Masada and its scrolls

Masada was first built as a fortress by a Hasmonean priest Jonathan, either the brother of Judah the Maccabee (152–143 BCE) or Alexander Janneus (103–76 BCE).

A view of the Judean Desert overlooking the caves of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found

A view of the Judean Desert overlooking the caves of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found

(photo credit: HERMAN CHANANIA/GPO)

ByLAWRENCE SCHIFFMAN

DECEMBER 10, 2019 16:41

RECOMMENDED STORIES

Andy Byron with HR chief Kristin Cabot

Kiss cam gone wrong: AI CEO caught in affair with HR chief at Coldplay concert

JULY 18, 2025

Melanie Shiraz is crowned at Miss Universe Israel 2025.

Melanie Shiraz wins Miss Universe Israel 2025 crown, vows to use platform for meaningful change

JULY 19, 2025

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee arrives to a court hearing of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Distrcit court in Tel Aviv, July 16, 2025.

Huckabee threatens reciprocal visa measures over Israel's restrictions on evangelical groups

JULY 18, 2025

IDF SOLDIERS walk out of a tunnel underneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, in the Gaza Strip, last month. Israel will continue to strike fiercely against enemy strongholds from Khan Yunis to Isfahan, states the writer.

Israel adopts superpower mindset in Middle East as it upgrades war doctrine

JULY 18, 2025

Top Stories

IDF announces death of soldier in Gaza's Khan Yunis

Abbas Araghchi confirms 'serious damage' of nuclear sites

Nearly half of Israelis see Iran as greatest threat -survey

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah visits Bint Jbeil, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, in southern Lebanon, November 27, 2024.

Live Updates: Israel strikes Hezbollah terrorist in Lebanon

Bedouin families ride on a vehicle as they leave the village of Al-Mazraa, as residents reported calm in Syria's Sweida on Sunday after the Islamist-led government announced that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city, Sweida, Syira, July 21, 2025.

The real reason Israel-Gaza stories overshadow Sweida

ANALYSIS

IDF doesn't address arrest of senior Hamas official

Reservists pay legal aid for soldier arrested in Belgium