Zeitlin's Expose of Misconceptions Regarding
Masada, Its Defense, Role of Barbarous Sicarii
(Continued from Page 2)
Temple was burned in the second year of the reign of Vespasian.
There is no reference in the writings of Josephus that the Zealots
fled to Masada in the year 69. They heroically fought in Jerusalem
until the city was taken by the Romans. Josephus relates that
after the capture of Jerusalem, Bassus in the year 71 besieged the
fortresses Herodian and Machaerus. After he had taken these two
fortresses he marched against the Judaeans who assembled in the
woods called Jardes, in the environs of Machaerus. In the battle
which ensued, over three thousand Judaeans were slain. Among
them was General Judas, son of Ari, one of the leaders of the
Zealots who distinguished himself in the defense of Antonia. With
some Judaeans he succeeded in escaping Jerusalem after it was
captured by the Romans. It is to be noted that Judas- and his
group did not flee to Masada but to the woods of Jardes in the
vicinity of NIachaerus. The Sicarii fled to Masada in the year 65.
There they remained until 72, when they committed suicide.
"The statement, 'He (Eleazar ben Yair) had escaped the
destruction and capture of Jerusalem, and when all hope for suc-
cess against the Romans was lost he fled with a small band of
followers to the Fortress Masada'; is historically not true. Eleazar
ben Yair fled to Masada in the year 65 at the beginning of the
revolt when the Judaeans cherished great hope for their success
in throwing off the yoke of Rome.
"One who is acquainted with the tragic but heroic struggle of
the Judaeans in the last days of their independence cannot accept
the following statement, "The spirit of Masada is indeed indis-
pensable to us as it has been through each of the nineteen cen-
turies since the event. Masada stands today as a monument to
freedom, and the courage and heroism of those who laid down
their lives for it". The most that we can say about the suicide of
the Sicarii is that it was a protest against the tyranny and
enslavement by Rome, and they were determined to die as free
men. They did not defend Masada as their brethren defended For-
tress Antonia, the Temple; the City of Jerusalem and the
Fortress Machaerus. The Judaeans shed their blood for freedom
in defending Jerusalem, and the Romans indeed had to pay a
heavy price for their victories. The Romans took Masada without
the loss of a single soldier.
"The Sicarii were individualists concerned with saving their
own souls. They were not nationalists and were not interested in
the preservation of the Judaean State. They never came to the
aid of their coreligionists in the height of their crisis.
"The spirit of Masada is not glorious. During the persecutions
of Antiochus Epiphanes a thousand Jews took refuge in a cave.
.
When the officers of Antiochus discovered the men and told
them to come out and obey the command of the king the men in
the cave refused, and said, 'Let all of us die in our innocence,
may heaven and earth testify in our behalf that you destroy us
against all justice.' When they were attacked on the Sabbath
day they did not defend themselves nor did they hurl a stone
against their attackers, and so they died. When Matthias heard
of this tragedy he said, "If all of us do as our brothers have
done; and do not fight against the heathen for our lives and our
laws they will soon destroy us from off the earth". Thus, the
Hasmonaeans in revolting against the Syrians succeeded in
establishing the Judaean State. The Sicarii with their philosophy
of self destruction rather then resistance against the Romans to. a
great extent were responsible for the destruction of the Judaean
State.
"Prof. Yadin's article is replete with historical inaccuracies.
He states, "One outpost held out, Masada". The Romans did not
attack Masada until the spring of 72. After the Judaean victory
over Cestius in the autumn of 65, Nero Caesar sent Vespasian to
Judaea. He arrived in Galilee in the summer of 66, and suc-
ceeded in subduing Galilee and Peraea. At the end of 68 Nero
Caesar died. Uncertain of the conditions in Rome, due to the
civil war, Vespasian delayed his march against Jerusalem. Galba,
who succeeded Nero, was slain in January 69 and was succeeded
by Otho, who in turn was put to death in April. He was succeeded
by Vitellius. In the summer of 69 Vespasian made preparations to
advance against Jerusalem. Cerealius, one of his officers, marched
with his army against the south and laid waste many cities in.
eluding upper Idumaea. The three fortresses in the south, Herod-
ian, Machaerus and Masada were not attacked. Apparently Cereal-
ius' army was not strong enough. The objective was Jerusalem,
and Rome was in turmoil. In December 69 Vitellius was slain and
Vespasian was proclaimed emperor. The supreme command of the
army in Judaea was given to his son Titus. In the spring of the
year 70 Titus began his march on Jerusalem. In the fall of that
year the entire city was laid waste and Titus left for Rome.
