Unmade in the shade of Masada

July 8, 2009 - 9:29 AM by David

The snake path at Masada - no place for a human to be in August.

Friends from Canada are coming on vacation to Israel for a couple weeks in August. They’re been here many times, but their teenage kids have only visited once before, so they’re going to plan a combination of chilling at the beach with some touring around.

On one of their weekends, they’re going to stay at the youth hostel at the foot of Masada. And on Sunday morning, they’ll awaken bright and early to climb the snakepath up to the top, before ending the day at the nearby Dead Sea.

“Do you want to join us?” they asked recently in an e-mail.

Now, I love Masada and the Dead Sea as much as the next Zionist, but maybe I’ve just been here too long. Never mind that it’s the lowest place on earth – the idea of spending a Shabbat in August at what is likely the hottest place in Israel was not an offer I couldn’t refuse.

I’ll gladly go there in the cooler weather October, or even in January and chance the flash floods. But as far as seeing our Canadian friends while they’re here, I think we’ll stick to a barbecue in our backyard – where the temperature usually doesn’t rise above double digits.

And if it’s clear out, we might even be able to see the Dead Sea.

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