Israel Museum, Yad Vashem, and Bethlehem

We started the day with a visit to the Israel Museum.  The first stop was almost like being in Legoland.  We say a scaled model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period.  The model is not only to scale but is also topographically accurate and built from the same material as the actual city.  The model is about 1/3 of an acre. 

The Shrine of the Book was also at the museum and contained a replica of a scroll of the book of Isaiah.  The construction of the shrine reflect the life of the scribes.  The exhibit area is shaped like a jar in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  Water fountains along the top of the exhibit represent the cleansing rituals.

We visited Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust.  The children's memorial was a reminder of how pervasive the persecussion was.  The main part of the museum was built in a triangle to symbolize the Jews wandering without a home.  Inside, there was a great deal of information about the events leading up to and during WWII.  The section on people that helped protect Jews was very interesting.  At the end of the museum, you exit with a view of Israel as a picture of hope. 

We then headed south about six miles to Bethlehem.  The Basilica of the Nativity is placed over the location of Jesus' birth.  Scholars are more than 90% confident that this is the location.  Interestingly, however, it is counter to our tradition of Jesus being born in a wooden manger.  Instead, He was born in a small cave that is located underneath the church.