From Yad Vashem to Kiryat Gat - a Very Meaningful Day
Checking in here from Kibbutz Urim after an emotional and inspiring day! We started off our morning at Yad Vashem, where we were to take a walk through a dark and troubling period in our Jewish history. The beginning of the tour was all about life before the war and our amazing tour guide explained some of the meaning and thought behind the construction of Yad Vashem. It is a fascinating museum and the architecture adds to the power and inspiration of the whole experience.
As we toured the museum, our group learned the progression of how Adolf Hitler came to power and a few unique stories from different Jewish people who were there at the time. We also learned about the individuals at the highest levels of the Nazi party and some of their fates, including one Nazi who was the only person to be charged with the death penalty in Israel's history.
We finished the tour in the Hall of Names, a room filled with four million Jews identified as being murdered in the Holocaust. It was very powerful.
After the tour was over in the main museum, we headed to the children's memorial to listen to the names of some of the children who were killed in the war.
We were lucky enough to have a special guest come talk to us after the tour was completed: our security guard's grandmother, Drora Schlacter. We sat in silence as we listened intently to her survival story of the Holocaust. She told us of how she had traveled to a few different cities and her encounters until she eventually ended up in the United States. The entire experience was extremely moving.
After the museum, we headed to lunch at a mall just before our trip to Kiryat Gat. Upon arrival in Kiryat Gat, we spent a great amount of time playing with the children of this region. Chicago JUF is lucky enough to have a partnership with the city of Kiryat Gat. There was soccer, jump rope, arts and crafts, and more, all available for us to play and experience with the children. It was so much fun!
After our fun in the sun with the local children, we took a pit stop to look out onto the border of the Gaza Strip from a safe distance. We discussed the war that occurred two years ago and what it's like for Israelis to live near the border today. The conversation and experience was very powerful.
Our next stop was the kibbutz for dinner. We closed our long and meaningful day with a great activity lead by the Israelis.
Goodnight from Kibbutz Urim!
Photo Credits: Header Image-@meganvanderah, Image 1-@illinihillel, Image 2-@niccodashian
