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Free! Israel Middle East 2011/12

An Architectural Tour of Yad Vashem

Think of the Holocaust. It’s a rather intense topic, especially for a museum, right? Having previously visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., I was ready for a gloomy experience as we pulled through the thorny gates of Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust museum in Jerusalem.

Literally translated as “Hand and name,” Yad Vashem aims to do just that through its exhibits…Put personal stories behind Holocaust victims and survivors. Once a gloomy museum like the one in D.C., (don’t get me wrong, the museum in D.C. is phenomenal, but it’s rather depressing to visit it) Yad Vashem has undergone a total transformation in recent years into a striking complex. Situated atop a hill that also bears Mount Herzl, Israel’s National Cemetery, you could dedicate an entire day to remembrance.

Sculpture

What’s particularly striking about the new Yad Vashem is the design. The museum itself is underground, cutting through the hill like a knife. The long structure is shaped like a triangle, with a small line of windows along its apex.

Yad Vashem From Afar

The Museum: An Architectural Tour

If there’s one place to have a guide, I’m glad it was here. As we crossed the thin bridge that leads to the museum’s door, Malakai, our guide, equated it to the process of entering a black hole. And indeed, as you make your way through the door you are entering what appears to be a dark void, a chilling indication of the sorrows waiting inside.

Yad Vashem Entrance

But when you enter the museum, you find a long hall and a path that weaves its way through side exhibit rooms. And on the other side, you see a stream of light pouring in. “That,” Malakai told us, “is the future.”

As you proceed along the exhibits, you begin to notice that the floor arcs downward, with its lowest point at the center. This happens to coincide with the 2 exhibit halls that covered the Death Camps, perhaps the lowest point in the whole Holocaust story.

Heading towards the light, there is one final stop after all of the exhibits…the cavernous Hall of Names. This two story room is filled floor-to-ceiling with books bearing testimonial pages of those lost. Looking up, you see a dome covered with faces of victims. Looking down, you see a large hole chiseled into rock with a dark void of water at the bottom. Reflecting the faces from above, it’s a beautiful representation of those lost who we will never know about.

And as you walk out the exit, the triangle bursts open to reveal a striking view of Jerusalem. This is the future. This is hope. This is a reminder why the State of Israel exists. So that Jews can be safe from persecution.

Yad Vashem End

 The Children’s Memorial

One nice thing about the museum is that it’s not so gloomy. It tends to focus more on the “heroes” of the Holocaust who started uprisings, hid out, saved people, or did incredible things in the face of difficult circumstances. That’s not to say, though, that the site is completely devoid of gloom…

Sculpture Description

The most poignant piece on the site is the Children’s Memorial. As you enter a dark, windowless room, you are immediately disoriented. You find yourself surrounded by candles (though in reality there is only one flame, reflected over and over again) and you have no idea which way to walk. All you hear is a voice announcing a name, an age and a country as the list of children killed in the Holocaust is read.

It’s a gut wrenching experience to pass through the memorial. And lest you be a basket case for your whole visit to the site, you’d be well advised to visit the memorial after the museum.

A Must Experience

Yad Vashem is seriously one of the most incredible museums I have ever been to. It’s an incredibly moving experience, situated on a huge, beautiful campus, filled with remembrance sculptures and halls and many other touches.  And best of all? It’s completely free to enter! This a place you simply must experience while in Jerusalem! 

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By Aaron

Hey there! I'm Aaron and this is my travel site, where I document my adventures to all corners of the world. My love for travel started at the ripe old age of four, when a midlife crisis uprooted my family to Ecuador for five years. Since then, I've been to countries on 4 different continents. When I'm not blissfully on the road, I reside in New York City, where I become the ultimate travel junkie and spend my days dreaming up my next great adventure! Read More...

4 replies on “An Architectural Tour of Yad Vashem”

Definitely agree with you that Yad Vashem is one of the most incredible museums. It really is a completely different experience than the Holocaust museum in DC. I was in Israel in June 2010 on a 10 day Birthright trip so I did a fair amount of traveling around the country.

So, so vastly different! I liked it so much that I actually went back a second time (outside of my Birthright trip) as the first time we kind of flew through the museum.

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