We started our day at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust museum. It was a challenging day
emotionally, physically and spiritually and our attempt to put it into words was yet another challenge we faced. During a moment of reflection our fellow traveller, Danielle, so eloquently put into words what we could not.
My lungs are heavy. I force myself to continue walking.
My throat is closing and I can’t breathe.
I take in all the sadness around me.
The grief, the horror, the fear, the terror.
It weighs on my body and I can’t stand up straight.
And yet I keep walking, listening, learning.
I need to see, hear, touch, to smell.
I need to know this horrid history.
In a room full of those murdered I see a girl with a bob and a giant white bow.
She is smiling the smile only a child filled with innocence and joy can smile.
She brings my own daughters to the surface.
She will for me now be the face of the holocaust.
Thank you Danielle for your words. They touched my heart as I heard you read them aloud.
We left Yad Vashem and took a short trip to Machane Yehuda, an wonderful outdoor market, so we all see LIFE again. We got a chance to shop, laugh and fully appreciate the life we have.
– Ruth, Rochol and Rivka
