Why do Jews go on pilgrimage to Auschwitz?

Answer 1

If you have never visited Yad Vashem, or haven't been back since your first visit to Israel, then it's time to drive out to Mount Herzl and the edge of the Jerusalem Forest to experience the Holocaust museum that was redesigned, updated and rededicated in 2005.

The new campus of Yad Vashem, designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, is both a memorial and a learning and resource center, and it accomplishes both tasks in a masterful and evocative way. The stark main building of the History Museum cuts a painful long triangular swath through the forest. Visitors traverse the history of the Jewish communities affected by the rise of Nazism and the terror of the Holocaust (the Shoah, in Hebrew) via a series of exhibits that illustrate life before, during and after the tragic events of the mid-twentieth century.

Personal artifacts, historical documents and Survivor testimonies all bring the narrative home. Much of the exhibit is underground, illuminated by shafts of light from the skylights overhead. At the end of the museum, visitors emerge into the bright light of a Jerusalem day, with parts of the vibrant city displayed below. There are various Holocaust memorials throughout the 4,200 square meter landscape, and visitors may want to stop at those that are most personally meaningful. One of the most poignant is the Children's Memorial, hollowed out of a natural cavern in the Jerusalem bedrock. The space is designed to commemorate the 1.5 million children who perished in the Shoah. Their names are hauntingly heard as visitors traverse the space. The Valley of Communities is a collection of over 5,000 names of Jewish communities, engraved into stone walls, that existed prior to the war. For those seeking information about relatives who perished or communities that were decimated, the Hall of Names and the research center is an excellent resource. Millions of pages of testimony in many languages document the lives of those who were murdered in the Holocaust. Yad Vashem's extensive publications are available in the bookstore near the museum entrance. Children under 10 are not admitted, nor are infants in carriers or strollers. There is no entrance fee. Public transportation, including the Light Rail, runs to the top of Mt Herzl, and a frequent free shuttle van brings visitors from Mt Herzl to the museum entrance. Parking is available in the garage for 20 NIS.

Most large groups arrive in the morning. The museum is relatively empty in the later afternoon hours and on Thursday evenings. Group visits (5 or more people) must be arranged in advance. Guided tours are available for a fee. Museum tours are given via headsets, which can be picked up at the Visitor's Center. Tours are available in many different languages. Hours: Sun-Wed: 9 a.m-5 p.m Th: 9a.m-8 p.m. Fri and holiday eves: 9 a.m-2 p.m.

Answer 2

It's not a pilgrimage as pilgrimages are of a religious nature. Many Jews will visit the various camps because that is a part of our history with many younger Jews being only one generation away from the Holocaust. A large percentage of Ashkenazi Jews have family members that were killed in or survived the camps.