Costumed performers walk to the stage for a dress rehearsal of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca ahead of the Israeli Opera Festival at Masada, which begins Thursday, June 1, 2015. According to the ancient historian Josephus, Masada was the site of a Roman siege that ended in 73 AD when hundreds of Jewish rebels committed mass suicide rather than fall as slaves to the Romans. Built by King Herod as a winter palace between 37-31 BC, Masada is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has for decades been a source of archaeological fascination. Picture taken June 1, 2015. REUTERS/Nir Elias