Diaspora Yeshiva Toras Yisrael | Mount Zion, Jerusalem
A Place to Remember and to Elevate
Chairman of the Chamber of the Holocaust, Rabbi Yitzchak Goldstein, introduces the Chamber, its history and its significance.
The Original Holocaust Memorial
Established in 1949 by Holocaust survivors in association with Rabbi Dr. Samuel Zangvil Kahane, Director-General of the Ministry of Religion of the new State of Israel, the primary function of the Chamber of the Holocaust has always been as a Holocaust memorial.
Located on Mount Zion, Jerusalem just 20 meters east of the Tomb of King David, the Chamber features a large, central memorial and other urns containing ashes from the victims of 22 Nazi extermination camps, along with memorial plaques for more than 1,000 Jewish communities destroyed during the Holocaust, generally sponsored by survivors from the communities themselves. From its inception and to the present day, the Chamber has been the primary place for Holocaust survivors to assemble with their families on the anniversary of the destruction of their communities, to remember and reflect, to light candles, and to say kaddish and elevate the souls of those who were murdered by the Nazis and denied proper burial.
The Chamber also features ten exhibition rooms with a variety of artifacts, and is visited by many groups, young and old, from Israel and from the nations — all are welcome — currently by appointment only.
Located below the Diaspora Yeshiva, all of the Torah learning and prayers conducted in the Yeshiva are dedicated to the memory and merit of those who perished.
“Entering the Chamber of the Holocaust on Mt. Zion, one immediately senses an identity with the recent past of the Jewish people, a history at once awesome and tragic. Tablets of over 1,000 communities, now bereft of Jews, look down beseechingly upon you. They cry out to be remembered, asking your involvement, calling for your connection to your people’s past. The tablets are like eyes, awaiting your reaction. They urge you to open your heart to memory, to explore your roots and find your ancestral community. . . . Walk among the tablets, some of which represent over 16,000 bereaved families, read their story, say a prayer of Kaddish and above all, find your connection to the living body of the Jewish people today.”
– Author Unknown
Events & Media Coverage
Prime Minister Netanyahu and Wife Sarah Visit the Chamber
16 Oct 2017
Kan Media Coverage with Chamber Chairman Rabbi Yitzchak Goldstein
29 Jan 2017
Please Schedule Your Visit
Due to funding shortages affecting staffing, the Chamber of the Holocaust is currently admitting visitors by appointment only. While we are happy to welcome you, we ask that you kindly schedule in advance by contacting us.
With Gratitude for Generous Supporters
Elly Merenstein, who moved to Israel from New York and started Camp Emes, a Torah-based summer camp in Israel for teenage boys, made a generous donation that paid for much needed renovations, repairs, and cataloging and display of Chamber contents.
“I discovered a place that had a personality, authenticity and spirituality that simply could not be had anywhere else, and that is the Chamber of the Holocaust.”
– Elly Merenstein
Support a Worthy Cause
Unlike Yad Vashem, the Chamber of the Holocaust does not receive government funding and is in need of your support.