Israel Museum's Captions Written by Ezekiel and Josephus
By MEIR MEYER
figs" or "priest's tithe" (Ma'aser
cohen). Here is a replica of the
Nineteen centuries ago, Masada
was conquered by the Romans and ritual bath (Mikveh) which had
the exact measures prescribed
the last stronghold of Jewish inde-
pendence was lost—its defenders by rabbinical minimalists. And,
committed suicide. They became a together with them, are the
stoves and cooking pots, the
symbol. Tens of thousands of Is-
raelis are now flocking to the beautifully designed clothes and
Jerusalem Israel Museum to see prayer shawls (Talitot), the
combs and eye make-up sticks,
relics of this pre-diaspora inde-
the kitchen knives and "curtain
pendence.
•
rings" and even the plant-leaf
Two years ago, when Masada
bags and sandals. Masada was a
was unearther. In it fragments
treasure trove for numismaticts.
the oldest known Jewish synagogue
was unearthed. In it fragments Hundreds of silver and copper
of scrolls were found and one of coins were found there — some
them had that significant passage went on show in the Museum.
They included rare silver shek-
from Ezekiel in which the Lord
told the prophet "prophesy over els of the fifth and last year of
these bones and say unto them, 0 the anti-Raman revolt—hidden by
ye dry bones hear the word of the zealots on the last fateful
the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God morning. But with them were
unto these bones: Behold, I will E found thousands of bronze coins
cause breath to enter into you and i not hidden at all. The Romans,
ye shall live." They live in the they knew, had no use for them.
Masada exhibition. Former Israeli Chief of Staff,
achaeology professor Yigael Yadin,
Masada was excavated and re- was in charge of the big excavation
constructed, but one still has to work at Masada. From Masada he
climb it — though a relatively brought to the exhibition arrows,
easy feat these days. There, one arrow heads, and arrow heads
sees the enormous work of con-
whic'i had been melted in the fire
struction done by Herod who
at Masada as well as hundreds of
fortified Masada and made a armor scales, some of them silver-
resort in the dry desert, making coated. There are the stone mis-
use of the shade and the winds
to keep his palace cool. The -
water and food supplies which
Were hoarded in Masada were -
abundant despite the complete
desolation of the area: '
A report from Riyadh, capital of
. The Herodian buildings stayed
on Masada. But what made Masada Saudi Arabia, states that the Ford
Motor Co. was given three months
the independence
symbol of aspiration
for Jew
ish
was the fight
of to wind up business in that king-
the zealots in the last years of-the (inm "unless Ford changes plans"
revolt against Rome — three years , to oven a plant in Israel.
Ford officials said the company
after the destruction of the Temple
of Jerusalem. The zealots made does not operate in Saudi Arabia
use of Masada and it was their but that "several dealers market
day to day life in the years around Ford products" in that country.
the destruction of the Temple —
which made the exhibition so Nsk.1 1 ge Earners May Lose
touching. The exhibition opened coo. of-Living Pay in July
on. June 2 and will remain open
-
JERUSALEM (JTA) — T h
until August. It is expected to be
executive
of the Mapai-Ahdut Avo-
shown in the autumn in the Lon-
don Festival Hall and will be dah-alignment decided in principle
mounted permanently in Israel at June 29 against payment of the
scheduled cost-of-living allowance
a later date.
in July to Israeli wage earners.
Josephus Flavius, in his book
Although the decision, if imple-
"Jewish War," gave a very exact
mented by the government, will
description of Masada and its
hit hardest at the lower level wage
war (72-73 C.E.). Many of the
earners, no strikes or other im-
details were doubted by histo-
mediate protest repercussions were
rians and archaeologists — at-
expected.
tributing them to the writer's
Details will be worked out at
imagination. T h e excavation
another meeting of the executive
proved Josephus right even on
of the alignment, the dominant
minuscule details. Thus, the ex-
force in the coalition govern.
- hibition at the Israel Museum
ment. The decision followed a
has excerpts from Josephus as
compromise worked out between
captions to the models and to
Mapai and Ahdut Avodah lead-
the items shown. Here are the
ers at a top-level secret meeting
great stores holding enormous
of the executive June 2.8.
quantities of food and here is
The secret session was attended
even the food itself — dates by Premier Levi Eshkol, Finance
pomegranates, olives, walnuts Minister Pinhas Sapir, Trade Min-
and grains. There are the mark- ister Haim Zadok, Transport Min-
ings on the pot "well-ground ister Moshe Carmel, Labor Minister
Yigal Allon, Minister Without .
Portfolio Israel Galilee and Mrs.
Golda Meir, secretary general of
Mapai.
Shofar-Blowing Course
SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — A
unique class designed to teach
name for a hero not in use in young men the art of blowing the
those days. And there is a similar shofar has been established at
sherd carrying the name of the Temple Sherith Israel.
legendary commander of Masada—
The class will be taught by Dr.
Benyair. Nobody survived to tell Bertram Wolfsohn, a local dentist
whether these were the real lots who has been blowing the shofar
of the last men on Masada. They at the Temple since 1930.
are now in a special showcase with
The initial class will consist of
Flavius's quotation from the corn- two men in their 40s and three
mander's speech "My loyal follow- boys in their early teens. They are
ers, long ago we resolved to serve expected to complete their train-
neither the Romans nor anyone ing by the High Holy Days.
else but only God, who alone, is
the true and righteous Lord of
Boast not thyself of tomorrow;
men: now the time has come that for thou knowest not what a day
bils us prove our determination i may bring forth.—Proverbs xxvii.
by our deeds . . ." 1.
siles hurled by Roman catapults
into Masada and there are the big
rolling stones which would have
made an avalanche fall on anybody
trying to climb the mountain on
the shores of the Dead Sea. And
there are the "lots" of the ten
commanders of Masada who, when
all the families and soldiers were
dead, had to pick one of them to
finish the dreadful job and slay
his friends.
Their names are here written
on sherds of pottery with those
nicknames under which the com-
manders were apparently known.
There is "the baker's son," "the
fisherman," "the man from the
valley" and "Yoav," a biblical 10—Friday, July 8, 1966
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Nazis Picket Convention
of California's JWV
LONG BEACH, Calif. (JTA) —
Members of the American Nazi
Party, costumed in Nazi-type uni-
forms embellished with swastikas,
picketed the annual convention
here of the California department
of the Jewish War Veterans of
the United States.
In two small trucks, they circled
the hotel where the parley was
held, blaring anti-Semitic slogans.
However, at the request of its
officers, who denounced the Nazis
from• the podium, the veterans
ignored the Nazi pickets and staged
no counter-demonstration. The ses-
sion continued without disturb-
ance.
One of the features of the con-
vention was the presentation of
a JWV award "for a valiant fight"
on behalf of California legislative
consideration of United States rati-
fication of the United Nations Con-
vention Against Genocide. T h e
award was given to Samuel B.
Gach, publisher of the California
Jewish Voice, of Los Angeles.
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