Memorials Day in DC

The Bar Mitzvah festivities for my Great Nephew David ended this morning as relatives and friends began to scatter across the country to their homes. I will be writing more reflectively about the synagogue service and David's "passage" through the rites that confer upon him full responsibilities as a Jew at a later date after I return to California. But this afternoon began the vacation and sightseeing part of our stay in the DC area. You might say that today was Memorials Day as we visited several of those sites that commemorate major events and people in our history. The pictures below represent the order in which we visited the sights.

The first 2 are of the World War II memorial; the first a panorama of the Pacific side of the memorial and the 2^nd focusing on the recognition of fighting in Western Europe with a further pinpointing of Alsace, an area in which my father-in-law Sy Brenner was taken prisoner.

Next, a view of the Korean War Memorial, one of the most haunting displays I have ever seen.

Then a shot from just below Abraham Lincoln.

Then we walked over to the Tidal Basin where we viewed the Jefferson Memorial from across the waters.

And finally, our last stop of the afternoon and a shot of FDR at the entrance to the massive memorial honoring his presidency.

So that was our awesome afternoon. Tomorrow will be spent along the mall and a visit to the Holocaust Museum.