One of the main pulls to Alexander Muss High School In Israel is the opportunity to learn in many different environments. One “living classroom” that has stood out to me the most up to this point has been our tiyul to Mount Masada. We learned about the rich history of Masada on Masada. Around two thousand years ago, Jewish rebels fled from Jerusalem to Masada as a last resort against the Romans. The Jews used Masada’s tactical advantages to hold out against the Romans for a long time. They were eventually overpowered and decided collectively to commit mass suicide. Although this story is tragic, we were still able to have a positive educational experience at the top of this mountain.

What was different from this classrooms from all the other classrooms I’ve been in is the way I got to it. At home I carpool with my neighbors, here I walk two minutes to room 8, but for Masada I had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning and hike up a steep and intense mountain. This walk to school was definitely much more difficult than the one to Elhanan classroom. Once we got to the top the view was amazing. We beat the sun to the top and were able to watch the sunrise from the top of the mountain. Seeing the structures on the top of the mountain really told us what life was like at the top of Masada more than any textbook ever could. We saw ancient aqueducts, King Herod’s Northern tower, ancient mikvahs. The aqueducts showed us just how they were able to sustain themselves in terms of water which seems impossible. What they did was carve into the sides of the mountains to catch the water flowing into the ravine and directed them into caves to store the water. This showed us how well thought out this fortress was. We saw King Herod’s Northern tower. King Herod built this place perfectly so he would get shade from the mountain. This is another example of how well thought out this stronghold was. The third thing we saw that stood out to me was the mikvahs. Because of the lack of the beit mikdash the mikvahs could be used for only one thing. They are for women. The mountain housed women and children as well as the rebel Jews.

This trip to Masada was very meaningful to me. It is amazing to be able to see and touch what I was learning about 2000 years ago. That is the definition of a living classroom.