Day 9 – Sunday, May 15: Yad Vashem, Israel Museum, the Shephelah (Lowlands) of Judah
Today was once again sunny but much cooler than yesterday. Highs in the afternoon reached the low 80s, while we had a cool start in Jerusalem.
Yad Vashem
As we started at 7:30, we read from Psalm 137 about how special Jerusalem was to those in Exile in Babylon. Our first stop of the day was Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum and Memorial. It is named after Isaiah 56:5 (“To them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name…”). We first entered the Valley of the Communities, marking all the towns and cities where Jews were killed throughout Europe. We then heard Shlomo’s testimony about how he lost 12 family members in Vilna, Poland. We also walked through the Children’s Memorial. 1.5 million children were killed. On our own, we walked through the Museum. It was a somber experience.
Israel Museum
Also located in West Jerusalem, we visited the Israel Museum. We saw three things here: A 1:50-scaled model of 2nd Temple Period Jerusalem, the Shrine of the Book, and the archaeological wing of the museum itself. In the museum we saw highlights of artifacts, such as the Dan Inscription, the silver amulet from a Hinnom tombs, the Arad Holy of Holies, the Pilate Inscription, Herod’s bathhouse and sarcophagus, and many more. We ended with seeing a 1,900 year old “pie plate.” 🙂
“Today we saw a lot of things again. The Holocaust Museum was moving to see, especially hearing Shlomo’s personal story. The afternoon climbing of Old Testament sites provided more ways to connect to the stories of the Bible.”
The Shephelah
In the afternoon we descended west to the Shephelah (Lowlands) of Judah to see a few Old Testament sites. We grabbed a snack on the way (at the “Elvis” gas station for great hamburgers) to our first site, Tel Gezer. It is located in the Aijalon Valley. Dr. John excavated here in 2017. This was a Canaanite and Israelite/Judean city. We saw city walls and gates, including one built by Solomon (1 Kings 9). We descended the impressive water system. Leaving the site we saw the standing stones most likely from the Canaanite Period.
Further south is the Sorek Valley where the city of Beth Shemesh is located. We climbed the tel (ancient mound) to see the view of the valley. The stories of Samson (Judges 13-16) and the return of the Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 6) unfolded before our very eyes!
Socoh was last next site of the day. Located along the Elah Valley, we climbed this unexcavated site to see where David and Goliath battled. David was armed only with five stones but he found his confidence in the Lord. We read the story from 1 Samuel 17.
We returned to the Hill Country of Judah and our hotel in Jerusalem for later dinner and a free evening.
Day 10 – Monday, May 16: City of David, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Southern Wall Excavations, Western Wall, a Few Free Hours
