Visiting Yad Vashem on Holocaust Remembrance Day 🇮🇱

On the evening of April 23rd to the next day—Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah)—I visited Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial museum on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. 🕯️ The Experience Many Israelis (including myself) were visiting for the first time. The memorial ceremony featured speeches by the Prime Minister and Holocaust survivors, reflecting on history and praying for peace. During the day, school groups filled the museum, learning about: 1930s Nazi antisemitic propaganda The horrors of the concentration camps The Soviet liberation The exhibition felt balanced and objective, even acknowledging China’s humanitarian aid to Jewish refugees during WWII. 🌍 Historical Echoes & Modern Parallels In Germany, the far-right AfD party (endorsed by Elon Musk) openly revives Weimar-era rhetoric ("We remember when bread cost 500,000 marks"). Meanwhile, Israel’s recent actions face global condemnation, with some even drawing Nazi comparisons. History cycles—what was once unthinkable is now challenged and debated. Perhaps this reckoning is necessary to confront the future honestly. Antisemitism remains a Western issue: Today, European nations (whose colonial systems shaped the modern Middle East) lead in pro-Palestinian activism and refugee policies. 📍 Practical Info Location: Western slope of Mount Herzl, near the Military Cemetery. Booking: Reserve free entry tickets on Yad Vashem’s website. Guides: Audio guide: 35 NIS (no Chinese option). Live guided tours (no Chinese available). Duration: 2–6 hours (depending on depth of visit). #Israel #Holocaust #History #WWII #NeverAgain