In 1953, The Knesset, Parliament of Israel established the Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes” Remembrance Authority – Yad Vashem. The intention of this was to document the history of the Jewish people during the Holocaust.
The museum, built at the foot of Mount Herzl on the Mount of Remembrance (Har Hazikaron) in Jerusalem on a 45-acre site, contains the Holocaust History Museum and various memorial areas such as the Hall of Remembrance, the Children’s Memorial, and the Holocaust Art Museum as well as sculptures.
There are also several commemorative sites outdoors and a memorial named “The Righteous Among the Nations” honoring Non-Jews who, at personal risk, saved Jews during the Holocaust. This memorial is in the form of an avenue that has 2000 trees that have been planted in their honor.
In 2005 the new Yad Vashem Museum was opened for public viewing. The Museum is divided into nine galleries and shaped like a prism piercing the mountain. The experiences and stories of various Jewish communities before the Second World War and the events that took place from the Nazi’s rise to power are related in each chamber of the Museum. An essential part of the exhibits are the photographs, films, letters, documents, personal items, and other items found in the Ghettoes and the Camps.
The Hall of names has over three million victims of the Holocaust submitted by relatives and is situated at the exit to the museum. This is still open for names to be submitted by visitors and added to the archive, which is computerized.
Amongst the various other memorials is “The Hall of Remembrance,” which has an eternal flame burning in commemoration of the dead, and the particularly heartrending children’s memorial Yad Layeled, which commemorates the one and a half million Jewish children who were murdered in the Holocaust.
A visit to Yad Vashem is an extremely moving and poignant experience. Still, it is an important way for the more than 1 million visitors each year, including World Leaders and dignitaries from around the globe, to see the exhibits and remember the Holocaust and what happened to six million Jewish men, women, and children.