Bassus was appointed legate of Judaea. Three fortresses were
still held by the Judaeans, Herodian, Machaerus and Masada.
Bassus decided to conquer them. In the year 71 Bassus laid
siege to Herodian and Machaerus and subdued them. He also
annihilated the Judaeans who had fled to the woods of Jardes.
Masada was not attacked by him as he had died in the mean-
time. Flavius Silva succeeded him as legate. In the spring of 72
Silva marched against the one fortress not yet conquered by the
Romans, Masada, which was held by the Sicarii. Thus the state-
ment that Masada alone held out is not true as Rome did not
attack Masada until 72. Masada is the only fortress which did not
Data Still Being Concealed About USS Liberty
- LAN
By MILTON FRIED A
(Copyright 1968, JTA Inc.)
WASHINGTON — The Johnson
Administration was willing to let
Israel suffer all the blame for the
accidental attack, June 8, 1967, on
the USS Liberty when American
errors were responsible for the
improper location of the ship off
the Sinai coast during the Six-Day
War.
This conclusion has been drawn
by a number of Congressmen who
studied the report of an investiga-
tion by the House Defense Appro-
priations Subcommittee. The sub-
committee was concerned about de-
fects in U.S. global communica-
tions, but its disclosures inadver-
tently revealed the injustice of
singling out Israel for total re-
sponsibility in the Liberty affair.
The subcommittee probe showed
}low U.S. mistakes put the Liberty
in the middle of the war zone.
Yet the whole story still was not
told. Rep. John J. Rhodes, Arizona
Republican, charged: "This study
is full of instances in which, on
the orders of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, the investigating staff were
denied access to messages."
A member of the committee that
probed the affair, Rep. Rhodes
told how a Washington order for
the Liberty to remove itself at
least 100 miles from the Sinai coast-
was never delivered.
The government admitted to the
committee that "the re-positioning
of the Liberty was (ordered) as
a matter of prudence to insure
conformance with instructions to
other Sixth Fleet ships in the area.
This is the order- that the Liberty
never received because of bungling
in the communications system at
a number of points."
According to the testimony, an
order to the Liberty to leave Sinai
waters was first "misrouted by per-
sonnel in the Army communica-
tions center at the Pentagon to the
Naval communications center in
the Philippines. There a second
personnel error misrouted the
message to the National Security
Agency at Fort Meade, Md., where
it was filed," and never delivered
to the Liberty. Lt. Gen. R. P.
Klocko, director of the U.S. De-
fense Communications 'Agency, ad-
mitted that because of personnel
failures, "the message was sent
to the Pacific instead of the Atlan-
tic."
The Liberty, like the U.S.S.
Pueblo captured by North Korea,
was a "spy ship." The committee
registered no objection to the ship's
function. Nor did it concern itself
with the Israeli involvement. The
committee's concern was confined
to the need to re-evaluate military
communication effectiveness.
Report Covering Thailand Bases
Editor's Note: As the sole Jewish
chaplain in Thailand, Chaplain Sol V.
Slotnik is responsible for the religious
and morale services at a number of
U.S. military bases and sites, each of
which has at present 20 to 40 Jewish
personnel. This article is based on his
report to the commission on Jewish
chaplaincy of the National Jewish Wel-
fare Board on his tour of duty during
a three-month period this year.
* 0
By CHAPLAIN SOL V. SLOTNIK
In addition to the Jewish military
personnel in Don Muang-Bangkok,
there is a civilian Jewish popula-
tion of approximately 200, which
includes Americans with the Peace
Corps, U.S. Embassy and other
government agencies, Israelis, and
local settlers.
Services are held every Friday
night and Saturday morning at the
Jewish Community Center, 121 Soi
Sainamtip Soi 22 Sukumvit. During
this three-month period, I held 12
Friday night services. The average
attendance was 30 or more. Satur-
day morning attendance was very
poor. I conducted a children's
minyan every other week, and
there were usually 12 to 15 children
present. Sunday morning was Sun-
day school time, with a total of
26 pupils divided into four classes.
40 — Friday, July 19, 1968
Israel remains badly hurt. Pub-
lic opinion to some extent
equates the Israeli accidental at-
tack with the deliberate North
Korean action in the case of the
other ship. Thirty-four Ameri-
cans died and '75 were wounded
when Israeli jets and torpedo
boats attacked the Liberty, think-
ing it was au Egyptian ship.
