🏛️ The museum
Exhibitions tell the story of the Holocaust, using documents, photographs and the words of survivors.
Judaism: Celebration and Pilgrimage » Yad Vashem and Masada
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 2 Judaism (4RS1/2E), 2.2
- What Jews do at Yad Vashem and why visiting it is important
- What Masada is, why Jews visit it and why historians ask questions about its story
- Different attitudes to pilgrimage among Jews today
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Unlock This CourseYad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's national memorial to the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. It stands on a hill in Jerusalem. Its name comes from the book of Isaiah (56:5), where the Almighty promises "a monument and a name". The Holocaust is a very sad part of Jewish history, and Yad Vashem is a place to remember the victims with respect.
Key terms:
- Yad Vashem: Israel's national memorial to the Jews murdered in the Holocaust, in Jerusalem.
- Masada: a desert fortress by the Dead Sea, linked with a Jewish stand against the Romans.
- Josephus: a Jewish historian of the first century CE whose writing is our main account of Masada.
- Secular Jew (recap from Jewish Nurture, the Torah and Tradition): a Jew who sees being Jewish mainly as a matter of culture, family and history rather than religious belief.
Visitors can take part in several activities:
📄 The Hall of Names
This keeps the names and life stories of Jews who were murdered, so that each victim is remembered as a person.
🕯️ The Children's Memorial
A quiet, dark room remembers the children who died. Candles are reflected around the room and names are read aloud.
🔥 The Hall of Remembrance
An eternal flame burns here. Visitors stand in silence, and ceremonies include prayers for the dead.
Outside, an avenue honours the Righteous Among the Nations. These are non-Jews who risked their own safety to save Jews. Trees are planted in their honour.
Why Yad Vashem is important
- Remembering: Jews are taught to remember (the commandment of Zachor, which you met in an earlier lesson), and the memorial keeps the victims from being forgotten.
- Mourning and prayer: Jews can grieve and say prayers for the dead, especially when there is no grave to visit.
- Education: young people learn what happened so that they can speak about it in the future.
- "Never again": visitors promise that nothing like this must be allowed to happen again, to Jews or to anyone else.
Masada
Masada is a fortress on top of a steep rock in the desert beside the Dead Sea. The account of what happened there comes from the historian Josephus. He says that after the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 CE, a group of Jewish rebels held out at Masada against the Roman army until about 73 CE. When defeat was certain, he says, they chose death rather than slavery under Rome.
Many visitors climb Masada at dawn, to watch the sun rise over the desert. Groups also use it for ceremonies, such as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. For many Jews it is a symbol of courage and the will to survive as a free people.
Some people ask questions about the story. Historians point out that we cannot be sure of every detail Josephus gives. Taking one's own life is also forbidden in Judaism, so some Jews feel uneasy about praising what happened. Others see Masada mainly as a place of courage and history, and visit for that reason.
Different attitudes to pilgrimage today
Jews do not all agree about how important pilgrimage is. Since the Temple was destroyed no Jew has to make a pilgrimage, so it is a choice. Here are some of the views:
📖 Orthodox
Many Orthodox Jews see a visit to Israel as a way to be close to the land of the Tanakh. They may see it as very important.
🌟 Progressive
Many Progressive (Reform and Liberal) Jews value a visit as a way to feel part of the Jewish people and to learn Jewish history. They may stress that a good Jewish life can be lived anywhere.
🌍 Secular
Secular Jews may visit for cultural and historical reasons, such as Yad Vashem and Masada, rather than for prayer.
Some Jews feel that pilgrimage is not important at all. They say that how you live, pray and treat others matters more than where you go. The reasons Jews give for visiting can be religious (to pray and feel close to the Almighty), cultural (to meet other Jews and feel part of one people) or historical (to learn about the past).
Common mistakes
Do not say Yad Vashem is a synagogue: it is a memorial and museum, although prayers are said there. Do not say the Masada story is certainly true in every detail: say the account comes from Josephus and that historians question parts of it. Do not say all Jews think pilgrimage matters: give at least two views. Always explain why a place matters, not just what happens there.
Exam-style question
(a) Outline two activities Jews may take part in when they visit Yad Vashem. [4 marks]
(b) Explain why Yad Vashem is important for Jews. [6 marks]
(c) "Visiting Masada is more important for Jews than visiting Yad Vashem." Discuss this statement, considering the arguments for and against. In your answer you should include reference to teachings, other points of view and your own opinion. [10 marks]
Model answer
(a) Visitors can go into the Hall of Names (1), where the names and stories of Jews who were murdered are kept so each person is remembered (1). They can also stand in the Hall of Remembrance (1), where an eternal flame burns and prayers for the dead are said (1).
(b) Yad Vashem is Israel's national memorial to the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust (1). Jews are taught to remember, so it keeps the victims from being forgotten (1). The Hall of Names remembers each person by name (1), which shows that every life mattered (1). It is a place to mourn and say prayers for the dead (1), especially for families who have no grave to visit. It also teaches young people the history so that they can promise "never again" (1).
(c) Plan. For: Masada is a symbol of courage and the will to survive, which gives pride to Jews of every background; Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies are held there; it is linked with the Jewish struggle after the Temple was destroyed. Against: the story comes from Josephus and historians question parts of it; Judaism forbids taking one's own life, so some Jews are uneasy; Yad Vashem remembers real, recorded victims, the commandment to remember (Zachor) is central to Judaism, and "never again" matters to all Jews; the Holocaust shaped modern Jewish life; Jews who see pilgrimage as unimportant would say neither matters most. Possible conclusion: Yad Vashem is more important, because its history is certain and it teaches a lesson for the future, although Masada has real value as a symbol of courage.
Exam tip
In a "Discuss" question, include a different point of view from within Judaism (for example, secular or Progressive Jews against Orthodox) and end with your own reasoned opinion.