The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon when Maya reached the summit of Masada. She had arrived with twenty other young people an hour earlier, when the sky was still dark, to begin the ascent up the winding "snake path." Her legs burned from the effort, but the pain vanished the moment she unfurled the blue and white flag she had carefully folded in her backpack.
"Here I am," she whispered to herself, "in the same place where our ancestors chose death over slavery."
Maya, 23, had arrived in Israel from Argentina just three months earlier. Like many young people from the Jewish diaspora, she grew up hearing stories about Israel, but never imagined that one day she would be here, making Aliyah, fulfilling the age-old dream of returning to the ancestral homeland.
A Fortress of Memory
The fortress of Masada, originally built by Herod the Great between 37 and 31 BCE, stands imposingly over the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea. But beyond its architectural value, this site represents one of the most powerful symbols of Jewish resistance. It was here where, according to the historian Flavius Josephus, 960 Jewish zealots chose collective suicide rather than surrender to the Roman legions besieging them in 73 CE.
The emblematic Israeli flag waving over Masada has become one of the most significant rituals for young Israelis and those visiting the country. "Am Yisrael Chai" (The people of Israel live), is the phrase many exclaim upon completing the ascent, a declaration of survival and continuity in the face of all historical attempts to destroy the Jewish people.
Dr. Yael Zerubavel, a prominent scholar of Israeli collective memory, explains that "Masada represents a fundamental element in the construction of Israeli national identity. It transforms historical defeat into a moral victory by emphasizing the zealots' choice to die as free people rather than live as slaves."
Threads of Continuity
For Maya, this moment represented much more than a tourist experience. Her grandmother had survived the Holocaust, escaping from Poland when she was just a child. The number tattooed on her forearm was a constant reminder of how fragile Jewish existence can be in the diaspora.
"My grandmother Esther gave me this before I came," Maya said, showing a small silver Star of David hanging from her neck. "She told me that when I was in Israel, I would finally be home."
The Taglit-Birthright program has brought more than 750,000 young Jews from around the world to Israel since its founding in 1999. For many, like Maya's friend Rachel from the United States, this experience represents a turning point in their Jewish identity.
"I never felt so connected to my Judaism as I do here," Rachel commented as she watched Maya holding the flag. "It's as if every stone, every hill, tells our story."
Ancient Land, Modern State
The sun continued its ascent, bathing the desert in a golden light that seemed liquid. Maya closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the breeze that made the flag wave in her hands. In that instant, the 2,000 years of exile seemed to compress. The words of Psalm 126 resonated in her mind: "When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like those who dream."
Mandatory military service in Israel (Tzahal) is another fundamental rite of passage for young Israelis. Maya is preparing to begin her service in the Israel Defense Forces in a few weeks.
"It's not just a duty, it's a privilege," she explained. "After generations without being able to defend ourselves, now we have the ability and the responsibility to protect our home."
The complex geopolitical reality of Israel is not lost on these young people. Regional tensions, conflicts with Palestinians, and threats from extremist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah are topics they frequently discuss.
"It's not easy," acknowledged Avi, another participant in the group. "But being here, in this land, is our historical right and also our responsibility. We want peace, but we also need to exist."
The New Jewish Identity
As the group began their descent, Maya carefully stored the flag. In a few weeks, she would wear the IDF uniform, joining the long chain of defenders of Israel.
"My grandmother survived so that I could be here today," she thought. "And I am here to make sure we always have a home to return to."
The concept of the "new Jew" or "muscle Jew" that emerged with the Zionist movement in the late 19th century sought to transform the image of the diaspora Jew, perceived as weak and passive, into a new model of a strong Jew, rooted to the land and capable of self-defense. The image of a young person at the top of a mountain holding the Israeli flag perfectly embodies that transformation.
Professor Todd Presner of UCLA notes that this transformation was central to early Zionist thought: "The regeneration of the Jewish body was seen as parallel to the regeneration of the Jewish homeland. Physical strength became a metaphor for national strength."
A Dream Realized
For organizations dedicated to strengthening Jewish identity and connection to Israel, stories like Maya's represent the fulfillment of a historical mission: to strengthen the ties between Jewish communities in the diaspora and Israel, to promote understanding about the historical and contemporary importance of the Jewish state, and to combat the disinformation that seeks to delegitimize Israel's existence.
As Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism, said: "If you will it, it is no dream." Today, more than a century later, young people like Maya continue to make that dream a reality, holding high not just a flag, but the very future of the Jewish people in their ancestral land.
In the golden light of that desert morning, as Maya stood with the flag of Israel in her hands, the ancient and the modern converged. The fortress where Jewish zealots had made their last stand against Roman oppression now witnessed a young woman's commitment to ensure that never again would the Jewish people be without a homeland.
References
- Ben-Yehuda, N. (2019). The Masada myth: Collective memory and mythmaking in Israel. University of Wisconsin Press.
- Cohen, S. (2020). The social psychology of military service in Israel. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 50(3), 145-162.
- Lev, M. (2021). Intergenerational transmission of Holocaust memory among Israeli youth. Israel Studies Review, 36(1), 42-63.
- Presner, T. (2019). Muscular Judaism: The Jewish body and the politics of regeneration. Routledge.
- Saxe, L., Shain, M., & Wright, G. (2022). The impact of Birthright Israel: Recent findings and theoretical developments. Contemporary Jewry, 42(1), 85-102.
- Shavit, A. (2021). My promised land: The triumph and tragedy of Israel. Random House.
- Shuval, J. T. (2020). Immigrants on the threshold. Routledge.
- Zerubavel, Y. (2018). Recovered roots: Collective memory and the making of Israeli national tradition. University of Chicago Press.
