Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum
The Holocaust left an indelible mark on the Jewish people, and this impact lives in on Israel, where more than 250,000 Holocaust survivors have made their home. The founding of the State of Israel in 1948 was inextricably connected with the catastrophes that befell European Jewry during World War II. Therefore it’s only fitting that the world’s most comprehensive Holocaust museum and research center is located in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital. Known throughout the world, Yad Vashem stands as a monument to this black period in history, ensuring that it will never be forgotten.
Yad Vashem has the distinction of being the second most-visited site in Israel, after the Western Wall. Politicians and diplomats customarily pay official visits to Yad Vashem to demonstrate their respect for the tragedy.
A Beginner's Tour of Yad Vashem
Located near Ein Kerem, Yad Vashem is a complex of museums, memorials and research centers that occupy 45 acres. It would take days to see all of the exhibitions and memorials of Yad Vashem.
The museum was first initiated as a memorial in 1942, when word of the Nazi death camps reached the inhabitants of Palestine. Since that time, Yad Vashem has traced millions of names and photos of victims, and incorporated them into the memorial monuments.
In the Children’s Memorial, the names of the child victims are recited by the light of a single candle, reflected by a complex of mirrors to become thousands of candles. The effect is to both personalize the identities of the victims, and to illustrate the innate value of each extinguished life as a perpetually burning flame.
The museum has collected over 8,000 works of art related to the Holocaust in various exhibitions throughout the complex. A computer facility contains a database of information on the Holocaust that is unparalleled in its thoroughness. The quality of the Yad Vashem research center has made it the world's foremost authority on Holocaust history.
