If you missed my other trip posts, read the Day #1 recap, the Day #2 recap, the Day #3 recap, the Day #4 recap, and the day #5 recap.
Day #6 of our Epic Trip to Italy and Israel with the Museum of the Bible was sort of an emotional roller coaster kind of day.
We started the day by visiting Yad Vashem — Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the holocaust.
Wikipedia says this:
The name “Yad Vashem” is taken from a verse in the Book of Isaiah: “Even unto them will I give in my house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off” (Isaiah 56:5). Naming the Holocaust memorial “yad vashem” (Biblical Hebrew יָ֣ד וָשֵׁ֔ם yād wā-šêm) conveys the idea of establishing a national depository for the names of Jewish victims who have no one to carry their name after death.
The whole purpose of this memorial is give back the names, the worth, and dignity to the 6 million Jews who were murdered in the holocaust. Most who had everything taken from them — including their names.
I can’t say enough about how this memorial impacted me. If you have a chance to go, PLEASE go. It was powerful. Overwhelming. Heartbreaking. Life-impacting. I left with much to process and will likely be processing for a long time.
After spending time with the Jewish people and learning more about their religious history and beliefs, it was especially deeply moving.
We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, but you can read more about it and see some pictures here.
From Wikipedia again:
A core goal of Yad Vashem’s founders was to recognize gentiles who, at personal risk and without a financial or evangelistic motive, chose to save their Jewish brethren from the ongoing genocide during the Holocaust. Those recognized by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations are honored in a section of Yad Vashem known as the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations.
It was hard to leave the memorial. Or to walk away… there was so much to process in going through the memorial. If you are interested, in this video, I shared some very personal and passionate thoughts I experienced as part of visiting Yad Vashem. (Go here and fast forward to minute 19.)
Next, we went to the Garden Tomb, which is one of the sites that is possibly where Jesus’ tomb was. Unfortunately, I found the site as a whole to be much more commercialized and tourist-y than I would have preferred.
Then, we walked to the Ecole Biblica — a French Academic establishment that felt like stepping back in time.
We then walked to the Machaneh Yehuda Market and had an amazing and exuberant lunch at the Yudale Bar — a highly-acclaimed, open-air restaurant where everything is made right in front of you and the cooks/servers are dancing and having so much fun you can’t help but join in!
After such an emotionally draining morning, the loud music and energy and laughter was healing. (You can get a little idea of what the experience was like with this video and this video.)
We headed back to hotel to freshen up and get dressed up for welcoming in Shabbat. It was so cool to experience the excitement and anticipation Shabbat brings!
After sunset, we visited the Wailing Wall and prayed there. It was such a moving experience — so many people praying and pouring their hearts out in multiple languages.
I left a paper at the wall with my prayer asking God to help me live a life of love and that out of that love I would be willing to go anywhere, do anything, or sacrifice anything He calls me to — whatever the cost.
And we capped off the day with a traditional Shabbat dinner in a local family’s home. Since the Jewish people don’t use their phones during Shabbat, we were asked to keep our phones off and cameras put away during the meal. So I don’t have any photos but it was quite an experience!
I’m so glad that I jumped out of my comfort zone to go on this trip. I will never forget these experiences or lessons for the rest of my life.
…to be continued tomorrow…
Julie says
What an amazing trip! I’ve been enjoying your posts about the days and am so happy you decided to blog about it!
Crystal Paine says
I’m glad you’re enjoying it! I can’t wait to share the rest next week!
Guest says
I feel a little silly asking this after following your IG account and of course now the blog posts for two weeks now but…I still don’t understand why the museum was doing this? I’ve read about the museum and look forward to visiting but were they doing research? Getting publicity by inviting popular bloggers? Regardless, I love following along – ha! – just trying to understand how they tie together and also…why Italy and Israel?
Crystal Paine says
The mission of this trip was to bring together a diverse group of people to get excited about the Bible and how it has impacted history. They secondarily wanted to give us a behind-the-scenes look at how the museum has come together and their heart behind it (we got to meet many different people and groups they are working with — such as those from the Sistene Chapel, those from the Jewish faith, those at the Vatican museum, etc.)
{We weren’t asked to blog about anything about the trip… I just chose to because I had such a great experience and received many requests to share about it!}
Liz says
What a wonderful trip! Truly amazing. I spied Jenny Allen in your pics. I love her studies!! If you haven’t done one, I would highly recommend them. Restless, her third study- I believe, was my favorite.
Jennifer says
I am so happy you are in Israel, it is quite an amazing place to visit. I went a few years back. I highly recommend the Shawarma in Jerusalem.
Crystal Paine says
YES! Shawarma is amazing… I was so excited we got the chance to try it!
Kristen says
I am loving your trip reports! I went to Israel about 10 years ago. We only spent 2 or 3 days in Jerusalem, but the holocaust museum was one of the places we visited. Incredible. We only had a couple of hours there and i could easily have been there for a whole day. It is incredibly emotional and heart-breaking, but so worth it.
Alaina says
I visited Auschwitz/Birkenau when I was in college and I can honestly say I have never been the same. To see mounds of hair, piles of shoes and personal belongings, to stand inside the gas chamber. It is haunting. And I believe it is important information for us to know in the United States to try to help prevent these types of atrocities from happening again in our world.
LG says
I am really enjoying reading your travel log. I am Jewish and its great that you had a chance to learn about the plight and culture of Jewish people during your trip.
Crystal Paine says
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the updates. Thank you for your encouragement!
Karen says
Wow. That was a full day. So many sites. Yad Vashem is a very emotional place to visit. I was here 24 years ago and it still is emotional when I think about it. The western wall was also a highlight when I was there.
I am so glad you got to go on this trip.