Air Force Memorial

Last week I joined a synagogue group on their journey from Tel Aviv towards Jerusalem. Instead of taking the main highway, the guide instead took the back road, winding through the hills that looked like something out of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and eventually pulled into the Air Force Memorial, as a special surprise for one of the enthusiastic youngsters who had been talking excitedly about planes throughout the entire trip.

We wound up the hill, away from the quiet road, and then got out and walked into a memorial garden. Set up like a maze, the site marked the location of an Israeli airplane crash in 1948.

The Israel expert pointed out the first memorial to the group—remains of the inside of the plane formed into a small sculpture. He shared different amazing stories of the pilots’ wars. As we wandered through the forested maze we stopped to look at the names carved on each stone - all four sides, pointing up towards the sky. The stone felt cold under my hand, as I felt the names of those who had died in war and in air accidents since the founding of the country.

When we found our way out of the maze of trees, we saw a guard tower stretching up towards the sky. The entire experience was amazing and very meaningful, and the quiet surroundings made me feel like I was suspended in air, as I looked out over the view of the Jerusalem Hills.

This memorial is very beautiful and should not be missed.

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