Day 11 – Thursday, June 23: Yad Vashem, Israel Museum, Bible Lands Museum, Free Time in Old City
It was another beautiful day today, with crisp and cool morning temperatures, and pleasant afternoon sun (highs in around 80). It was a “museum day” as we visited Yad Vashem, Israel Museum, and Bible Lands Museum. We read Psalm 137 as we left the hotel at 7:40.
Yad Vashem
Our first visit took us to western Jerusalem and to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Museum and Memorial. First, we saw part of the Avenue of the Righteous dedicated to Gentiles who saved Jews during the Holocaust. We saw trees planted in honor of Oscar Schindler, Corrie ten Boom, and others. We heard Shlomo’s family story. He lost 12 family members in Vilna, Poland (now Lithuania). We then visited the Children’s Memorial (1.5 children died during the Holocaust). Lastly, we walked through the museum on our own.
Israel Museum
Also located in west Jerusalem is the Israel Museum. We saw three things here: The 1:50 scale-model of Jerusalem at the time of 70 AD, the Shrine of the Book (where we saw some of the fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls), and the Archaeological wing of the museum. We saw a few highlights of the artifacts found from all over the country that have biblical connections.
Bible Lands Museum
After getting a bite to eat at the museum, we had a guided tour through the Bible Lands Museum. Located on the same grounds as the Israeli Museum, Collin from Scotland led us showed us around the museum some of the more important / interesting artifacts.
“Jerusalem has so much to offer. Today was primarily ‘museum day’ as we visited Yad Vashem (Israel’s Holocaust Museum), Israel Museum, and the Bible Lands Museum. We also had fun walking around the Old City on our own!”
Old City
We drove back to the Jaffa Gate around 3 p.m. Most in the group enjoyed exploring the Old City on their own. We met Moshe and Dov, two Orthodox brothers who owns a biblical shop called Shorashim. Many also visited the “spice man” whose family has had this spice shop for about 600 years! A few also climbed the Redeemer Lutheran Tower for a panoramic view of the Old City below. It was a fun
We returned to the hotel for dinner and an optional walk to the King David Hotel and Ben Yehuda and Jaffa Streets. It was another great day.
Day 12 – Friday, June 24: Wadi Qelt Hike, Shiloh, Samaritan Village, Mt. Gerizim
