Day 6 was the usual early start but the day brought bitterly cold winds and we were extremely grateful for the two sunny Jerusalem days we had just enjoyed. We looked like a flock of magpies as we all donned our puffer jackets, braved the icy wind and walked around the block to KKL-JNF headquarters.

We were greeted at JNF by Efrat who had curated the Golden Books at JNF for the last twenty five years. She had come in today especially to share her wealth of knowledge with us. The Golden books have recorded the JNF donors since 1901. What was particularly significant for us was the Children’s book which has recorded births and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs often including a picture since 1933. This extraordinary book has become extremely important after the holocaust since many children who perished could be identified thanks to them having been inscribed in the book. KKL-JNF with Yad Vashem have worked together to create a joint database with the children’s names. This has meant that families who previously had no record of their lost loved ones were able to locate them. This is truly a wonderful thing.

It was impossible to prepare for the experience of Yad Vashem, our next stop. Yad Vashem is Israel’s official Holocaust memorial dedicated to preserving the memory of the dead, honouring Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors. Yad Vashem is a place of no judgement however it honours those that did what they could to help. Trees have been planted and plaques laid at the front of the memorial to ensure the Righteous are never forgotten. The Righteous Among the Nations – a title given to those who risked their lives to help Jews during the Shoah, are honoured here. Yad Vashem recognises 27,000 of these courageous friends. Lori our guide told us with much pride that the numbers of the Righteous are continuing to grow.

Words are inadequate to describe the experience of Yad Vashem. The powerful symbolism of the building – starting with the montage of life enjoyed by European Jews prior to the advent of Hitler. The starkness of the concrete structure, the positioning of light, the sloping floor – all contributed to connecting us with the Shoah. Our understanding of the tragedy of the Shoah deepened each time Lori stopped and shared her knowledge through the stories and images of the Holocaust. As we walked down the sloping floor, deeper and deeper into the disintegration of life in Europe during the reign of Hitler our group absorbed the tragedy of the Shoah. We were a solemn, reflective group walking silently together. By the time the floor began to rise and we entered the Hall of Names our faces reflected what we had witnessed. As we left the building and walked into the light there was silence over our group as we struggled with emotions.

We walked single file to the Children’s Memorial reflecting on what we had just witnessed. The still crisp cold air only enhanced how we all felt. The Children’s Memorial is a tribute to approximately 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered during the Holocaust. It is a dark and somber place. The reading of children’s names, ages and countries of origin reinforced in us the huge loss of potential.

Our final activity at Yad Vashem reinforced the message of the memorial. It was not about how life ended rather how well you lived your life. The most important things in life are love and family. Our leader Yigal Nisell shared his personal story that also highlighted how important the life you live is. Yigal’s story demonstrated how important our job as educators is in changing attitudes.

Our surprise of the day were our letters from home. By the time they were all distributed there was not a dry eye in the room as we all absorbed the love of our families. Our WhatsApp group recorded many messages of appreciation. “Thank you so much for this gesture. it was very emotional but very comforting after what we had just witnessed.” “Words cannot express our gratitude.”

It was a very quiet bus that drove south to Sderot, a small town near Gaza. We were made most welcome by the town’s mayor – Alon Davidi. Alon talked to us about the social and economic challenges of living in this geographical location. KKL-JNF do much to support the town, currently they are developing a twelve-acre park in the neighbourhood.

Our day ended as the guests of Sha’ar HaNegev school. The staff made us most welcome. We enjoyed a workshop and dinner with the school staff where we exchanged stories about our different education systems and enjoyed many things in common.