Within the Yad Vashem complex, the Children's Memorial is a separate underground chamber dedicated to the approximately 1.5 million Jewish children killed in the Holocaust. The architect Moshe Safdie converted a natural cave; inside, five candles are reflected in hundreds of mirrors to create the impression of millions of small flames hanging in complete darkness, while the names and ages of known child victims are read aloud in a continuous audio loop. The experience is brief but total.
This is not a place where photographs do justice to the reality. Enter in silence, follow the rail that guides you through the dark chamber, and emerge into daylight. The contrast — darkness to sunlight, names of the dead to the living world — is part of the design. The Yad Vashem complex also includes a vast outdoor sculpture garden, the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations (with trees planted for non-Jews who sheltered Jews at risk to their own lives), and a comprehensive archive available to researchers.