Jerusalem Day 20 - September 15th, 2009

Today was a rather hard day, even though we did not actually physically do much work. Our first stop this morning was at the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. It was one of my favorite stops because it is so interesting to me and because I think it is great that we all get to learn more about what evil human kind can do to others. The museum is in the shape of a knife because the architect wanted it to be symbolic. The museum takes you through history starting with the beginning of the Nazi Regime and ending with the end of World War II and the release of all of the prisoners. It was hard to see all of the faces of the Jews that had been killed or tortured in all of the concentration camps. The best part of the museum, and also the hardest part to me was the very last room. It was a circle in shape with a huge domed ceiling and bookshelves lining the walls. There were pictures and names of every person that they know for sure was killed in the Holocaust. After you leave the museum you can go into another room that is pitch black. There are four candles lit in the center but there are mirrors all around the room so it looks like a countless number of stars. It is meant to represent the 1.5 million children that were killed during the Holocaust. As you walk through there is a recording that plays saying names and ages of all of the children. If the recording were to play 24 hours a day, it would take over four months to finish....

After the museum we went to the Temple Mount Sifting Project. Here we were split into groups of two and sifted through debris salvaged from underneath the Dome of the Rock. We found quite a few things such as pottery, pieces of mosaics, and even a coin. It was neat to be a part of something like that which is going on today. It will take another 15 years to finish that project. We were only there for a couple of hours but we all felt like we learned a lot and were a part of something meaningful. Putting together history is always important and fun!