Yad Veshem

J’s parents had a list of sites they wanted to see while in Israel.  Included on that list was Yad Vashem, a museum about the Holocaust.  It is very similar to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, if you have ever been there.  The museum walks you through the rise of Nazi power in Germany, the gradual loss of rights of the Jewish people, the rapid expansion of the “Final Solution” to murder the Jewish people, and recognition of the many gentiles who risked their lives to save their Jewish neighbors.

This was only my 2nd visit to the museum.  My first visit was in January, 2007 during my first trip to Israel to visit J.  It’s certainly not a fun museum, nor is it a place you would choose to visit with regularity.  It’s a somber and disturbing reminder of the degree to which the human race can hate and choose to believe that another human being has no rights (including the right to life) simply because they are “different” from themselves. 

The Children’s Memorial

I found it interesting to go to the museum again after living here for one year.  In this past year, I have had much greater exposure to the realities of life in this conflicted land.  I am learning that the division between the Palestinian Arabs and Jewish people is very deep and very wide.  There is an unbelievable level of ignorance and fear among these two groups of people about those on the “other side”.  And this separation (represented so well by the wall that Israel is building along the “border” of the West Bank) is only growing wider and stronger as few efforts are being made to help people on both sides understand they share more similarities than differences.

The deep divide that exists between the Jewish people and Palestinians is frightening.  It is frightening because of the human capacity to hate.  It is frightening because of the human capacity to ignore and look away when people once considered neighbors and friends are suffering.  These frightening characteristics are found amongst Palestinian and Jew alike.  The Holocaust is a chilling example of how far humans are willing to go when hatred takes deep root.  It is my prayer that the current trajectory of hate and fear in this region will be turned around.  It is my prayer that Jewish and Palestinian neighbors will recognize their similarities and real peace can be forged.  It is my prayer that people (in this region and those around the world who try to help) do not lose hope that this peace is possible.  And it is my prayer that I do not lose hope that this peace is possible.