This was our last day in Jerusalem before we headed south towards the desert. We spent about 5 hours in Yad Vashem – the holocaust museum. Since I was there last, they had done major renovations to the museum, so it was a new experience for me. One interesting Israeli law is that any foreign diplomat that travels to Israel for the first time must visit Yad Vashem.
At the museum, we had the opportunity to hear a testimony of a child holocaust survivor. Her story was unique in that she had multiple identities and had only recently found out who she really was. Once her parents were murdered in the holocaust, somebody else would take over the mother role, and with that came a new identity. She had 6 different parent figures in her life. The museum starts by explaining the life of Jews before the holocaust. This led into the rise to power of Hitler and the Nazi party. Next, I learnt about how the Nazis spread hate and their propaganda methods. The museum went on to explain the hard labour camps and the ghettos. The museum was very educational,
and the end of the museum climaxed with the exiting of the museum overlooking Jerusalem. It was a huge contrast to be in the museam and then to overlook such a beautiful city like Jerusalem. Of the 6 millions Jews commemorated at Yad Vashem, 1.5 million of them were children under the age of 12. There is a special separate section to the museum that pays respect to the children of the holocaust.
Later that night we drove down to the negev (negev in Hebrew means south, referring to the desert). We went to a Bedouin tent to stay the night. The drive down was dark, so there was not much that we could see. It was a perfect time to catch up on some much needed sleep. At the Bedouin tent, we got a traditional meal followed by an explanation of the Bedouin people, culture and customs. We stayed up well into the night enjoying the warmth of the bonfire. Once it was bedtime, a sweatshirt, jacket, toque, and 2 pairs of pants were not able to keep me warm.
The soldiers were not allowed to bring thier M16s into the holocaust museum - only "small guns". They lined up all their guns and gear outside the museum along the wall. Don't worry, there was a guard guarding everything.
At the museum, we had the opportunity to hear a testimony of a child holocaust survivor. Her story was unique in that she had multiple identities and had only recently found out who she really was. Once her parents were murdered in the holocaust, somebody else would take over the mother role, and with that came a new identity. She had 6 different parent figures in her life. The museum starts by explaining the life of Jews before the holocaust. This led into the rise to power of Hitler and the Nazi party. Next, I learnt about how the Nazis spread hate and their propaganda methods. The museum went on to explain the hard labour camps and the ghettos. The museum was very educational,
and the end of the museum climaxed with the exiting of the museum overlooking Jerusalem. It was a huge contrast to be in the museam and then to overlook such a beautiful city like Jerusalem. Of the 6 millions Jews commemorated at Yad Vashem, 1.5 million of them were children under the age of 12. There is a special separate section to the museum that pays respect to the children of the holocaust.Later that night we drove down to the negev (negev in Hebrew means south, referring to the desert). We went to a Bedouin tent to stay the night. The drive down was dark, so there was not much that we could see. It was a perfect time to catch up on some much needed sleep. At the Bedouin tent, we got a traditional meal followed by an explanation of the Bedouin people, culture and customs. We stayed up well into the night enjoying the warmth of the bonfire. Once it was bedtime, a sweatshirt, jacket, toque, and 2 pairs of pants were not able to keep me warm.
The soldiers were not allowed to bring thier M16s into the holocaust museum - only "small guns". They lined up all their guns and gear outside the museum along the wall. Don't worry, there was a guard guarding everything.
Its only the 3rd day for our soldiers, and already they are exhausted. Nir and Andre are getting some much needed rest. Note that Nir is taking good care of his handgun.
Andre, Me, and Nir strike a pose. Both are part of the counter terrorist unit. Andre is a paratrooper.
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