Yad Vashem; Holocaust History Museum

Pathway between enclosure all on the right and the tower area, with pergola arching overhead; Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament. The museum, designed by Moshe Safdie, is shaped like a triangular concrete "prism" that cuts through the landscape, illuminated by a 200-meter long skylight. Visitors follow a preset route that takes them through underground galleries that branch off from the main hall. Visitors are guided into the galleries by a series of impassable gaps that extend along the breadth of the prism floor. With the help of this interior design by Dorit Harel, key turning points in the history of the Holocaust are highlighted. The complex contains the Holocaust History Museum, memorial sites such as the Children's Memorial and the Hall of Remembrance, The Museum of Holocaust Art, sculptures, outdoor commemorative sites such as the Valley of the Communities, a synagogue, archives, a research institute, library, publishing house and an educational center, The International School for Holocaust Studies. Yad Vashem also honors non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust, at personal risk, as the Righteous Among the Nations. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 5/2/2013