April 13, 2009

Israel 3rd Day , April 13, 2009

We started out today at the Yad Vashem. It was amazing- from the architecture, to the grounds to the most through and complete expeditions. The building was shaped so that it is a long tunnel of concrete that opens up at the end. The start shows a film of how it used to be with European Jews, they were well integrated into the community. Then it shows how Hitler began his propaganda and how the start of severe discrimination and hatred began: burning books, restricting Jews in everyway from all things normal in society. Then, the Germans gathering Jews into Ghettos. Hitler had written his propaganda from prison, he was not a great man but knew how to build up the Germans into thinking they were powerful through him. He got rid of their democracy and became a totalitarian. Their economy was hurting after WWI and he said that they could be the strongest in the world. He wanted to get rid of the weaker links in his society, the mentally and physically ill, the gypsies, the Jews and anyone else that wasn’t part of Hitler’s ideal nation. They then made a move on Poland and gathered the Jews and put them in Ghettos- made them wear yellow stars of David to identify them. They then took them to concentration camps, which were work camps. Their strategy was to keep them deceived and fooled and hungry. If they were hungry enough they could not be a force, they then separated them into men, women and children, weakening them again. Later they were exterminated by gas chambers. Large groups would be packed on trains and told they were going to be rehabilitated or something and they would get off the trains, be taken down stairs into rooms where they would have their heads shaved, their clothes and shoes removed and then all piled into a gas chamber and gassed to death. They were then put in ditches or crematoriums. They weren’t at the extermination camps longer than a couple hours before they were killed.
There are so many videos and written accounts and names and birthdates and photos that show what happened. The Germans kept an account of everything so there is so much evidence, including lists of Jews in each country and how many Jews were in each camp. They took away their things, their families, and their identities when they shaved their heads and gave them numbers. It is amazing that anyone survived. At the end they marched them to death, since no one had given any orders to continue the extermination as things were falling apart within the German forces/ machine. They choose to walk them to death. When the war ended they found Jews in marches that had been deserted, some in camps where the guards had deserted.
There are exhibits that show that Americans and others knew about what was going on, but we didn’t get involved until Pearl Harbor. Then after the war, America and other countries didn’t let them into their countries. There was once again no where for the remaining Jews to go but back to their countries, which would have been terrifying. There were thousands of children without parents, so many people without their families. They stayed in camps for a while, rehab camps, but it was hard for them to go anywhere, their homes, families, dignity and livelihood had been taken away. They moved into refugee camps and many tried to come to Israel, but at first it was difficult to get in. They had no nation of their own. Now they have Israel, anyone that is Jewish can come and get an Israeli passport. It became more clear how important Israel became to the Jews, some place that could be their home. 6,000,000 were exterminated. At the end of the memorial there is a room where you can find your ancestors and where you can include a member of your family that would have died during the Holocaust. They have around 3,000,000 people recorded and dates and information about them. It would be amazing to come and find a family member or to be able to add to their history.

