Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.
The memorial in Jerusalem consists of a large complex, containing 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, a synagogue, a research institute with archives, a library, a publishing house, and an educational center named "The International School/Institute for Holocaust Studies".
After the Western Wall, Yad Vashem is the second most-visited Israeli tourist site, with approximately one million visitors per year.
"Righteous Among the Nations"
When Yad Vashem was established in 1953 by the Knesset, one of its tasks was to commemorate the "Righteous among the Nations". The Righteous were defined as non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Since 1963, a commission headed by a justice of the Supreme Court of Israel is charged with the duty of awarding the honorary title "Righteous among the Nations".
A person who is recognized as "Righteous" is awarded a medal in their name, a certificate of honor, and the privilege of having the name added to those on the Wall of Honor in the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem. The Yad Vashem Law authorizes Yad Vashem "to confer honorary citizenship upon the Righteous Among the Nations, and if they have died, the commemorative citizenship of the State of Israel, in recognition of their actions". Anyone who has been recognized as "Righteous" is entitled to apply to Yad Vashem for the certificate.
Names of claimed Holocaust victims
Yad Vashem collects names of claimed Holocaust victims. Regarding Holocaust revisionist criticisms of this list, see Holocaust demographics: Other methods and the "External links" section in this article.
