July 31

Today, MBI went to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust musem, and had a guided tour through
the museum. The building is uniquely designed, with a long series of triangles that end with
windows piping light in and a promenade with a beautiful view of Jerusalem. In order to reach
the promenade you have to criss-cross through each section of the museum, which spans from
before the Holocaust looking at communities, through the end of the war exploring the many
difficult topics and some of the more inspirational tales of righteous gentiles and the youth
movements role in the war. The tour we run focuses on some of the aspects of the Holocaust
and then ends by discussing the importance of Israel in our history as the Jewish people. A
major focus today was on the anti-semitism that existed in the world during that time-period,
and how it still exists in places around the world today, something which can be hard for North
American Jews to understand, since our communities are generally not like this. This was a
emotionally moving and important experience for all.

Afterwards the group left the museum for a tour through Har Herzl, a national cemetery in
Jerusalem, named for Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism. The cemetery
was created as a burial place for national figures and fallen soldiers. Each section of the
cemetery is uniquely designed to reflect the individuals who are commemorated there and
their place in Israeli history.

Afterwards, in a nearby park, each kvutza had a conversation processing both Yad Vashem and
Har Herzl with their madrichim.