The museum's biggest attraction is the Shrine of the Book, which displays the
Dead Sea Scrolls. Hidden for 2000 years in the Caves of Qumran (see Qumran,
) near the Dead Sea, the scrolls date from the 2nd century ВСЕ to 70 CE and
were written by an apocalyptic, monastic Jewish sect called the Essenes. The
scrolls contain fragments of every biblical text except the Book of Esther. These
texts are nearly identical to their modern versions, supporting claims for the his-
torical dating of the Hebrew Bible. The building's white dome and black walls
symbolize the struggle between the Sons of Light and Dark, an important theme to
the Qumran sect, and was designed to resemble the covers of the pots in which the
scrolls lay hidden (though when the fountains are on it looks more like a Hershey
Kiss taking a shower).
YAD VA-SHEM
Don't plan to do too much right after a visit; the museum's several buildings deserve some
time and take an emotional toll. To get to Yad Va-Shem, take bus #13,16-18, 20-21, 23-24,
26-27, or 39 and get off at the huge, red arch just past Mount Herzl. Turn around and lake a
left on Ein Kerem St. then follow the signs down Ha-Zikaron St. for about lOmin. Info Open Su-Th 9am-5pm, F 9am-2pm. Free.
Free guided tours in English available by appointment
Meaning "a memorial and a name," Yad Va-Shem is the largest of Israel's Holo-
caust museums. Memorializing an event as broad-sweeping and traumatic as the
Holocaust cannot be accomplished with any single medium; the juxtaposition of
Nazi records, the testimony of victims, and documentation of resistance creates a
powerful and disturbing experience. It's best to start at the Historical Museum,
which traces the origins of the Holocaust through photographs, documents, and
relics. The exhibit ends with a simple, powerful memorial: symbolic tombs show-
ing the number of Jews who were killed in each country and a tiny shoe that
belonged to one of the Holocaust's 1.5 million younger victims. The Hall of Names
(closes 15min. before museum) contains an achingly long row of archive shelves
with lists of all known Holocaust victims. Visitors may fill out a Page of Testimony,
recording the name and circumstances of death of family members killed by the
Nazis. The Hall Of Remembrance houses a ner tamid (eternal fire) to memorialize
the Holocaust's victims, with the names of many concentration camps engraved
into the floor. The nearby art museum displays drawings and paintings composed
by Jews in the ghettos and concentration camps, while below it in the small Chil-
dren's Hall is a display of toys and dolls which outlived their young owners. In the
same room are visitors' books in which to share your impressions; reading
through the thoughts and reflections left by others is at least as powerful as the
formal exhibits. By far the most haunting part of Yad Va-Shem is the stirring Chil-
dren's Memorial, where mirrors are positioned to create the illusion of an infinite
sea of candles, while a recorded voice recites the names and ages of young vic-
tims. The Avenue of Righteous Gentiles honors non-Jewish Europeans who risked
their own safety to aid Jews fleeing Europe. The Valley of the Communities is an
enormous labyrinthine memorial dedicated to the destroyed villages of Europe.
Carved in stone are the names of shtetls that are no more; surviving family mem-
bers wander around in search of their former towns.