Yad Vashem
/ˌjɑːd væˈʃɛm/noun
Israel’s official Holocaust remembrance center and memorial in Jerusalem.
Did you know?The name comes from Isaiah 56:5, where “a hand and a name” symbolizes an enduring memorial for people whose descendants or family lines were lost.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew, 6th–5th century BCE
Hebrew
יַד וָשֵׁם (yad va-shem)
“A hand and a name; an enduring memorial”
6th–5th century BCE
Hebrew
יָד (yad)
“Hand; by extension, a monument or memorial”
6th–5th century BCE
Hebrew
שֵׁם (shem)
“Name, reputation, or enduring identity”
1953
Modern Hebrew
יד ושם (Yad Vashem)
“The official Holocaust remembrance authority established by the State of Israel”
Modern English
English
Yad Vashem
“A Holocaust memorial, museum, archive, and research institution in Jerusalem”