Jerusalem Afternoon

The museum at Yad Vashem zig-zags through a tight space within a tall, narrow stone triangle, and then, after stories of emigration and the founding of the state of Israel, opens onto an expansive view from the top of Mount Herzl, the tallest mountain in Jerusalem. The photos below are taken from this point of exit.





The Yad Vashem (literally, "the monument and the Name" [Isaiah 56:5]) exhibit was impressive but seemed very small, probably because of the very tight space and large numbers of people, and maybe also because I have spent so much time at the Auschwitz museum complex, which spans many buildings. Several pieces at Yad Vashem were actually part of larger exhibits housed at the Auschwitz museum. However, that is not to say that Yad Vashem was not powerful. The exhibit is expertly put together, and large number of images along with the overlapping audio elements in various languages contribute to a sense of chaos that is (purposefully) uncomfortable. The culmination of the exhibition with the eruption of light and view of Jerusalem was amazing.

At the very beginning of the exhibit, there were a few pieces about Christian antisemitism. One set of comments seemed especially baldly stated; I took a picture and it is pasted below.





Shopping on Ben Yehuda Street.


Preparing for Sabbath: the open market.