Can anyone explain, and don't call me an anti-Semite for asking such a basic question since in my religion suicide is a sin, and I had thought it was also in the Jewish religion.
Indeed. The Rev. Jim Jones took about 900 people with him and no one considers that heroic in the least.
Suicide is frowned upon in Judaism as well.
I guess that by the point the suicide happened that the fear was that women would be raped and sold into slavery and that the men would be tortured and the death by suicide was a preferable exit.
When I think of the Jewish Revolts, I always think of that meeting in Life or Brian. Reg asks, "what have the Romans ever given us?" but it is asked rhetorically. Then the members of the JPF proceed to list:
The aquaduct? What? The aquaduct
Reg:Oh yeah, yeah, they did give us that, that's true.
And sanitation. Yes, the sanitation, remember what the city used to be like, Reg.
Reg:Yes OK, I'll grant you, the aquaduct and sanitation are two things the Romans HAVE done. And the roads! Well yes obviously the roads, I mean the roads go without saying, don't they! But apart from the sanitation, the aquaduct and the roads... Irrigation! Medicine! Education! Yeah, all right, fair enough. And the wine... Yes, that's something we'd really miss if the Romans left. Public baths! And it's safe to walk the streets at night now Reg. Yes, they certainly know how to keep order. Only ones who could in a place like this! All right. But APART from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?! Brought peace!
Masada has become a symbol of "Give me liberty or give me death". Masada has significance in the Israeli mindset and in the strategy many expect will be used, should any nation ever attempt to attack Israel with a nuclear weapon....or even as a preemptive strategy if such an attack is presumed imminent.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/masada.html
There is some debate over whether the Jews at Masada fought the Romans to the death or committed a mass suicide. Could be some of both. It took 11,000 Roman soldiers three years to defeat the 900 Jews (including women and children) who were holed up in Masada. I have been at Masada before and it is fascinating. Apparently, some Jews were able to very carefully sneak down at night and bring back food and supplies. Water was stored in cisterns in the fort. Eventually the Romans built a siege tower and were able to overrun Masada.
Mass suicide could be understandable when you consider that the Romans would have raped the women, probably killed the men, and then enslaved the women and children, which would have been a death sentence, since the Romans basically worked their slaves to death (re-watch Spartacus). The defenders of Masada chose their own type of death.
Suicide is a sin. But so is relinquishing ones children into the hands of pagans for defilement.