Yad Kennedy | |
Yad Kennedy (John F. Kennedy Memorial) | |
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31°44′56.69″N 35°8′4.98″E / 31.7490806°N 35.1347167°E | |
Location | Mateh Yehuda Region near Jerusalem |
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Designer | Architect David Resnick with sculptor Dov Feigin |
Material | Concrete and glass |
Height | 60 ft (18 m) |
Beginning date | 1965 |
Completion date | 1966 |
Opening date | 4 July 1966 |
Dedicated to | John F. Kennedy |
Internal area includes bust of Kennedy, eternal light, memorial wall inscribed with excerpts of Kennedy's speeches, and library of photographs and documents related to US-Israel relations until time of Kennedy's death |
Yad Kennedy (Hebrew: יד קנדי, Kennedy Memorial), located in the Mateh Yehuda Region near Jerusalem, is a memorial to John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, who was assassinated in Dallas, Texas in 1963. The 60-foot high (18 m) memorial is shaped like the stump of a felled tree, symbolizing a life cut short.[1] Inside is a bronze relief of Kennedy, with an eternal flame burning in the center.[1][2] It is encircled by 51 concrete columns, one for each of the 50 states in the United States plus one for Washington, D.C., the United States capital.[3] The emblems of the states (and of the District of Columbia) are displayed on each of the columns,[3] and the columns are separated by slim panels of glass.[4] The monument measures approximately 250 feet (76 m) in circumference around its base,[4] and there is space within the memorial for approximately 100 visitors at a time.[3] The monument was built in 1966 with funds donated by American Jewish communities.[1]
Yad Kennedy and its adjoining picnic grounds are part of the John F. Kennedy Peace Forest.[5]