Yom Hashoah Commemoration: The Future of Holocaust Education

The Future of Our Past: Preserving History Through Innovation

As we transition into an era without living Holocaust survivors, the urgency to preserve their voices has never been greater. The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center (IHMEC) is meeting this challenge by pioneering world-class, immersive technologies that ensure these stories are never lost to time.

Join Kelley Szany, Senior Vice President of Education & Exhibitions, as she explores how IHMEC is transforming history from a passive lesson into a personal encounter, connecting thousands around the world. Highlights include:

• Interactive Survivor Testimony: High-definition interviews powered by voice-recognition technology, allowing audiences to ask questions and receive real-time responses from survivors. These are not passive recordings—they are deeply personal, one-on-one conversations that reveal what survivors saw, how they endured, and their lessons for us today.
• Cinematic Virtual Reality: Five award-winning, 360-degree virtual reality films that allow visitors to walk alongside survivors through their hometowns, concentration camps, and sites of hiding.

At a moment when antisemitism and hatred are resurgent, these digital experiences are more than historical records—they are a powerful defense against ignorance and indifference. By merging the transformative power of storytelling with revolutionary technology, IHMEC is building a vital bridge from the past to the present.

Featuring survivor Osi Sladek, Cherie Karo Schwartz, and the Colorado Hebrew Chorale.

Register HERE. There is no cost to attend the program.