We visited the Holocaust Museum. This is the sort of place that breaks one's heart. I have a hard time believing just how cruel humans can become. I think it's impossible for me to relay the emotions and thoughts of going through a memorial like this. The name of the museum is Yad Vashem, meaning a place and a name. In the spirit of remembering I'm including a few quotations that struck me.
'When our children cried in the shadow of the gallows, We never heard the world's anger. For Thou didst choose us from all people. Thou didst love us and favor us...and when our children are marched to the gallows, Jewish chlidren, wise Jewish children, They know that their blood is not counted in the Bloodshed - They only call back to their mothers: Mother, don't look.' -Nathan Alterman, 1942
'I know that when I stand before God on Judgement Day, I shall not be asked the question posed to Cain - where were you when your brother's blood was crying out to God?' -Imre Bathory.
'So for us even the hour of liberty rang out grave and muffled, and filled our souls with joy and yet with a painful sense of shame...and also with anguish, because we felt that this should never happen, that now nothing could ever happen good and pure enough to rub out our past, and that the scars of the outrage would remain within us forever.' -Primo Levi, The Truce
The day ended with getting fantastically lost on the Mount of Olives. Well, not lost really, we just thought we could get into some sites that were actually closed. But we caught a beautiful sunset over Jerusalem from our vantage point, and I had some mild epiphanies that I think will stick with me for a while (if you really want to hear them call me and we'll talk).
The next day we headed to Bethlehem to check out the birthplace of Jesus. It turned out to be much more of an adventure than I bargained for, since it's in Palestinian territory. I met a British girl who convinced us to go to the wall separating Israel and Palestine and we ended up having a fascinating discussion with our taxi driver about the condition of the conflict.
'When our children cried in the shadow of the gallows, We never heard the world's anger. For Thou didst choose us from all people. Thou didst love us and favor us...and when our children are marched to the gallows, Jewish chlidren, wise Jewish children, They know that their blood is not counted in the Bloodshed - They only call back to their mothers: Mother, don't look.' -Nathan Alterman, 1942
'I know that when I stand before God on Judgement Day, I shall not be asked the question posed to Cain - where were you when your brother's blood was crying out to God?' -Imre Bathory.
'So for us even the hour of liberty rang out grave and muffled, and filled our souls with joy and yet with a painful sense of shame...and also with anguish, because we felt that this should never happen, that now nothing could ever happen good and pure enough to rub out our past, and that the scars of the outrage would remain within us forever.' -Primo Levi, The Truce
The day ended with getting fantastically lost on the Mount of Olives. Well, not lost really, we just thought we could get into some sites that were actually closed. But we caught a beautiful sunset over Jerusalem from our vantage point, and I had some mild epiphanies that I think will stick with me for a while (if you really want to hear them call me and we'll talk).
The next day we headed to Bethlehem to check out the birthplace of Jesus. It turned out to be much more of an adventure than I bargained for, since it's in Palestinian territory. I met a British girl who convinced us to go to the wall separating Israel and Palestine and we ended up having a fascinating discussion with our taxi driver about the condition of the conflict.
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| One of my favorite parts (and least favorite parts) was the people on pilgrimages. It was inspiring to see so many people from all over the globe gathering to pay homage to their beliefs. |
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| The emotions surrounding the wall were a bit hard to take in. So many cultures clash here, but the wall itself seems so archaic and cold. Walls just scream evil in my mind. |
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| We saw a handful of Banksys along the way, which was cool. |
We drove in to Tel Aviv for the last half of the day to hit up the beach. It was so relaxing playing in the water, going for a run up the coast, and coming back to a fantastic view of Joppa. This was the perfect way to end a stressful trip.
I found some really cool workout equipment and had to play on it.
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