A place I had to visit while in Jerusalem was Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial.

We were fortunate that we were able to schedule our visit for a Friday as this is the day when there is an English Tour Guide.

Nothing I can write describes what this memorial commemorates.

I have set out below five moments where I was almost moved to tears on our visit:

• The first, a story about a lady who visited some years ago who saw a photo of herself with a young man. Her recollection of the man was that there relationship was purely plutonic, however when she realised that the photo was one he carried to his death she wept, realising that perhaps his feelings for her were stronger.
• The second, the story of a simple man who dug a cellar to hide two Jews for more than a year. Apparently he was regularly challenged as to where he had hidden the Jews but he said nothing. A demonstration of courage and compassion. He is one of the thousands of people referred to as the Righteous, those who risked much to save Jews.
• The third, walking into the Hall of Names where the names of millions of those who died in the Holocaust are recorded. There are blank shelves for those who died but remain un-named.
• The fourth, the story of a family who sought to bribe a guard to provide them with milk and bread by offering him money that he had left with a family in his home town. It transpires that the guard never got the money, yet the milk and bread kept turning up. A truly selfless and courageous act by the guard.
• The fifth, the story of a married couple and the woman’s fear and loathing at the thought of having a baby and hearing its screams because they would be a reminder of what she had heard at Auschwitz. She went on to have four children.

Our tour took just over 2 hours. It flew by. This is a place to visit and reflect on what happened and to remind us to be vigilant to ensure it never happens again