Yad Vashem (literally, "a monument and a name") is Israel's official memorial
to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of
the dead; honoring Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors and Gentiles
who selflessly aided Jews in need; and researching the phenomenon of the
Holocaust in particular and genocide in general, with the aim of avoiding such
events in the future.
Established in 1953, Yad Vashem is on the western slope of Mount Herzl, also
known as the Mount of Remembrance, a height in western Jerusalem, 804 meters
(2,638 ft) above sea level and adjacent to the Jerusalem Forest.
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Entrance to Yad Vashem.
The location of Yad Vashem on the western side of Mount Herzl – an area
devoid of weighty historical associations, distinct from the Chamber of
the Holocaust, founded in 1948 on Mount Zion – was chosen because it was
far from the Jerusalem city center, and the founders of the memorial
site did not want to erect a grim, sorrowful memorial, amidst population
concentration.
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The first architect involved in the design of Yad Vashem was Munio
Weinraub, who worked on the project from 1943 till the 1960s, together
with his architectural partner Al Mansfield.
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Memorial to the Jewish children murdered by the Nazis.
In the memorial's entrance area, there are several white, broken-off
stelae of different heights as a symbol for the lives broken off by the
Nazis.
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The main room of the memorial is completely mirrored and reflects the
light of five candles. The reflection of these lights produces the
illusion of space, which symbolizes the approximately 1.5 million
children and young people who died during the Holocaust.
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As spectators move through the room in the sparse light of the
candles, names of the deceased children and adolescents, with their
age and place of death, are recited by a looped tape recording. The
recording takes about three months to list all the casualties.
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See more at
Monument to the children in Yad Vashem - Wikipedia.
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Entrance to the Holocaust History Museum.
In 1993, planning began for a larger, more technologically advanced
museum to replace the old one. The new building, designed by
Canadian-Israeli architect Moshe Safdie, consists of a long corridor
connected to 10 exhibition halls, each dedicated to a different chapter
of the Holocaust.
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The museum combines the personal stories of 90 Holocaust victims and
survivors and presents approximately 2,500 personal items including
artwork and letters donated by survivors and others.
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Holocaust History Museum.
The new Holocaust History Museum is shaped like a triangular concrete
prism that cuts through the landscape, illuminated by a 200-meter-long
(656 ft) skylight.
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Visitors follow a preset route that takes them through underground
galleries that branch off from the main hall.
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See also
Source
Location
