The memorial was built in 1966 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Funds to erect the memorial were raised by Jewish communities in the United States. The Yad Kennedy memorial was designed by Israeli architect David Resnick. Incidentally, the word "yad" is Hebrew for the word "hand".
The Yad Kennedy memorial, is located just outside of Jerusalem, on a mountain-top in the Aminadav Forest. The memorial is supposed to symbolize a tree "cut down in it's prime". Standing 60 feet tall, the 51 columns represent the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Each column bears a seal for it's state. At the center of the "tree trunk" is a bust of President Kennedy and an "eternal flame", indicating that despite his death, the spirit of this American leader lives on.
I believe this memorial attests to the American-Israeli friendship that has endured since the creation of the Jewish State in 1948. No other country has been a better friend and ally to Israel than the United States of America.
