photos: 1. Masada and siege ramp from far away - 2. siege machine, from “Masada” miniseries - 3. north face of Masada (see palace again!), Dead Sea, mountains of Moab in the distance - 4. graves of rebels, interred in 1969 - 5. Masada synagogue

James returned to the top of Masada, but I knew I had to see the rest of the things that are on this western side of the mountain. I ran down the steps that continued from the end of the ramp, across to where a siege machine stands. According to Gabi, it is a left-over prop from the miniseries, “Masada,” which was filmed over 20 years ago. It was fun to see this up close. On the way back to the ramp and the path up the mountain, I noticed another stairway going up to a small mound next to the ramp. I followed it, and came upon a grave and marker, stating that here the remains of the last Jewish defenders of Masada were put to rest for the final time in 1969. A very fitting conclusion to my special day of new experiences and sights at my most favorite location in all of Israel: Masada!

I literally ran up the path and steps to the top of the fortress and found James and Michelle and the Bennetts resting in the shade of an awning. I still hadn’t gotten pictures of the synagogue, so James and I walked over to it and spent some time there. Then I was ready to leave. It was after 1:00 p.m. and we had started up the Snake Path at 9:00 a.m. We decided wwe would all ride the tram down Masada, and back at the visitor center we shopped for some things to remember our day here. I was delighted to find a book by the chief archeologist, Yigael Yadin, who led the expedition to excavate Masada, filled with the details of the project and original pictures of the two year effort.