I hadn’t realised just how much Yad Vashem would have changed since 1978 – then i found it very moving and simple. Now it is much more focussed on the desire to educate future generations and is the heart of the Yad Vashem Educational Trust, providing resources for anyone teaching about the Holocaust. A long corridor, taking the shape of a triangle so that the sides meet together in one sheet of glass at the top so it doesn’t feel as enclosed as most museums do, is bound by galleries overflowing with detail and testimony from survivors. For me, it became a bit overpowering and I found the memorials beyond more thought-provoking: a bit like the Checkpoint Charlie museum in Berlin informing you about the impact of the Wall and the Wall itself being the thing to bring a reaction.
The two main memorials are dedicated to those who died in the camps and to the children but there are more: to the Partisans, to the Righteous Among the Nations and to the members of the Jewish Resistance among them.
On the floor of the basalt structure which is the All of Remembrance are the names of the twenty-two sites where Jews were murdered. The memorial flame burns constantly next to a crypt containing ashes brought from the extermination camps.
The Children’s Memorial is hollowed out from an underground cavern and is scary in its darkness, yet cleverly, the light reflected around the area suggested to me a star for every one of the 1.5 million children put to death. Walking through the darkness you hear the names of the children read, together with their age and country of origin.
The image I have here of the lights is a little overbright: one walks in what feels like total darkness, with fairy lights glittering around.
In all, there are now 21 elements in the Yad Vashem complex, including the International School of Holocaust Studies. There may be more to come. It’s definitely something not to be missed – but don’t force yourself to do everything! Even doing what I did I was there nearly three hours and very conscious of last light train times back to the city on the eve of Shabbat by the time I left.
Having had an hour or so in the cool of my room, I decided to venture into the local souks again to see what was happening and how evident the preparations for the Sabbath were.
What surprised me most was the impression of rush and busyness: I shouldn’t have been surprised knowing that holy days of the Jews and the Muslims come together at this point and they form the largest part of the population of this city.
I had found very few opportunities to photograph Muslims as they do not allow visitors onto Haram Al-Sharif (the Temple Mount to Jews) during times of prayer. In fact the hours when non-Muslims can visit are severely restricted and I was told today that it will be closed for the whole of next week as the end of Ramadan is reached and Eid celebrated. So I was pleased to find my local souvenir shop owner at prayer and willing to be photographed. The fact that he is surrounded by souvenirs more appropriate for Jews is a mark of the complexity of the city.
And, having actually made a few purchases in the souk, conscious that I move on soon, I continued walking and reached the Western Wall just before the sabbath warnings were called – no photographs during the Sabbath. Here there was a sense of people rushing TO the Wall to join the prayers.
It is ironic that Jews have to pray with the imposing Dome of the Rock above them – and each of them looks so insignificant alongside that enormous Wall which formed the base of the original Temple. There were many more people at the Wall than I had seen on other occasions – groups of young people coming together, tourists identifiable by the tour leader’s pennant or lanyard.
And so ended the third day, with a walk back to the hotel and a sandwich: it’s way too hot to eat during the day. Best of all though was the pistachio ice-cream produced by the Christchurch Coffee Shop: delicious and repeatable ( if there’s time!!)
Now to plan what to do on Shabbat with no public transport!
Living the Journey 