Tourist’s guide to Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem – Nobody Will Be Forgotten

Yad Vashem is a Holocaust memorial complex built in honor of the courage and heroism of the Jewish people. The museum is located in Jerusalem on the Mount of Remembrance. It was founded in the middle of the 20th century. The decision to constracut the memorial was made by the Knesset in order to preserve the memory of the Jews who became victims of fascism in the period from 1933 to 1945. The Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem is a tribute to the people who bravely fought against fascism, those who helped the Jewish nation, heroically risked their lives. Each year, the complex accommodates more than one million tourists.

Holocaust History Museum, Yad Vashem

General Information About Yad Vashem – Holocaust Museum in Israel

The words Yad Vashem mean “hand and name.” Many people use the term “Holocaust”, to describe the fascism faced by Jewish people, but in Hebrew the term used is- the Shoa, which means “disaster”.

Yad Vashem Memorial, aerial photography

Many tourists come to the Mount of Remembrance in Israel to visit the Holocaust Disaster Museum however the main attraction is the national memorial complex. Many thematic objects have been built there which remind young generations of the hardships faced by Jewish people every minute. The museum sends out the message that such a genocide should never be repeated.

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Important! Visiting the Yad Vashem Museum in Israel is free, however, one will have to pay a nominal amount. Parking near the attraction is paid, an audio guide is also provided for 25 shekels.

Yad Vashem Map

The museum building in Jerusalem is made of concrete and is in the shape of an isosceles triangle. At the entrance, guests are shown a documentary about the life of the Jewish people. The interior design demonstrates the difficult atmosphere and symbolizes the difficult history of the Jewish nation during the Holocaust. The central part of the room is completely enclosed by exhibits so that guests walk in dark galleries and are completely immersed in an atmosphere of grief.

Holocaust Museum

Fun Fact! The Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem has ten thematic galleries, each dedicated to a specific historical stage in the life of the Jewish people. It is forbidden to take pictures in the halls.

First gallery

The first gallery depicts Hitler’s rise to power and plans to seize the world through his Nazi political program. A list of the terrible things that Hitler planned to do with the Jewish people can be seen there. The exhibits clearly show how the life of Germany changed during the years of the domination of fascism – a democratic republic in just a few years was transformed into a totalitarian state.

The subsequent rooms are dedicated to the period of World War II, special attention is paid to the capture of neighboring countries, the extermination of Jews.

World War II Hall

Interesting fact! In Europe, the Germans created more than one thousand ghettos.

The next gallery is dedicated to the ghetto in Warsaw. It shows a reproduced version of the main street of the ghetto – Leszno. Some of the main events in the life of the Jewish people took place there. Museum guests can walk along the cobblestones, see the car in which the corpses were transported. All exhibits are real, brought from the capital of Poland. This hall holds a unique document – an order for the forceful eviction of Jews from the ghetto during the Holocaust. The document says that the creation of the ghetto is only one of the stages of the plan, and the ultimate goal is to completely exterminate the Jewish people.

Deported Jews were selected
Jews displaced from their houses

The next hall of the museum is dedicated to the creation of concentration camps. The hall mainly contains information about Auschwitz. Among the exhibits there is camp clothing, there is even a carriage in which Jewish people were transported. Part of the exhibition is dedicated to the largest concentration camp – Auschwitz-Birkenau. The carriage frame is installed in the hall, inside of which there is a monitor, on which the memories of the surviving people who have traveled to the concentration camp are shown. Details of the fence surrounding the camp, photographs of the concentration camp, which depict the terrible process of exterminating people, are also presented.

Another gallery is dedicated to the brave heroes who took part in the salvation of the Jewish people. The audio guide tells us about heroic actions of people and how many people were saved because of them.

Hall of Names

Another thematic gallery is the Hall of Names. It lists more than three million names of people who became victims of the fascist regime during the Holocaust. Information was collected from relatives of the victims. Black folders are fixed on the walls which contain original historical documents with witness testimonies, a detailed description of the lives of dead people. A huge cone is cut down in the hall right in the stone. Its height is 10 meters, depth is 7 meters. The foundation pit is flooded with water, it reflects 600 photos of Jews who became victims of the Nazis. There is a computer center in this room, information about those who died during the Holocaust is stored there. Visitors can contact the Center staff who will find data about the person.

Black folders describing the lives of dead people

The Epilogue Hall in the Museum is the only room in the museum complex, where special attention is focused on emotions and feelings. The walls show the stories of the dead, excerpts from memoirs, diaries.

Interesting fact! The museum ends with an observation deck, from which Jerusalem is clearly visible. The platform symbolizes the end of the difficult path when freedom and lightness come.

The museum ends with an observation deck
Observation deck

A children’s memorial dedicated to the millions of children who were killed during the Holocaust in concentration camps was also made. It is located in a cave, daylight hardly reaches there. Lighting is created by candles reflected in mirrors. The record lists the names of the children, the age when the child died. Many tourists note that it is very difficult to be in this hall for a long time.

