Mishkanot Sha’ananim
In the mid 19th century, European Jews began returning to their Promised Land and it was not long before the Old City became too small for Jerusalem’s rapidly expanding population. Built with the help of philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore, they called the first Jewish suburb outside the walls, Mishkanot Sha’ananim, the Dwellings of the Tranquil. The windmill was designed to provide work but being built too low on the hillside its sails never turned in the wind. Despite this inauspicious start, Mishkanot Sha’ananim, also called Yemin Moshe, eventually blossomed and the windmill became one of Jerusalem’s most famous modern landmarks.
The Menorah
Together with the Star of David, the Menorah is one of the two symbols used by the Jewish people for thousands of years (Beth Shearim photo, page 80). This large bronze Menorah, work of the sculptor Benno Elkan, was a gift from the British Parliament donated in 1956. Standing next to the Israel’s young parliament building, the sculpture depicts twenty-nine vivid scenes from Jewish history, ancient and modern: Moses, whose outstretched arms ensured the presence of God with the people during battle; the young King David holding the head of the Philistine giant, Goliath; and the Holocaust of the Second World War which preceded the establishment of the modern state of Israel. It is inscribed with the words, “The Menorah is a symbol of the light of faith and hope which has led the Jewish people for four thousand years”.
Yad Vashem
An eternal flame burns night and day in the heart of Jerusalem. This is Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the 6 million Jews who perished during the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust of World War Two. The names of all the death camps are emblazoned on the floor of the Hall of Remembrance, and the name of every known victim is enshrined in Yad Vashem’s museum. This museum documents the rise of Hitler’s National Socialist Party and the atrocities it committed during its years in power. It also records the heroic acts of those who fought against them – like those who took part in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
Survivors, victims’ families and the whole nation gather here, to remember lost loved ones or to honor the many non-Jews who risked their own lives helping Jews escape. One of these is Dr. Janusz Korczak, the Polish educator who valiantly tried saving the lives of orphan children. It is his face that is immortalized at the entrance to the Children’s memorial. In this way Yad Vashem keeps alive the memory of the Holocaust for the whole world.
This page is part of the book The Holy Land of Jesus
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