Masada Will Not Fall Again

By Sophie Greenspan

Book Overview

The mighty epic of Masada tells of Jews who preferred liberty to life itself. Their story centers on the bleak fortress of Masada in the Judean Desert after the conquest of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Holy Temple by the Romans in 70 CE. Here, in a last stand, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes laid aside the differences that had crippled their resistance to the Romans and united in their zeal for God and country.

Their leader was Eleazar ben Ya'ir, one of the great freedom fighters of Jewish history. This story brings to vivid life people who might have taken part in this great episode of Jewish history. It tells of the bridal couple, Adin and Ohada, from distant Babylonia; the winsome Urzillah from Nabatea, child of the caravan trails of the East; and Justus from Alexandria in Egypt, with his faithful wife, Sara, a convert to Judaism. Survivors from Jerusalem may well have included boys such as Iddo, of the priestly tribe; his friend and rival Aviel; and little Yitzhak, orphaned by the Romans and protected by Hannah, his grandmother and only surviving relative.

Faith and courage belonged to them all--as they held a mighty Roman army at bay for three years. Even in their extremity they practiced and treasured the rites of their religion--blessing the new moon, circumcising the newborn infant, bathing in the mikveh (the ritual bath), and reciting the daily prayers.

When all hope was gone they resolved to die as free men, women, and children. In turning their swords against themselves they ultimately denied victory to the Romans and the general Flavius Silva, for their memory has prevailed over that of their oppressors.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0827614691
• ISBN13: 9780827614697
• Release Date: March 2019
• Publisher: Jewish Publication Society
• Length: 186 Pages
• Weight: 2.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Shainit Meetsada Teepol

A magnificent saga about the events surrounding the resistance of the Jews on the bleak desert fortress Masada in the Land of Israel, in 70 CE, to Roman tyranny several years after the conquest of Jerusalem. I have read several novels about the resistance of the Jews of Masada,including the Antagonists by Ernest Gann and this one, for young readers and adults alike, is by the far the most absorbing and rewarding. It focuses on the community of Jews on Masada as it might have been, with a fascinating array of characters. Here at Masada Sadducees, Pharisees and Essense were brought together in a common national struggle to try to preserve what was left of their self-determination, even unto death. They were united in a nationalist struggle and put aside the differences that had handicapped their national cause. The novel introduces us to the great nationalist leader, Eleazar ben Ya'ir, a great fighter for freedom of the Nation of Israel. Eleazar's uncle Menachem had wrestled the fortress of Masada from the Romans, before falling in the struggle for Jerusalem. Here we get to know the characters that flocked from far and wide to Eleazar's standard at Masada. Here young and old partook in all of the ancient Jewish rituals and traditions, despite the hardship and shadow of destruction. The young couple from Babylonia, Adin and Ohada, the captivating young girl Urzillah, from Nabatea, the gentle and wise Essene scholar from Qumran, soldiers such as Nathaniel and the old kinsowman to Eleazar Huldah are some of the personalities who inspire and move us, in their brave patriotic struggle to hold on to the Jewish homeland. Their memory has survived that of their oppressors and today young Israeli soldiers, whose forebears held out at Masada, when being inducted into the valiant Israeli Defense forces take the oath Shainit Meetsada Teepol- Masada will not fall again! An powerful and inspiring narrative for young readers that will inform them of the valiant struggle of the Jewish people to hold on to the Jewish homeland of Eretz Israel, in times of great difficulties for Israel and the Jewish people.