A Journey to Israel – Day 9 – Museums
This post was contributed by Sarah Youtsey:
Our final day in Israel was spent primarily indoors. We headed to the Israel Museum where we visited two exhibits. The first was a scaled model of Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. After visiting each of the historical sites on foot, we were able to see what Jerusalem looked like during Biblical times without the marks of time, conquest and resettlement that have greatly altered what we see today. Matching this 3D map with the experiences of the previous days touring Jerusalem, the imagination began to come alive and we were better able to see how all these events played out.
The second exhibit we visited was the original Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls date back to the time of Christ and were not uncovered until 1947 in the Qumran caves, which we visited a few days earlier. These scrolls contain every book of the Old Testament except Esther and Nehemiah (books written in captivity) and matched word-for-word the copies of the Bible in circulation today. This was a further confirmation that God’s word prevails! What better proof of historical authenticity could be provided?
With our faith strengthened, we then headed to the Holocaust Museum. Our Israeli guide first lead us to the entrance of an exhibit where he told us the riveting story of his mother-in-law’s experience during the Holocaust. She was then 14 years old, and after losing her entire family and fleeing on foot to distances as far as Serbia and India, she finally came to settle in Palestine. We then entered the Yad Vashem exhibit, a tribute to the 1.5 million children murdered during the Holocaust. Through the doors we descended into darkness in an underground pathway. There were no lights ahead, and it grew quiet the farther in we walked. Each person was forced to find the side railing to guide him or her through the darkness. After turning a corner, we entered a pitch-black room that was covered floor, walls and ceiling with mirrors. There were four strategically placed candles that illuminated the room, and the mirrors caught the light in such a way that it was as if we were surrounded by 1.5 million twinkling stars. There was a solemn voice over the loud speaker listing the name, hometown, and age of each child that was killed. It would take four years of sitting in that room to hear the entire list of names.
After tearfully shuffling through that beautiful, sorrowful room we exited the opposite end of the building and came upon a vista overlooking Ramah. This is the same Ramah spoken of in Jeremiah 31:15, “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.”
This somberly introduced us to the main Holocaust Museum building, to which children are not admitted because the atrocities documented are too gruesome. The Museum interior was a harsh, cold, angular building that chronologically told the story of the Jewish experience in every part of Europe and Asia during the Holocaust. Books, diaries, piles of shoes, anti-Semitic board games were all displayed. Actual footage showed the horrific truth of their treatment. A large room full of shelves and shelves of binders contained the names of the six million Jews murdered. It was overwhelming to get a comprehensive glimpse into how horribly human beings can treat other human beings.
As I left the Museum, walked back to the bus, and took my seat, I was speechless reflecting on the heaviness of what I’d just experienced. I didn’t speak for an hour. After getting back to the hotel and packing our bags for the last time, we headed to dinner, thanked our excellent Israeli driver and guide for their top notch tour of the Holy Land. With hearts full, perspectives widened, and faith built up, we began our journey back to the place we call home.
Tour Guide, Ezra, and Bus Driver, Yuval:
Israel Museum
Scaled model of Jerusalem:
Market during lunchtime:
GVCA Teachers/Staff near the Western Wall:
Herodium: