To compare the quality of Holocaust museums seems in a certain way almost profane, but it's difficult to debate that Jerusalem's Yad Vashem is the best of them – if an adjective like "best" can truly be applied to a museum in commemoration of a genocide.
Situated on a sylvan hill on the western fringes of Jerusalem and adjoining Israel's main military cemetery, Yad Vashem takes full advantage of the emotional and historical resonance of its location, spinning the beauty of its surroundings and the oppressive somberness of its subject matter into a potent allegory of national destruction and redemption.
The museum itself, which would take an entire day to fully experience, offers edification for the casual tourist all the way up to the serious Holocaust scholar; a rich trove of documents and artifacts acquired from donations from survivors and other countries adds visceral weight to the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the more abstract exhibits, from the haunting Children's Memorial to the brooding tomb of all Europe's destroyed Jewish communities, take a heavy emotional toll.
Sunday to Wednesday 9:00 to 17:00 (entrance permitted until 16:00); Thursday 9:00 to 20:00 (entrance permitted until 19:00); Friday, 9:00 to 14:00 (entrance permitted until 13:00).
Audio guides in 7 languages are available in the Visitors Center.
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