THE HOLOCAUST

The Hall of Names containing commemorating the millions of Jews 

who were murdered during the Holocaust.

We just finished visiting Yad Vashem.  This is a place set up as a memorial to all those who suffered and died in the holocaust.  It also pays tribute to those who fought against this evil, both Jew and Gentile alike.  The complex is massive and one would need almost an entire day to see all of it, however I doubt one’s emotions could handle such a trip.  We were able to see three major points here, the museum itself, the children's memorial, and the Hall of remembrance. The museum was one exhibit after another leading one through the slow development of what happened from the initial political movements of inequality to what would later develop into mass genocide of an entire people.  It was by far one of the most powerful things we have seen so far.  The museum ends in the Hall of Names. The hall of names is an amazing place dedicated to cataloging and documenting all the victims of the holocaust. Being in there, surrounded by millions of names of those who died, it felt more like a crypt than a museum at that point.

Eternal Flame

The next place we saw was the Hall of Remembrance. This is where they keep an eternal flame burning in remembrance of all those who perished in the holocaust. It is also the place where Blessed John Paul II paid his respects, as well as Pope Benedict XVI. The final place we visited was by far the most haunting of all, the Children's Memorial. Upon entering, it is simply a room that is pitch black with a single candle burning in the middle. The room is filled with mirrors thus giving the illusion of thousands of candles burning.  However, what was truly moving was the voice that was simply reciting the names of each and every child that died at the hands of the Nazis. This visit was probably one of the most sobering ones we have had yet, and is hard to really write about because it affected each of us in very profound and different ways. However, in the end I believe thanone of us will ever forget the things we saw and heard on this day.