For those of you who may not know, Yad Vashem is a Holocaust museum just outside of Jerusalem. This memorial was established in 1953 and is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Roughly six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, 1.5 million of them were children. "Yad Vashem" is Hebrew for "a hand and a name" and comes from Isaiah 56:5. The main museum and all the other memorials on the property are quite well designed and the reality of the horror of the Holocaust is difficult to absorb and understand. If you're interested in learning more about Yad Vashem, check out the wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad_Vashem). It is well done and you'll learn a lot!
I hadn't achieved this goal yet because every time I'd arrive at a day off, I'd chicken out and be too intimidated to try and figure out the bus system. I suppose one could walk to Yad Vashem, but it would take a lot of time. My first choice would have been to go with somebody the first time, but that never quite worked either. So, last Thursday I took a deep breath and dove into the adventure.
First step--figuring out how to get on the right bus from Jaffa Gate to Yad Vashem on Mount Herzl. This was actually easy--the bus stops just down from Jaffa Gate, and Bus 20 appeared according to the schedule. The driver was very helpful, telling me where to get off and which direction to walk. It was a 5-10 minute walk from the bus stop down to the grounds of Yad Vashem, and it was a very pleasant walk. Mount Herzl is outside and higher in elevation than Jerusalem proper, the morning was clear and sunny, and it was a pleasantly quiet morning. Pretty soon, I rounded a curve in the road and there was the entrance to Yad Vashem. It was a surreal moment--I couldn't believe I had found my own way there. I walked in the gate a little after 10am with absolutely no time limits, free to spend as much time as I wanted!!
Walking up the road to Yad Vashem . . .
Around a corner, the Yad Vashem grounds came into view. The building to the right is simply the welcome center, and the triangular building behind it is the main museum building with all the historical exhibits.
My first stop was to get a map since there are memorials on the outskirts of Yad Vashem that I have not seen before, then I went to the main museum. This building was completed in 2005 and its design is deeply thought out and intentional. In 2006, I had to keep moving so I would be through in time to get back to the bus, but this Thursday, I took me time and read much more of the exhibits than I had before. The horror of it all is overwhelming, and one wants to weep for the deliberate cruelty the Jewish people have experienced. The exhibits begin with video footage of Jewish life prior to 1933 and then continue with Hitler's rise to power, the early rulings and separation against Jews, Krystallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass) the night of November 9, 1938 in Germany and Austria, the establishment of ghettos, the death camps, the death marches, the end of World War II, the establishment of the state of Israel, and much much more. There are ten exhibit halls in this building, and I spent over 2 hours in there. I think it would be beneficial to go back multiple times because even though I had plenty of time, about halfway through I simply couldn't absorb anymore. I was walking through the exhibits and reading so much material, but my mind simply couldn't process any more of the information. I need to go back and start at the halfway point next time.
The bridge to the entrance of the museum; a sign erected at the beginning of the bridge reads: "Bridge to a vanished world . . ." Inside the door, the first exhibit is a tribute to Jewish life before World War II, "a life and landscape that no longer exists. The Jewish world that was lost."
At the end of the museum, one exits out onto a platform with a beautiful view. It's a complete experience--the videos of Jewish life before 1933, down into the horrors of World War II, and then out to a beautiful panorama of the hills around Jerusalem that lifts one spirits and causes hope to return.
I then explored the outer edges of Yad Vashem. I had never been to the Valley of the Communities before. It was a sobering exhibit to walk around. This monument covers 2 1/2 acres and was carved out of the bedrock. The stone walls towered above me. They are easily 10-15 feet high, and it's like a maze. On the walls are carved the names of over 5,000 Jewish communities that were decimated in the Holocaust. This monument was completely new to me and drove home the enormity of the Holocaust. Most of the community names I didn't recognize, but the sheer number of them is overwhelming.
Overlooking the Valley of the Communities monument.
The entrance to the Valley of the Communities. It's too bad there's no sense of scale in this picture. The rock walls are so tall, I was dwarfed walking through the entrance.
Some of the massive walls in the Valley of the Communities with name after name of destroyed Jewish communities engraved in the stone.
Next, I visited the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations. This quiet and peaceful garden was established to honor so many non-Jewish people who risked their lives to help Jews. The names are arranged by country and then under alphabetical order, but new names are constantly being added. It was the perfect place to visit after the Valley of the Communities. There, I was just overwhelmed by the depth of human cruelty and tragedy, here a measure of hope and faith were restored. It reminded me of 1 Kings 19 when Elijah wanted to die, but God told him there were 7,000 people in Israel who had not bowed their knee to Baal. Here among the vastness of human cruelty, there were thousands of people who did stand up for the lives of the Jewish people and risked their own lives in doing so.
The Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations.
Two other bigger memorials on the grounds of Yad Vashem worth mentioning. One is the Hall of Remembrance. It is a large, plain basalt structure that is sobering in its simplicity. Inside this building is a black floor with the names of 22 Nazi murder sites hat existed in Europe during World War II. A memorial flame burns continually next to a containing ashes brought to Israel from the extermination camps in Europe. Other than the flame and the light coming in the door, the hall is dark and silent. These places were real, great horrors happened there; the names are etched in history forever . . . Treblinka, Auschwitz, Dachau, Chelmno, etc.
The outside of the Hall of Remembrance (pictures are not allowed inside).
The other memorial at Yad Vashem one must visit is the Children's Memorial. Again, no pictures are allowed inside, but it is quite somber and moving. The path leads downward and suddenly one steps from sunlight into complete darkness. There are dimly lit pictures of Jewish children killed in the Holocaust and dirge-type music is playing in the background. In the second room are three candles surrounded by thousands of mirrors. There is no other light, so it feels like one is among the stars. Here, a looped tape is playing--the names, ages, and countries of the murdered children are read. How can one not weep to hear of children ages 2 or 3, or even 11 and 12 whose lives ended so young?
I had lunch in the Yad Vashem cafeteria (spaghetti and french fries), and then I did a bit of shopping in the gift shop. I am always a sucker for books and found a good one! I also found a couple gifts to send home whenever I get the time and energy to figure out shipping to the States.
After quite a day, I walked back to the bus station for the bus ride back. I'm not quite sure if this was the correct route or not, but I got on the bus I was supposed to and "enjoyed" an hour and a half's trip around some suburbs of Jerusalem. I got on the bus at 3:20pm and got off about a mile away from the Jaffa Gate bus stop as the traffic was getting quite congested and I figured I could walk the rest of the way back faster! :-)
I arrived back at my room with a sense of achievement--I had done it! I had gotten myself somewhere I really wanted to go and back without any major mishaps! It starts giving me a little courage that maybe I can figure out my way around here and get to places on my days off.
This was taken Thursday evening . . . safely back in my room! :-)
So, if any of you ever get to visit Israel and Jerusalem, make sure you get to Yad Vashem--it is well worth your time!! By the way, more of my pictures from Yad Vashem are up on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/47795290@N08/sets/72157623592998590/.
Enjoy!!
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