazing! There is time to take a dip in one of the spring fed pools, if you want to. I hiked along with a woman from America that came to Israel to live and work for a while. We enjoyed a dip in one of the pools!

The prophet Ezekiel predicted that, one day, fishermen will line the shores of the Dead Sea by En Gedi (Ezekiel 47:10). This refers to the time the Dead Sea will become fresh water. (See Part 2).

NEXT: (Part 2 Jericho, Dead Sea)  "The Walls Came Tumbling Down"