The end of the museum opens up to a spectacular view of the hillsides. There are many beautiful trees planted around that are dedicated to the gentiles that helped protect and keep Jews. There is a quote that I have heard before in the museum, it goes something like this: they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew, they came for the ill, but I was not ill, and they came for me, and there was no one left. I have not quoted this accurately, but it is true, We have to look after our neighbors, our brothers and sisters in this world. Something like this should not happen again if we stand for up for each other. Discrimination is deadly, even the start of it. I have always felt so deeply that we should never judge others, we should not point fingers and that we should try to understand others, rather than be afraid and show hate. Witnessing this terrible thing, people forgot to stand up for others, some did, but most didn’t. Many trusted or were too afraid of resisting. I cant judge them, but I feel deep in myself I would have had the strength to stand up, to look after others and love my neighbor and would have tried to protect them against these atrocities. I am so grateful that many did. I was moved by Denmark who choose to gather their Jews and ship them to Oslo, which was neutral and only a couple Jews were killed. They choose to protect their neighbors and created a solution and as a result saved nearly 7000 lives. The wild thing is the Germans were killing the Jewish women and children- innocents. The ones that decided on the extermination order and directive were a group of scholarly men. How could this have happened?
The girls and I spent 3 hours in the museum and could have spent more, it was moving and fascinating and shocking.
After lunch at the museum, we went to Bethlehem. It made me think how some could have thought how is there a God to allow this to happen? My thoughts are that this is an imperfect world, a world of sin and God works through men on earth to look after each other. Some choose to do evil, but those that are willing to stand with Him against evil will conquer. Not enough people stood against evil. I feel it is not a crime against God but against people, people who forgot to think for themselves nad followed a leader that led them down the worst physical and spiritual path I can think of. I also think that Hitler obviously and many others did not remember the great commandment to Love one Another and the Golden Rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. There is no, “..unless, or only if,…” We are to love all people and be our brother’s keeper.
As we entered Bethlehem, we had to stop outside the gates. Bethlehem is part of Palestine- the Arab Nation that is inside Israel. Our Jewish guide could not come inside with us. We had another taxi take us and guide to Bethlehem. There we visited the Church of the Nativity, the oldest church in Christendom. There are remains of the original mosaic floor that was made 1700 years ago. There is another structure on top of it that is from the Crusaders time, around 1000 years ago. It is pretty interesting, it being shared with the Greek Orthodox, the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. There is a cave you enter, although it is hard to tell it is even a cave, since it had burned to black several hundred years in an argument over the cave/stable . There is a shrine built over the birth place and a manger made of stone (the original is no longer there.) There is also a grave for the children and some of their mothers that the y believe is from the time of Herod, when the babies in Bethlehem were ordered to be killed, all those boys 2 and under. There is also the grave of one St. Jerome who transcribed over 35 years the Greek New Testament into Latin and the Hebrew Bible into Latin. There is the cave that he would have lived in. There is also a Roman Catholic Church where they hold a Christmas Eve service in every year. It was very interesting.

We were then taken to overlook the shepherds fields. In these rolling hills around Bethlehem, is where the shepherds would have been when they saw the angels and heard them proclaim that Christ had been born. Bethlehem is on a hill, which would have likely been above where they were tending fields and in my mind the star would have been clearly shining over a certain spot, so they could have seen where it fell and could have come fairly quickly.
The route included a stop to one man’s shop- clearly a deal that is laid out before with our taxi driver. We bought a manger for Kendall and items for the girls’ friends. We bought Sam a little nativity too. Syd we had to go to another place, which was a little sketchy and we found one there too. We pulled up in basically some back garage. I was ready to make a move, if need be- but I kept thinking our main guide knows this guy well, so I am hoping that we are in good hands and Bethlehem makes it ‘s living off of tourism, so hopefully this is all fine!
At the border there was a lot of traffic, so we went around another way- we had to walk through metal gates up a path with our Palestinian guide, little sketchy and felt like we were being fooled into some trap- thinking what are we doing three blonde American girls alone!!! But it was fine and we ended up at the gate. I have to say this was the first really sketchy feeling I have had while here. But once again, knocking off Americans can’t be good for Bethlehem’s business!
The situation of the walls around Palestine are really sad actually. Because of all the fighting and suicide bombers in 2000 and that continued for several years, the only way the government felt that they could control it is put a wall around Palestine, the wall is almost done. It is miles and miles long. It reminds me of the Berlin wall. It is sad for those behind the wall. They all lived peacefully for many years as neighbors and now there is a wall that is very restricting and I have to say of what I have seen around this West Bank wall, it is not as nice or as clean or as successful as outside the walls. I can see the Israelis being protective and not wanting to be pushed out of another country, but I see that the Arabs have been here for centuries and for them to get pushed behind a wall is sad too.

We came back and took a nap in the sun before we went to a good Kosher restaurant tonight and then walked around and did a little shopping in this big outdoor mall around the side of our hotel. The food is very healthy and feels pretty vegetarian- actually vegan since it is Passover and you can only eat unleven bread- lots of Matzah!!After some shopping and some ice cream we headed back to the hotel. Girls were so tired. Tomorrow is a big day with the Masada. Our guide is good but very chatty, like so chatty I have to say enough. I came back with a headache and ready for some quiet time. We are having lots of laughs, partially because we are delusional with tiredness, we have walked miles- or at least we did yesterday that we were all sore today. Tomorrow will be a good hike up the mountain, but it will be fun and then to the Dead Sea and Qumran to see the Dead Sea Scrolls.