Today was perhaps the heaviest of the days this trip. Today we toured Yad Vashem and Mt. Hertzel, the Holocaust Memorial Park and Museum and the National Cemetery. Yad Vashem was far different from what I expected. The Memorial Park itself is very bright and open and full of monuments. The museum itself is partially buried in the hillside and cantilevered to hold up the other end. The top of the triangular structure itself is made of glass and floods the exhibit with natural light. The Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. is very dark and enclosed. Both have startling and very powerful, but different effects.
Before we were led into the museum itself we were treated to a rare story telling by one of the few remaining Holocaust survivors. He was one of the children just old enough to be useful to the Nazis and not sent to the death lines. His story was chilling and shocking. It’s a good thing the Yad Vashem is working so hard to record testimony of the survivors. It’s hard to convey just how horrible the Holocaust was without the emotional and physical context provided by the survivors. Without the recorded testimonies, future generations would be hard pressed to understand the reality of the horrors these victims survived, and that so many didn’t.
Perhaps the most impacting monument was the children’s shrine. The dark interior with mirrored candles and the reading of the children’s names was potent and disturbingly impressive.
The Mt. Hertzel cemetery wasn’t quite was shocking or full of impact as Yad Vashem, but it was nice to be able to visit the graves of the people who made the State of Israel a reality and those who continue to protect it and Jews around the world. We’ll visit David Ben-Gurien’s tomb as we leave the desert.
After leaving Mt. Hertzel we headed south to the Negev and a Bedouin camp for our first night in the dessert. The long drive was good for reflection on the day and for many to catch up on some needed sleep. The Bedouin style dinner and heated tents were a nice experience. We spent the evening around a fire singing, playing games, and people again were drinking. I really don’t get the interest this group has in drinking, such an American idiocy. In Israel, alcohol is openly available and not a huge problem like back home. We’ll see how they feel when we get up for the sunrise hike and camel rides tomorrow!
