Obj. ID: 42725  B'nai Brith Cave (Martyrs' Cave) in the Forest of the Martyrs, Israel, 1959

Name

B'nai B'rith Cave (Martyrs' Cave) - מערת בני ברית (מערת יער הקדושים)

Who is Commemorated?

Jewish victims of the Holocaust

Description

The Martyrs' Cave is a natural cave that developed as a place of reflection and communion with the memory of Holocaust victims by B'nai B'rith. The main entrance to the cave has doors of metal bars, behind which a marble plaque framed by Jerusalem stones describes the purpose of the memorial and indicates its opening by the International Convention of B'nai B'rith in Israel in 1959. Deeper in the cave, there are three stone shelves intended for candles. The first one has a metal box with two doors and inscription משמרת [post, position] above it; lists of Holocaust victims were kept there (Bar 2011, p. 130); now (2021) the box is empty. The second one also has a metal box with broken doors and the third one has only two stone shelves. The back opening of the cave is closed with metal bars.

In front of the cave there is a plaza that was paved with stone by the Jewish National Fund. Wide stairs lead from the plaza to the cave. As evidenced by an undated photograph by David Benvenishti, the original plaza looked differently. It was probably renovated c. 2000. 

Inscriptions

A marble plaque placed high on the rock not far from the entrance to the cave bears two logos of the Jewish National Fund in Hebrew and English. The inscription on the plaque reads, also in Hebrew and English:

בסלע זה יחצב
מקום להתיחדות עם
'קודשי "בני ברית"

Out of the rock
will be hewn a shrine in memory of
B'nai B'rith martyrs
1955   תשט"ו

A large marble plaque at the entrance to the cave bears the logo of the Jewish National Fund in Hebrew and contains an inscription in Hebrew and English:

מערת ההתייחדות
עם זכר ששת המיליונים של
אחינו בני ישראל וקהילותיהם
קרבנות הנאצים
בשנות
תרצ"ג - תש"ה
חנכוה אחי בני ברית
בועידתם העולמית
במדינת ישראל
כ"א אייר תשי"ט

פיליפ מ. קלוצניק    משה ביסגייר
נשיא               סגן נשיא
משה אלכסנדר
יו"ר הועדה למען ישראל
אפרים מונוסון
יו"ר הוועדה למען יער הקדושים
ישראל פארים כ"ץ
מנהל הוועדה למען ישראל

This shrine
for meditation and remembrance
is dedicated to the memory of
our six million brothers and sisters
who perished in the Nazi Holocaust
in the years
1933 - 1945
Consecrated by B'nai B'rith
on the occasion
of their International Convention
in the State of Israel
29 May 1959

Philip M. Klutznick  Maurice Bisgyer
              President          Exec. Vice President
Morris Alexander
Chairman Committee for Israel
Fred Monosson
Chairman Martyrs' Forest Committee
Philip E. Katz
Director Committee for Israel

 At the plaza in front of the cave, two marble plaques read in Hebrew and English:

מערת
יער הקדושים
לזכר חללי השואה
הוקדשה ע"י
"בני ברית"
תשי"ט

Martyrs' Forest
Memorial Shrine
Dedicated to the
Jewish victims of
the Nazi Holocaust
by
B'nai Brith
1959

Commissioned by

B'nai Brith