Yad Vashem is Israel´s official Holocaust memorial. As a German citizen I try to learn as much as possible about this horrible slot in my nations history. Only when you understand something you can ensure that it will never happen again.
The setting of Yad Vashem on the renowned Mount Herzel west of Jerusalem offers the perfect surrounding to fully immerse in the topic. From the Café you have therewith not only a great view of the main exhibition hall of Yad Vashem as well as through the valley
Garden of the Righteous among the nations
Another piece that I found nicely realised was the garden of the “Righteous among the Nations”. Here, there were trees planted along the way leading up to the entrance of the main exhibition hall, which were dedicated to non-jewish people of different nations, which helped Jewish people in the time of the Holocaust.
The main exhibition
Even though I have seen a lot of places of remembrance of the Third Reich and the Holocaust, including Ausschwitz, I still must say the collection at Yad Vashem is magnificent. It is incredibly inclusive covering every step and geographic location involved in this historic incidents.
While Yad Vashem hosts such a holistic exhibition, it does not lack personal stories. You can get a grasp of how the different demographic jewish groups experienced both the holocaust itself as well as the life thereafter. The story of the postwar refugee crisis, which led to the establishment of the state of Israel is something you do not hear/see so much about in Europe. It just gives you the final push if you are not already desperate with humanity by that point of the exhibition.
The last station of this exhibition is the hall of names where you see the names and documents of those that were lost. Looking up, you see a ceiling full of faces of victims. Looking down, there is a mirror on the bottom of a cone deep in the earth, reflecting the faces of above. A symbolic echo of people we will never know.
The architecture
Another special feature of Yad Vashem is the Architecture. Designed by the famous architect Moshe Safdie, it is shaped like a triangular prism cutting through a mountain. The majority of the museum is therewith underground, whereas only through the glass top of the triangle comes in natural light.
This gives the exhibition a very special atmosphere. You criss cross the middle line several times from one end of the museum to the other to pass from one part of the exhibition to the next. This helps you to take a deep breath and some light while passing through the more and more gruesome stages of the Holocaust.
While the one end of the Museum, close to where visitors enter the main exhibition hall, is closed off, the other side is open leading to a platform with a great view into the surrounding landscape. This shows how the future of the Jewish community is open and full of possibilities.
The Hall of Remembrance
Another great feature beside the main exhibition hall is the Hall of Remembrance. The hall was left almost empty on purpose so to draw attention to the eternal flame in the middle. On the floor you can see engraved the names of 21 extermination sites and concentration camps, where the majority of deaths during the Holocaust occurred.
The Children´s Memorial
Even more moving, I found, is the Children’s Memorial. You enter through a cave-like structure into a dark room. You find yourself surrounded by candles, whereas actually there is only one candle burning in the middle, which is reflected a thousand times all around the room. It is actually kind of disorienting in the beginning, but then I found it simply beautiful. While you walk through that room, you hear a voice announcing the name, age and origin of children, who died during the Holocaust. If you do not feel at least a little shiver running down your spine, my guess is you are not totally human.
To get an impression on how it is you can watch this video by Christophe Boeraeve.
In conclusion I can therefore only recommend a visit of Yad Vashem. It gives an inclusive picture of horrors of the Holocaust and makes you wonder how there can still be so much racism and xenophobia in the world.
Have you been to Yad Vashem? What was your impression?
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