The Israel Museum

Well, since it's Shabbat and almost nothing is open in Jerusalem, my roommate Rachel and I decided to go to the Israel Museum.

The museum itself is fairly nice, though unfortunately to get lunch we had to go back outside and eat in the parking lot at a little food kiosk (pretty expensive too). Upon entering we decided to check out the main exhibits, which are very detailed and after awhile a bit boring.

The first exhibit was about art and looking through a lens to see the world. There were various depictions of windows and city views. The most interesting pictures, in my opinion, were the ones not of Israel. Two that really stand out were scenes of tumultuous uncertainty in Sarajevo (after the genocide) and Chernobyl (after the catastrophic accident). Some of the other pictures showed scenes from daily life and there was also a small exhibit on windows, but nothing really fascinated me and Rachel and I went through the first part fairly quickly.

The second exhibit was more to my liking, though Rachel wasn't as thrilled. It showed the history of Israel and it's neighbors from the first bronze age until the rise of the Ottoman empire (at least, what I saw of it. We left before the end). Unfortunately, the exhibit was incredibly confusing chronologically; it jumped from the Greeks and Romans to the Umayyads, then went back to the ancient Egyptians and the Estrucians before jumping forward again to the Ottomans, etc. The exhibit was also very very long and ancient Greek and Roman history aren't my favorite subjects. While it was nice looking at some of the gods (who I can actually recognize if the faces are clear occasionally), it was rather dry. The Egyptian part was my favorite, but Rachel was getting tired of all the reading and decided she was hungry so we left early.

After getting lunch, we returned to the museum to look at the Shrine of the Book and their model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period. The Shrine of the Book, which showcases the Dead Sea Scrolls was interesting and I was able to listen to audio about the history of the Scrolls on a little device they gave us. Unfortunately, the device had no volume control, but that's life. After that, we went to look at the model for a bit and then we took a taxi home. I think the cab driver thought we were Christians because he kept recommending we go to various Christian sites. I told him we were Jewish and he looked a bit embarrassed.

Anyhow, here are some pictures of the model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period:

Yad VaShem

Today my roommate and I went to Yad VaShem. We got there right when the museum opened, unfortunately with perhaps a dozen tour groups. The museum itself is rather nice, though a bit small and personally I think I preferred the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, though I've heard many people say the museum in D.C. is the best.
The museum has a fair layout, with everything written in Hebrew and English. As you walk through the museum, you learn about Hitler's rise to power, beginning with his Chancellorship in 1933. The journey continues with the burning of the Reichstag and the laws passed in 1933.

My roommate and I had to skip around a bit because of the various tour groups and languages being spoken, though I don't remember seeing anything on the Night of the Long Knives. After learning about the history of Antisemitism (from typical religious forms to modern Antisemitism (with its connections to class, Darwinian theory, and "purity") you learn about the early camps.

The museum itself follows almost exactly the course I took at UCLA about the Holocaust; a lot of the same quotes are used as are many of the same pictures. Unfortunately, they do not allow people to take pictures inside the museum itself; though I did see quite a few people sneaking shots.

Toward the end of the museum, they have a room for the Righteous Among Nations, the non-Jews who helped save Jews during the Holocaust. I learned an interesting fact there about one of my favorite authors: Leon Uris. In 1964 Uris and his British publisher, Bantam, were sued for libel by a Polish doctor, Wladislaw Dering. He claimed that Uris had mentioned him by name as one of the surgeons who had committed atrocities against the Jewish prisoners in Auschwitz. The court court ruled against Uris but ordered Dr. Dering to pay the legal costs of both sides. He was awarded only a halfpenny for damage. The incident provided basis for the novel Q.B. VII (Queen's Bench Seven).

Dr. Adélaïde Hautval (from France) helped Uris write his book. After attending her mother's funeral and crossing the demarcation line, she was sent to Birkenau. From there, she was sent to Auschwitz to the Medical experimentation block, Block 10. She refused to experiment upon the Jews, despite Mengele's threats and was eventually sent back to Birkenau where she continued to treat sick and injured inmates.

After exiting the museum itself, my roommate and I continued through the Children's Memorial and into the Hall of Names. We went through the Garden dedicated to the Righteous Among Nations and then continued back into the visitor's center to get lunch and then take the long bus ride back to Jerusalem.

Below are some pictures from my visit.

The view

The view again

One of the many trees planted in honor of a Righteous Gentile

A close-up on one of the plaques

Dedicated to all the unknown individuals who helped the Jews during the Shoah

View upon exiting the Museum

Outside the Memorial Hall

Pillar of Heroism or the Heroes' Pillar

A close up of the text; in English it reads: "Now and forever in memory of those who rebelled in the camps and ghettos, fought in the woods, in the underground and with the Allied forces; braved their way to Eretz Israel; and died sanctifying the name of God"

The translation of the Pillar of Heroism

The Candelabra is a memorial light for the six million Jews that died in the Holocaust. It is used every year to mark the beginning of the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day.

From the tree above

More Pictures!

Zichron Yaakov: near Sanda's house 

Flowers in Zichron Yaakov

Painting at the Hebrew University

View of the Old City from Hebrew University

View from the Hecht Synagogue on campus

Zichron Yaakov again

Sculpture on Hebrew U. campus

Painting on Hebrew U. Campus; according to our guide, the university is not too fond of the painting. It's meant to represent the creation.

Me, Chava, and Stefanie

My Great-Great Grandmother's Siddur; on this page she recorded the lives of all her children including my Great Grandmother Stefanie