PILGRIMAGE TO SITES OF HEROISM—IDENTITY, HERITAGE, and REMEMBRANCE

ABSTRACT This article examines three pivotal pilgrimage sites that reshape Jewish heroic identity: Masada, Nazi death camps in Poland, and Givat Hatachmoshet (Ammunition Hill), which all function as transformative spaces through experiential learning. The study employs the “dwelling perspective,” suggesting locations acquire social meaning as symbols of those who lived there, creating powerful connections between place and collective memory. Masada represents ancient Jewish resistance and national liberty, becoming embedded in Zionist ideology; Polish death camps reinforce contemporary Jewish identity by demonstrating powerlessness consequences while strengthening connections to Israel as refuge; and Givat Hatachmoshet commemorates the 1967 Jerusalem battle, connecting visitors to recent Israeli military heroism. The central thesis argues that these pilgrimages facilitate fundamental transformation in Jewish identity—shifting from the “rabbinical Jew” characterized by defensive exile strategies toward reclaiming the “biblical Jew” embodying the offensive, assertive ethos of strength and self-determination. Through active engagement with these sites representing chronological progression from ancient resistance through modern victimization to contemporary empowerment, participants experience visceral connections to Jewish power and sovereignty rather than merely intellectual historical learning, demonstrating how physical spaces become crucial tools for reconstructing collective identity and cultural meaning.