Washington assigned all respon-
sibility to Israel, who apolog-
ized for the incident and who
has voluntarily paid $3,323,500 in
damages so far. Negotiations are
still in progress for even greater
claims—injuries and damUe to
the vessel.
The administration has yet to
indicate how it will respond to
the disclosure of the contributory
negligence that put the Liberty in
jeopardy.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff con-
tinue to conceal data that might
tell whether the Liberty sought to
disguise its identity and how close
it was to shore. The material could
also conceivably reveal why the
U.S. command did not coordinate
operations more closely with Israel
at a time when Soviet intervention
was possible.
Such questions might clarify fu-
ture policy. The Middle East con-
tinues to smoulder. Instead of
generating friction between friends,
the Liberty tragedy could serve to
promote understanding and cooper-
ation.
There are four teachers and the
curriculum includes Hebrew, his- Hebrew Corner
tory and drama. I am also con-
ducting a new adult education
course, which meets every two
In 1914 a young genius, who was only
24 years of age, received a doctor's de.
weeks.
gree from the University of London.
During this period there were He was already a graduate of the Sor-
in Paris.
two bar mitzvas and two circum- bonne
I-Rs knowledge in the various sciences,
languages,
philosophy, law, mathema.
cisions. Each bar mitzva was at-
tics, he acquired after he already had a
tended by over 140 persons. There fluent
knowledge of the Talmud and all
were 30 to 40 persons at each cir- subjects of Judaism.
In the year 1937, this genius, Rabbi
cumcision.
Isaac A. Halevi Herzog, was elected. the
Chief Rabbi of Eretz Israel, after he had
At Korat, I conducted six serv- served for several years as chief rabbi
ices, including one Sabbath service. of the Jewry of Ireland, and fought for
rights of the Jews, and organized
Attendance ranged from 10 to 15. the
his community with its educational and
There were no hospital visits, since religious life. In that period Rabbi Her.
became known as a of genius,
no Jewish personnel were seriously zog
with a broad knowledge of all subjects
ill. In my absence, Sabbath serv- of Tora and science, a man with an
exceptional memory; and mainly for the
ices are conducted by one of the distinguished
trait of a leader and spin
Jewish lay leaders.
itual guide.
During the time that he served as
Services at Takhli are led every chief rabbi in Eretz Israel, the Jews
for their right of immigra-
Friday night by the Jewish lay struggled
tion, to Eretz Israel and for political
leader. Together with one of the freedom. Rabbi Herzog played an im-
Protestant chaplains, I conducted portant role in this struggle, and he
honorably before foreign na-
several colloquim-style programs appeared
tions and their leaders.
After
the
destruction of European
there on Christianity and Judaism.
Rabbi Herzog made a "rescue
I have a Jewish lay leader in Ubon, Jewry,
crusade" among the remaining fugi-
and we are trying to launch a tives, encouraged and consoled the res-
and saved_ orphans from foreign
weekly service or get-together. To cued
hands. He was the spiritual leader of
date, the lack of interest in any the Jews the world over, and the man
who made decisions in ha/akha, in re-
formal religious service is hard to sponse
to great rabbis who turned to
overcome.
him from all countries of the world.
Rabbi Herzog
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
(Translation of Hebrew column pub-
lished by Brith Ivrith Olamith, Jerusa,
le m. )
resist the Roinans. The Sicarii surrendered Masada to the Romans
by their acts of suicide. The story of Masada is indeed an in-
glorious chapter in the annals of Jewish history.
..."On p. 14 it is stated, 'Sixty years after the demolition of the
Temple and the Jewish defeat by the Romans, a second revolt
broke out under the leadership of Simon Bar-Kokba, whose true
name we now know to have been Shimon Ben Koseba. (Sic.) The
leaders of the revolt were extremely pious Jews who, like the
Maccabees in their day, rebelled against the Romans (Sic.), pri-
marily in order to obtain freedom to practice their faith'. This
statement is questionable. The Palestinian Talmud relates that
Bar Kokba himself before battle used to address God as f011ows:
'We do not need Your assistance, but do not help our foe.' There
is a similar story in the Midrash about two brothers. apparently
leaders of the revolt, who once went out to fight the Romans. An
elderly man met them at the gate of the village and wished them
Divine assistance. To this they answered that they did not need
His assistance but hoped that He would not help their foe. This
clearly indicates that the Bar Kokba revolt was not a religious
but a national revolt to establish the Judaean State.
