Yad Vashem (Hebrew: יָד וַשֵׁם “a memorial and a name”) is Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered and honoring Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors and Gentiles who selflessly or at their own life risk aided Jews in need. It is also dedicated to research regarding the phenomenon of the Holocaust in particular and genocide in general.
The Yad Vashem was established in 1953, it is located on the western slope of Mount Herzl, also known as the Mount of Remembrance, 804 meters (2,638 ft) above sea level and adjacent to the Jerusalem Forest. As it is written in the novel The Wallenberg Dossier “A street called Avenue of the Righteous runs through the area. Some six hundred trees line the street in straight rows, and they were all planted to honor the memory of non-Jewish individuals who risked their lives to save Jewish children, women and men from the Nazi executioners. One of these trees bears the name of Raoul Wallenberg. A steady breeze blows through the leaves.”
The memorial hosts facilities dedicated to the scientific study of the Holocaust and genocide in general, and memorials and museums. There is a research institute with archives, a library, a publishing house, an educational center, the International School for Holocaust Studies, the Holocaust History Museum, memorial sites such as the Children’s Memorial and the Hall of Remembrance, the Museum of Holocaust Art, sculptures, outdoor commemorative sites such as the Valley of the Communities, and a synagogue.
The Yad Vashem recognizes non-Jews who, at personal risk and acting without ulterior motives, chose to save Jews from the ongoing genocide during the Holocaust. Those recognized by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations are honored in a section of Yad Vashem known as the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations.
“Established in 1953 by an act of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, is entrusted with the task of commemorating, documenting, researching and educating about the Holocaust: remembering the six million Jews murdered by the German Nazis and their collaborators, the destroyed Jewish communities, and the ghetto and resistance fighters; and honoring the Righteous Among the Nations who risked their lives to rescue Jews during the Holocaust. Yad Vashem encompasses 45 acres on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem and is comprised of various museums, research and education centers, monuments and memorials. Among these are the Museum Complex, the Hall of Remembrance, the Valley of the Communities and the Children’s Memorial.
Each year some one million people visited Yad Vashem, and millions more visit its website, which is now available in eight languages.
With increasing interest being displayed worldwide in the events of the Holocaust as well as its Jewish and universal significance, and dramatic changes in the basic tools for commemoration, Yad Vashem continually strives to meaningfully impart the memory and meanings of the Holocaust to future generations. In order to meet the challenges facing Holocaust remembrance more than a half a century after the end of World War II, Yad Vashem has created an environment of multidimensional learning and commemoration comprised of four basic components: Documentation, Research, Education, Remembrance” Source: https://www.yadvashem.org