967 People Who Chose Death Over Slavery
Witness the final stand of 967 men, women, and children who chose death over Roman slavery — and created a national myth that endures 2,000 years later. In 73 AD, the Roman army of 8,000–9,000 besieged the Masada fortress on a 400-meter rock above the Dead Sea. For seven months, they built walls, ramps, and a siege tower. On the final night before the walls fell, Sicarii leader Eleazar ben Yair addressed his people: it was better to die free than live enslaved. 960 died. Only two women and five children survived to tell the story. The Romans found only silence. "Masada shall not fall again" — a vow that still echoes in Israel today.