Yad Vashem and Negev

Shalom. 

Shalom was not our official Hebrew word of day, but I think it summarizes day six of our journey in Israel. Since arriving, we have been learning about Israel's fight for peace (shalom). Today, we visited Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum, where we learned about World War II,  which marked the beginning of the Jews' fight for peace, and then we headed south to the desert. 

YAD VASHEM 

I felt a wide range of emotions when I visited Yad Vashem, located in Jerusalem. These emotions ranged from frustration, anger, and confusion to faith, pride, and hope. The museum is designed in a way that that forces you to go through the journey of the Jews in Europe during World War II. When you enter the triangular-shaped museum, which represents one star in the Star of David, you can see through the windows at the end of the museum. However, barricades require you to walk through the museum in a spiral and learn about the history of the Holocaust, the political and personal motives of Hitler, the groups he targeted, and how we got where we are today with a home for all Jews in Israel. 

I got chills when we got to the end of the museum and I could open the doors that represented freedom. When you step outside, you see breathtaking views of Jerusalem. All the negative emotions were replaced with positive feelings of faith, pride, and hope for the future of Israel. 

However, we still had to visit the separate children's memorial. When you walk through, you see images of children and candles lit for the 1.1 million children who were killed during the Holocaust, as each name echoes through the memorial on a speaker. Our tour guide asked us to focus on one name. Shoshana Frank, a onr-year-old, stuck with me. She could have grown to be a doctor, lawyer, or find the cure for cancer. Because of the Holocaust, she never had the opportunity to fulfill her dreams. 

The takeaway from the morning was that we have a responsibility, as the last generation to hear the experiences of Holocaust directly from survivors, to continue to tell their stories to our children, so history does not repeat itself. 

THE DESERT 

After visiting Yad Vashem, we loaded the bus and began our journey to the desert. First, we stopped at Ben Gurion's grave and learned more about his life and vision for Israel, which included a flourishing community in the desert. Then, we headed to the Bedouin tents, where we learned about the nomadic people, had a delicious meal, and sat by a bonfire with our group. Our Israeli friends taught us some of their favorite games including improv and charades. We ate s'mores, walked around the desert, and gazed at the stars. Eventually, we fell asleep to the crackling of the bonfire in our tent. It was a very peaceful and fun night after an emotional day at the Holocaust museum. I can't wait to see what's next!