Eli Peters is from St. Louis, MO, and is going into 10th grade in Webster Groves High School.

Today we woke up in the Bedouin tents and went to Masada. I’ve been looking forward to Masada for a very long time, so today was very special to me. We hiked up the Roman Ramp instead of the snake path, and while the hike was a little tiring, I didn’t feel that fatigued because I was fascinated by the majesty of the mountain fortress. The plateau dwarfed the surrounding Roman camps, which were barely visible except when at the top, and was as high as many of the other peaks around. The bricks of Herod, the Jewish rebels, and modern Israeli reconstruction adorned the crown of the mountain. While I was among them, I felt a sense of awe of what once happened there. In Masada, we travelled to various buildings such as the Cisterns and the Western Palace where we learned about stories from the siege. Before descending, Rav Noam led us to an overlook where we yelled “Am Yisrael Chai” at a nearby mountain. The echo of each word came back to us, and it sounded more like hundreds of people than 36. That was one of the best moments I have had on this trip. After we left Masada, the group went to the Ein Gedi nature reserve where we hiked to a waterfall. While we were there, I caught a glimpse of a Rock Hyrax on a ledge, but no one else did. Shabbat is coming quickly and although I am looking forward to it, I am also sad, because this will be my last Shabbat with many of the people who I have been travelling with in this past month. Hopefully, though, most of us will meet again. Shabbat Shalom.