Yad Vashem - Holocaust Memorial Museum

Jewish Israel travel should include a trip to Yad Vashem, Israel's main Holocaust Memorial Museum, which is located Har HaZikaron (the Memorial Mountain or Mount of Remembrance) in Jerusalem. Back in 1953, Israel's holocaust commemoration project was initiated with the purpose of maintaining the memory of the holocaust victims and documenting the history of Jews during the holocaust-an important part of history for future generations. This was a significant project for both young Jews and the survivors of the Holocaust. Yad Vashem museum was opened in 2005 to the public. The design of Yad Vashem is quite interesting and certainly another reason to stop there during your Jewish Israel travel-a prism penetrating the mountain. Now serving as a monument, a railroad car hands over the cliff on the road the leads down from the mountain. This railroad car was used to transport Jews to concentration camps.

The Holocaust Memorial Museum is divided into nine sections that tell tale of the Jewish communities prior to WWII all the way through to the mass genocide that took place. Exhibits include films, photographs, documents, works of art, letters and personal items found in ghettos and camps. You'll want to plan plenty of time during you Jewish travel to spend at Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem has other monuments in addition to the exhibits such as Yizkor Tent (Hall of Remembrance) where the ashes of the dead have been buried and an eternal flame steadily burns in remembrance. The children's memorial, Yad Layeled, commemorates the 1.5 million Jewish children who died during the holocaust. The Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations honors non-Jews who endangered their lives to help rescue Jews from the Nazis through over 2,000 trees which were planted in remembrance. Yad Vashem's library and archives house the largest volume of holocaust-related materials. Containing over three millions names of holocaust victims, The Hall of Names bears the names of holocaust victims submitted by families and relatives. An emotional and memorable experience, visiting Yad Vashem is both an important and unique experience on an Israel trip.