Chamber of the Holocaust, Jerusalem

Among the lesser-known sites on Mount Zion, this small memorial once acted as Israel's first Holocaust museum. Established in 1949, shortly after the end of World War II, it predates the larger Yad Vashem museum by several years. Housed in a six-room cellar adjacent to the tomb believed by some to be that of King David, it was founded by early settlers who were themselves Holocaust survivors, determined to ensure that the memory of their past experiences would be preserved.

Once you've made your way to the small desk at the entrance, a minimal fee permits you to wander through the several small rooms and a courtyard. There are seldom many other visitors and one is thus left alone for quiet contemplation. With a bit of signage and a dramatic display of artifacts (mostly of Jewish religious context), one gets a sense of the somber mood that was being aimed for. Sometimes referred to as "a cemetery without bodies", this place has headstones without graves, monuments without remains and tombstones for family members who had no real tomb to visit. In this very tangible and affecting way, the full scope of the Holocaust is brought home.

Exiting into the daylight once again reminds of the contrast between present-day Israel and the dark chapters of the past.