Israel - Holy Cultures Day 12

Day 12 - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - /Yad Vashem – Holocaust Museum/Visit with Survivor/Machaneh Yehuda Market/Jewish Quarter/Mt. Zion

Our routine has been: wake up call at 7:00, breakfast, and then our tour begins at 8:30. This group is so punctual we really appreciate their consideration.

We began our morning with a trip to the other side of the city, to Yad Vashem, the “everlasting memorial” to victims of the Holocaust. This is the most extensive collection of material relating to the Holocaust; more than 50 million artifacts that document the murders of over 6 million Jews.

The museum is very well laid out and is meant to depict the dark days of the Holocaust from 1933 to 1945 but the light at the top reflects the hope that always lived within the Jewish spirit. We were not allowed to take any photographs inside the museum.

Among the artifacts are photographs, articles found belonging to Jewish families, Nazi documents, and videos of Holocaust Survivors. Among the literature is this quote attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller about the Nazis:

They came first for the Communists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the socialists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a socialist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me

and by that time no one was left to speak up.

The Children’s Memorial was as moving as anything we saw in the main museum. In an almost totally dark hall, a person read the names of the 1.5 million children who are know to have perished in the Holocaust.

A sculpture outside of standing stones, broken off at the top depicts a “class photo” of children who will never grow up, destroyed in their youth.

After our visit to the Children’s Memorial we were privileged to meet and listen to Eliezer Ayalon who was from Rodam, Poland and was a Holocaust survivor.

At the age of 82, Mr. Ayalon is part of a group called the Holocaust Witnesses who speak around the world on behalf of the others who did not live to tell the story of the trials and final liberation in 1945.

After that somber experience we got back on the bus and explored Jewish produce market at Machaneh Yehuda. We had lunch and then had time to walk around the stalls and to experience the lively market.

Our next discovery for the day was back in the old city and a visit to the Jewish Quarter. We climbed to the top of Mount Zion where we visited the tomb of King David.

Also on Mount Zion is the Upper Room which is the undisputed site of the Last Supper. All historians and religious leaders agree that this is the authentic location of this historic event.

We visited the Dormination Abby where it is said that the Virgin Mary fell into Eternal Sleep and was taken into heaven.

Our last stop of the day was to the Western Wall where we watched the sun go down on the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount and the city of Jerusalem.

We arrived back at the hotel to write the journal, sort photographs, and to pack for our travel day tomorrow.

Accommodations: Harmony Hotel, Jerusalem, IL- - - Meal: B

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Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

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