The “Masada experience”

The strong and forceful image of Masada, as a major national symbol for Israel, performed on all levels of national consciousness: excavations; militant Zionist youth movements; the Israeli army, who picked Masada as the location for their famous swearing-in ceremonies that echoed “Masada shall never fall again”; history books; media; films; tourism; and the actual experience of the climb to the ancient fortress on the visually dramatic trek above the Dead Sea, deep in the Judean desert.