MARCH 18, 2018 -- DAY 7

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Today began with a drive from our hotel when we passed through a residential area called Rehova and drove past Bibi’s house on our way up to the National Holocaust Memorial named Yad Vashem.



Upon our arrival at Yad Vashem, we entered through the Garden of the Righteous. It is a garden filled with trees and plaques honoring non Jewish people who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. There are at least 23,000 of these Righteous who are named. Many of our group found this particular memorial and its subsequent details fascinating. The Jewish people consider them to be heroes because “to save one life is to save an entire world,” and the state of Israel cares for them by offering permanent residency, a government stipend, and free healthcare for life. The most famous example is Oskar Schindler, who has a tree planted in this very garden (pictured below).



Next we crossed over a bridge and entered a simple, concrete, triangular building, which houses the museum. At the entrance, we found ourselves staring at a montage of home videos describing life before Nazi rule. From there we physically descended through the museum as we passed through a variety of galleries explaining everything from post WWI Germany and propaganda to Kristalnach and ghettos to death camps and liberation. As the story became more hopeful, we began to physically and emotionally ascend up through the remaining galleries. To say it was a powerful experience for us all would be an understatement. At the end of the museum we came upon a quote that our group found important, as it is where the name of the museum was derived: “i shall give them in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name...”Isaiah, 56.5.

After reading the quote we exited the building to a breathtaking view (pictured below) overlooking the forested grounds and hills of Jerusalem.

From there we visited the stunning grounds, which contained a variety of different sculptures and the Children’s Memorial, which honored the 1.5 million children of all age ranges that were killed during the Holocaust. The Children’s Museum was created with only 5 candles and mirrors, though it is impossible to describe in any more detail. At our exit from the Children’s Memorial, we gathered as a group on a terrace overlooking the Jerusalem skyline, where Rabbi Zeidman led us in prayer as we recited the Kaddish and other meditations in memory of the 11 million lives lost during this time.

After the museum, we spent time celebrating the triumphs and successes of the Jewish people over a beautiful lunch in a mountain village named Ein Kerem and at a winery named Kastle.



We are all exhausted and feeling more and more in love with this country as we look forward to our last two days together!

Written from Jerusalem by Dr. David & Rose Schecter and Tommy & Maddie Goldfarb