Chamber of the Holocaust facts for kids

The entrance to the Chamber of the Holocaust museum.

The Chamber of the Holocaust (in Hebrew: Martef HaShoa) is a museum in Jerusalem that honors the memory of the victims of The Holocaust. Located on Mount Zion, it was the very first Holocaust museum to be established in Israel.

History of the Museum

A view of the museum on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.

The Chamber of the Holocaust officially opened on December 30, 1949. It was created by Israel's Ministry of Religion. That same year, ashes from victims of the Oranienburg concentration camp were buried at the site. Damaged Torah scrolls that were saved from Europe after the war were also brought here.

Why Was It Built on Mount Zion?

The location on Mount Zion is very meaningful. It is close to David's Tomb, a holy site in Judaism. This spot was chosen to connect the memory of the Holocaust with the long and ancient history of the Jewish people. It stands in contrast to Yad Vashem, Israel's official Holocaust memorial, which was built on a new hill to symbolize a new beginning.

The museum itself is designed to feel like a series of dark, quiet caves lit by candles. This creates a serious and thoughtful atmosphere. It helps visitors reflect on the difficult history of the Jewish people and the tragedy of the Holocaust.

What's Inside the Museum

The museum has a large courtyard and ten rooms filled with exhibits. The walls in the courtyard and many rooms are covered with special plaques that look like tombstones. These plaques honor more than 2,000 Jewish communities that were destroyed during the Holocaust. Survivors of these communities often visit to hold memorial services.

Below is an example of one of these memorial plaques.

A memorial plaque for the Jewish community of Przedecz.

In eternal memory

In memory of the souls of our dear friends, the martyrs of our city
Przedecz (Pshaytsh)
(Włocławek district)
who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, may their names be obliterated
in Chełmno on the 7th day of Iyar, [5]742 [Anno Mundi], 24 April 1942
and in the other places of extermination, may God avenge their blood
The memorial day was established as the 7th day of Iyar
May their lives be bound in the bundle of the living
Their holy memory immortalized by the survivors of our city

in Israel and in the Diaspora.

Exhibits and Artifacts

The courtyard outside the museum.

The museum's exhibits show many important religious items. These include a Torah scroll from Poland and a prayer book that was handwritten in the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Other displays show how sacred objects were disrespected during the Holocaust. You can see items like purses and wallets that were made from the holy parchments of Torah scrolls. There is also a coat worn by a Nazi officer that was made from these same parchments.

Visitors can also see a prisoner's uniform from the Auschwitz concentration camp and urns with ashes from people who died in 36 different Nazi camps. The museum also has an exhibit about modern-day hatred and prejudice.