The Yad LaShiryon (Armored Corps Memorial) is Israel’s official memorial site for fallen soldiers from the armored corps, as well as one of the world’s most versatile tank museums with over 160 armored combat vehicles on display, the Armor Brigades Park for family recreation, the Museum of the Jewish Soldier during the Second World War, and altering exhibitions.
Located on the grounds of the historic mandatorial British Latrun police station, the site was built at the heart of the Ayalon Valley (about half an hour west of Jerusalem or east of Tel Aviv), in an area that holds within it the heroic heritage of the Jewish people in this land. It was here that biblical leader Joshua defeated the five Amorite kings. It was at nearby Emmaus that Judas Maccabeus (Hannukah-age leadership) defeated the army of Gorgias around a thousand years later.
In modern times, the location kept its geograpic and strategic improtance, when during Israel’s War of Independence the area saw difficult battles in an attempt to break through to besieged Jerusalem, and similarly during the Six Day War in 1967 when the area was conquered by the Israeli forces from the Jordanians.
The cornerstone for the memorial and museum was laid in 1982. Within the main building, visitors encounter a library housing a computerized record of every fallen Israeli tank soldier, alongside a synagogue. The fortress walls themselves bear scars that are evident of its wartime past. Renowned Israeli artist Danny Karavan transformed the fortress tower into the Tower of Tears, featuring steel from a tank and cascading water, symbolizing sorrow and resilience.
The museum boasts additional facilities, including a synagogue, a large amphitheater and an auditorium. Its interior exhibits a diverse collection of photos, poetry, paintings, and cartoons for children. Regular screenings showcase historical footage and tributes to Israeli soldiers. Outside, the Wall of Names commemorates soldiers from the Armored Corps who perished in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and subsequent conflicts, ensuring that their names and memory are kept and cherished.