"Prof. Yadin states that there was -uncovered in Masada a
synagogue (a house of prayers), two ritual baths (mikveh) and a
religious schoolroom. This is rather in the realm of fanstay than
reality.
"The subject of Masada and the Sicarii has been inflated
beyond the limitations of scholarly sobriety. Unparalleled sensation-
alism has plagued the subject. Wild assumptions have been blared
forth over the radio and in the press. A pseudo-historical chapter
on the Zealots, the Sicarii and Masada is being foisted upon us."
Disputes between historians and archaeologists must
be resolved on the basis of established facts, and it is
deplorable that the Dead Sea Scrolls and Masada issues
should lead to accusations of such an extreme nature.
But Dr. Zeitlin can not and must not be ignored. His
data is based in the very roots of the issue—on the facts
he presents from Josephus, the writings of scholars
through the ages, the history he has complied on the
Second Commonwealth. If he is to be refuted, his facts
must be dealt with. They have been ignored, and that is
not creditable. That is why he gets this platform—in the
interest of historical truths.
State Department Still Holds Israel
Responsible for USS Liberty Attack
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Pending responsible for the accidental at-
receipt of the transcript of United tack.
States Congressional testimony
The Defense Department has re-
here, there will be no official re- ferred the whole issue to the State
action-to the disclosures in Wash- Department in light of the testi-
ington that the USS Liberty, the mony. State Department legal offi-
American electronic Intelligence cers are studying the testimony
vessel which the Irsaelis attacked and it was conceded that a com-
on June 8, 1967, at the height of plicated legal issue of contributory
the Six-Day War, should not have negligence now exists. According
been in the war zone and was to the State Department, Israel's
there because of a failure of U.S. payment of $3,323,500 to the fam-
naval communications. ilies of the sailors who were
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Further killed represented an acknowledge-
claims against Israel for damages ment of its responsibility. Israel
done to the Liberty will take into now faces additional claims for
consideration the newly published compensation of the wounded men
Congressional testimony that a and for repair of the damages. But
communications foul-up prevented officials hinted that the new dis-
the vessel from receiving orders closures, which indicated that the
to move out of the war zone, U.S. considered the Liberty's posi-
government sources said. However, tion off Sinai to have been hazard-
the State Department's official ous, would be taken into account
stand still holds Israel entirely in preparing the final bill.
,
I art
• I
ntrr 1 7D t?iN TiNF;
rirrr (ril)
r`1` r)
4p41.7 17?4
'71171
717Z — nprs71
nrni
L7tr,
./tptcl n7 ini4;:r;
ztV j7 . 1i7Zri Nr);:i
rrtgPci
4/7L?
361;:i
ntInn,
i.74tir4 niter) p 1.717.1 ;v.'?
"P'?
;11P4 I74nir 11
•t3;177 347i1 rz4747
ri,ybit-r)kr
inte?
r
vt?p,-
tion
nr:141 1 1:117 moPri
nu2riz?
r4t?is4rt nr5
41:7? tr pin?
44rrilirj rrjpzill sir; IlTTI
tbikttli.) i174rY.?iv; trivrn
n47ii-q r144 -0?
rov
'2.; 14'm Ilyt.g
•
.nL?isn.7
(ron'pv n4Ipi
■
tifil
• ir
11117j11
T
•
AIL
191 4 r.)4,
ltst173, nrt
24
sp -op*
nto4p-iivtrp
trz rirrl
m
ra.rpi497qin
rrrivr,
.rely;-rinIio-
n4rInn rirT)isr-r
rT i?iaizrp ,niritet? ta44ivci
—
P??1.)7 , °Yrg'?
Lyi-q 4p. ri:tri
i1 11e?
nivispp
iln 17r4
avr-Tri•
1 171? 'nits - le n s 1937 r14tt.:);
rrx prTir nirri
21;7 rvi n:TL?
nrit3L?
1.1211
17tg
w:1VP; . :Ott V?
nty
ro-r14 • L7tg Vrt -Itrt
, r141Y) r113 ?7.) 4 40 IrPirl
TrIkq n41.1 71T
nn'in
nt;) n4-orrri
41r1 nkr
sieprr? 17te nim Tann
rirtyix4