Yad Vashem: The Holocaust Museum

Today we took an emotional tour through Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem is Israel’s Holocaust museum. Many of us had been to the museum in Washington D.C or in Skokie, IL, but most of us had never been to the one in Israel. It was much different than I expected and much different than the Holocaust museums I had seen. We all went in to the museum knowing about the Holocaust and what happened but there was no way to prepare ourselves for what was inside. Everything about the museum seemed to have meaning behind it, such as the way it was shaped and where it ended. It was a great experience that we all enjoyed and although it was very sad, it also showed us how resilient the Israeli people can be. After the museum we went to lunch at a mall. A lot of people were expecting falafel and shwarma but most of the food in the mall was just like food you would find in a mall at home. Then we went to the Jerusalem beach in Tel Aviv to bring our mood up a bit. We swam in the Mediterranean sea and it was awesome. Everyone was amazed at how warm the water was, even though the Israelis insisted that the water was cold. Even though we begged to stay longer, it had to come to an end.

We then went to Rabin memorial and Rabin square. We split into groups and interviewed the Israeli people about Yitzchak Rabin who was an Israeli prime minister who was assassinated. This helped us understand more about Israeli history. Finally we arrived at our hotel in Tel Aviv and ate dinner. We then all rushed to get ready because it was time for our night out in the city. We all went to a bar in the city not too different from what we’re use to at home. Then we went back to the hotel and passed out after our very long day.\

- Caily Rubenstein