Israel - Day 7

Yad Vashem


Today, we shed a different kind of tears. For six days, our hearts have overflowed with joy and appreciation for the opportunity that God has given us to be here and walk where Jesus walked, to stand on the Mount of Olives, or ride in a boat on the Galilee. Tears of joy, overflowing emotions, and unexplainable passion, all because of what God has done through the centuries in this very place.
But today was different. Today, we shed tears of horror, sorrow, mourning, and shame. Among a few other sites, we visited Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. Yad Vashem comes from Isaiah 56, where God promised His people a place of remembrance and a name. Despite all of their best efforts, there are still almost a million and a half of the victims of the holocaust who have not been identified. Their families and friends died along side them and they have no one to tell their story, or to cry for their loss. Inside the Museum, you are not allowed to take pictures, so for the most part, I will have to rely on my ability to describe the indescribable.

We began with a walk through the Children’s Memorial, honoring the 1.5 million children that died in the Holocaust. Outside, the standing stones hold a special significance.  They are white, signifying the innocence of those who died.  They are broken off, at many different levels, signifying that they died in the midst of life.   As you walked through the dark room, lights, like stars, appeared in the darkness. Quietly and reverently the names and homelands of the children who died are being read aloud 24 hours a day. It is said that it takes four years to make it through the entire list.
Once inside the Museum, our tour began with a film depicting the life of the Jews in Europe before Hitler came to power. They had assimilated into the culture and, especially in Germany, had become leading members of society. When Hitler ascended to a place of leadership in Germany, he needed a scapegoat for the social and economic ills leftover from the loss of World War I, so he chose the Jews. The Museum tells the story of the rapid rise of institutional anti-Semitism throughout Europe and the eventual ‘solution’ that Hitler and his henchmen came up with.   The thing that burdened me more than anything else was the cowardly silence of Christian nations around the world, while Hitler systematically exterminated family after family of God's chosen people.
The Museum also recognizes the valor of those who rose up against the evil and oppression of Hitler's advances.  Leaders in the Ghetto uprisings, those in the death camps who worked to save others from the gas chambers, and freedom fighters who battled to win Israel a homeland.  There is a tower outside the Museum that honors "those who fought to sanctify the name of the Lord."

The piece of property that the Museum is situated on has 120,000 trees that have been planted in honor of individuals known as the "Righteous Among the Nations." These were people who were not Jews, saved at least one Jewish life and did not receive money in return.  There is a quote at the base of one of these trees that says, "I know that when I stand before God on Judgment Day, I shall not be asked the question posed to Cain.  Where were you when your brother's blood was crying out to God?"

The burden of my heart throughout this experience has been, If I  have remained silent while Satan has dragged people around me into a smoking, flaming pit, am I any better than those who averted their eyes and allowed the Holocaust to take place?  When I stand before God, will He consider me one of the "Righteous Among the Nations" who have served others, "pulling them out of the fire...?"

Other Events of the Day

We walked through the Rabbi's Tunnel that runs underground along the Western Wall.  We saw the huge stones that were used to lay the foundation of the Temple Mount.  The smallest of the stones weighed over 2.5 tons.  The largest stone, pictured here on the left was 12'x45'x18' and weighed over 600 tons.  I took this picture standing at one end of the stone and Tony, the farthest person visible, in the red shirt, stood at the other end.  It boggles the mind to think of how they were able to move these stones into place. 

The stones were beveled and each level was set back about 1/3 of an inch.  It shows amazing archetectural prowess and much of the technology cannot be copied today.

Next, we visited the governmental buildings in Jerusalem where the Supreme Court of Israel and the Kinesset, Israel's ruling body are housed.  Outside of this area is a Menorah that was given to the nation of Israel by the British Parliament, depicting significant scenes in Israel's history.

Next we visited the Shrine of the Book which displays the findings of the Qumran caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.  The building is made in the shape of one of the covers to the jars that the scrolls were found in.

I didn't see the sign at the entrance that said that you couldn't take pictures, so I got several good shots before this little guy came up to me yelling, "No Pictures!! No Pictures!"  He looked at me pretty hard and I think he was considering whether he could wrestle my iPhone away from me or not, but he just shook his finger at me and went on.  I felt bad, but not bad enough to not show you the pictures. :0)

At the same site as the Shrine of the Book they have a model of what Jerusalem would have looked like during the Second Temple Period (The time of Christ).  It was fascinating seeing all of the details of the Temple in the heighth of its glory.  It really puts several of the other sites that we have visited into perspective.

We ended the day in the Valley of Elah, where David met Goliath.  Our guide said that we were going to re-enact the battle, and for some reason, she wouldn't let me play David.  So by the time we went back to the bus, my head was killing me again.  Seriously, I was able to pick up five smooth stones from the brook and I plan to put them on my desk for the next time I have to face a giant.

It has been an amazing day.  Tomorrow, we head down to the Dead Sea for a swim, ...uhhh or a float.  Then we will head to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  We will also go to En-gedi, where Saul pursued David and also Masada.  It should be a very interesting day.

Our time here is drawing to a close.  My life has been changed forever.  I hope that I can come close to sharing the lessons that I have learned when I get home.  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!