Children's Memorial

On the territory of the museum about the Holocaust in Israel there is a synagogue where they conduct services and commemorate the dead.

Synagogue in Yad Vashem

The museum part dedicated to the Holocaust has the largest collection of unique, copyrighted items, photographs, documents telling about the terrible pages of the history of the Jewish people. Art objects created by prisoners in concentration camps, ghettos are exhibited there. In the exhibition halls there are permanent and temporary expositions, access to archival documents, video materials is also possible.

Important Information! The opening hours of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem are: Sunday-Wednesday – from 0900 to 1700, Thursday – from 0900 to 2000, Friday – from 0900 to 1400.

Other objects of the Holocaust memorial in Israel include:

Obelisk to soldiers
  • Obelisk to soldiers;
  • Alley – trees were planted in honor of ordinary people who, at the risk of their lives, voluntarily rescued, hid Jews. Plants were planted by relatives of the people saved;
  • A monument to the soldiers who rebuffed the invaders organized an uprising;
  • Monument to the soldiers;
  • Janusz Korczak Square – a sculpture of the famous Polish teacher, doctor, writer Heinrich Goldschmidt is installed here, he saved children from the Nazis, voluntarily accepted death;
  • Valley of Communities – located in the western part of the complex in Israel, there are more than a hundred walls installed, listing five thousand communities destroyed by the Nazis during the Holocaust, in the House of Commons, thematic exhibitions are held here.

At the memorial complex in Israel, an institute for the study of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Jewish people operates. The task of the institute’s employees is to talk about the tragedy and not to let the world forget about this terrible phenomenon.

 

Rules for Visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Israel

Entrance to the historic Holocaust complex

Entrance to the historic Holocaust complex in Israel is permitted for visitors over 10 years old. Tourists with young children can visit other exhibits and objects.

There are certain restrictions on the territory:

  • It is forbidden to enter with large bags;
  • No entry in bright, defiant clothing;
  • In the galleries you can not make noise;
  • The museum is prohibited shooting;
  • It is forbidden to enter the room with food.

Entrance to the museum ends an hour before the closure of the memorial complex.

 

Important information

Opening hours
  • Sunday to Wednesday: from 0830 to 1700;
  • Thursday: from 0830 to 2000;
  • Friday, holidays: from 0830 to 1400.
Eternal flame in the hall of memory

Important! The Yad Vashem memorial complex is closed on Saturday, on holidays.

The reading room welcomes guests from Sunday to Thursday from 0830 to 1700. Orders for archival documents and books are accepted until 15-00.

Infrastructure

There is an information center in Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. It provides detailed information on exhibitions and opening hours. You can eat in the cafe, which serves kosher cuisine (on the lower floor of the information center), in the milk cafeteria. The store provides thematic literature, public toilets, and left-luggage office for personal belongings.

Information centre

 

The cost of a personal audio guide is 30 shekels. It can be purchased by every visitor to the Yad Vashem Museum in Israel. An audio guide tells tourists about the exposition, and also voices explainations for 80 monitors. Headphones are issued at the Audioguide Bureau and at the tour desk booking desk.

Audio guide to the Yad Vashem Museum of History

Important! An audio guide is provided in English, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, German, French, as well as Arabic.

Tours
On a Yad Vashem Memorial Tour

You can visit the Yad Vashem memorial dedicated to the Holocaust in Jerusalem on your own, as well as as part of an excursion group. The narration is conducted in several languages. In order to take the tour in a specific language, just call the museum administration (phone: 972-2-6443802) or contact via the museum website. The official resource has the opportunity to choose the language in which the story is being conducted, order an audio guide and other additional options. Some exposures can be viewed online.

 

How to get to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem
Egged Buses Drive to the Museum

If you move from the center of Jerusalem, you need to drive about 5 km in a westerly direction. The route is followed daily by public transport. The main landmark is Herzl Mountain.

The museum is driven by Egged buses, which is a high-speed public transport. You can take the free shuttle bus between the Yad Vashem Museum and Mount of Memory.

A light rail service also departs from Jerusalem to the museum. You need to go to the final stop. From here guests are delivered a free minibus to eight objects of the museum complex.

Important! You can enter the museum dedicated to the Holocaust from the side of the Goland crossroads, located between the descent to Ein Karem, as well as the main entrance to the mountain of Herzel.

Tourist bus number 99

Any bus heading towards Mount Herzel in Jerusalem will take you to the museum. By the way, in Jerusalem travel bus number 99, which brings Israeli guests directly to the museum.

If you travel by car, leave the vehicle in the underground parking, you will have to pay for this service. Tourist buses stop at the entrance to the Yad Vashem memorial.

 


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