Three foolish guys: Joe S., Joel S. Dzodin, and Mayer the SabraWhile excavating the Byzantine Synagogue at the Ein Gedi (1971-72), I became friends with a brash young Sabra soldier named Mayer. Although he spoke some English, his preferred phrase which he used liberally was "F**k you, Bugger!" Mayer conceived the notion that three of us would hike up the steep ascent ("Maale Essene") behind Ein Gedi and camp for a few days in the Judaean Desert. In those months following Black September, the Judaean Desert was a closed military zone. Mayer knew this and we asked him to secure the requisite army permission to camp in the desert.
Perhaps it was our language barrier, or perhaps its was his own arrogant chutzpa, but it seems that Mayer never bothered contacting the army. One day, in the late afternoon, three of us climbed the steep ascent to the desert floor and settled in a sheltered spot shortly before dark. As evening set in, several patrol vehicles appeared in the distance, flashing searchlights across the area. Whether they were there for training maneuvers or because they'd spotted our footprints, we had no idea. But we soon heard machine gunfire and discussed whether we should show ourselves or just hunker down. We chose the latter and were never found. We managed a few hours' sleep and sheepishly returned to camp the next morning. Afterwards, Mayer grudgingly admitted he had endangered our lives.
Mayer, on our ill-advised (unauthorized) overnight trip from Ein Gedi to the Judaean Desert.
Perhaps it was our language barrier, or perhaps its was his own arrogant chutzpa, but it seems that Mayer never bothered contacting the army. One day, in the late afternoon, three of us climbed the steep ascent to the desert floor and settled in a sheltered spot shortly before dark. As evening set in, several patrol vehicles appeared in the distance, flashing searchlights across the area. Whether they were there for training maneuvers or because they'd spotted our footprints, we had no idea. But we soon heard machine gunfire and discussed whether we should show ourselves or just hunker down. We chose the latter and were never found. We managed a few hours' sleep and sheepishly returned to camp the next morning. Afterwards, Mayer grudgingly admitted he had endangered our lives.
Mayer, on our ill-advised (unauthorized) overnight trip from Ein Gedi to the Judaean Desert.
Is that the essenes of Dead Sea Scrolls fame?
ReplyDeleteHi, David.
ReplyDeleteTruth be told, I don't come across the term "Maale Essene" on Google but that's how I recall the name. I'll try to find an actual reference.
Hope you are well.
Here's a relevant source (note that the "Maale Essene" path we took was situated west of Ein Gedi):
ReplyDeletehttp://orion.mscc.huji.ac.il/symposiums/programs/Goranson98.shtml
"Furthermore, Solinus also used the singular in describing the destruction of Ein Gedi: "Lying below the Essenes was formerly the town of Engada, but it was razed." [Engada oppidum infra Essenos fuit, sed excisum est.]"
and
"There has been much discussion of the phrase "infra hos Engada," concerning the relative location of Jericho, the Essene settlement, Ein Gedi, and Masada. Pliny used over 100 sources, so it is not surprising that "infra" is used in a variety of ways. It has frequently been pointed out that Pliny here does use the sense of "downstream" which the North to South movement here suggests, rather than placing them in hills west of Ein Gedi, hills whose existence he does not mention."