ON THE 85TH ANNIVERSARY OF KRISTALLNACHT CLAIMS CONFERENCE, THE USC SHOAH FOUNDATION, META, UNESCO AND WORLD JEWISH CONGRESS ANNOUNCE FIRST-EVER IMMERSIVE VR PROJECT BRINGING VIEWERS INTO A MILESTONE EVENT OF THE HOLOCAUST

The Virtual Reality Project Features Holocaust Survivor Dr. Charlotte Knobloch Sharing Memories In An Immersive Backdrop Of Historical Footage And Illustrations Giving Users A Deep Understanding Of What Transpired Before, During And After Kristallnacht – The "Night Of Broken Glass."

NEW YORK, Nov. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims (Claims Conference) announced the development of a new virtual reality experience that will tell the story of Kristallnacht through the lens of Holocaust survivor, Dr. Charlotte Knobloch. This immersive experience from the Claims Conference about the pogroms, announced today on the 85^th anniversary of Kristallnacht – the "night of broken glass" – is being produced in partnership with the USC Shoah Foundation, Meta, UNESCO and World Jewish Congress (WJC). The mixed reality project will feature Knobloch as she shares her memories of the moments before, during and after this pivotal event in history when 30,000 Jews were rounded up and sent to concentration camps; the first mass arrest of Jews based solely on their religion. 

Gideon Taylor, President of the Claims Conference said, "Kristallnacht was a critical moment in which antisemitic Nazi propaganda and antisemitism turned from words of hate into physical violence against Jews. This Kristallnacht VR project combines cutting-edge technology with much-needed Holocaust education. This important collaboration provides a new lens to Holocaust education by providing an immersive experience that will help users, including future generations, understand the Holocaust from inside the historical moments in a way that has never been possible."

In partnership with UNESCO, Meta (parent company to Facebook), and World Jewish Congress (WJC) the Claims Conference commissioned the USC Shoah Foundation and XR company, makemepulse, to create this first-of-its-kind virtual reality experience of a pivotal date in history through the development of a mixed reality platform. A teaser video of the Kristallnacht VR project has been released (www.claimscon.org/brokenglass). In the video, Knobloch walks the viewer through the streets of her childhood neighborhood in Munich, Germany just like she did with her father on November 9, 1938. Born in 1932, she remembers these pogroms against the Jews, the moment when hatred climaxed and became acts of violence, when average citizens turned on their long-time neighbors, roaming the streets in mobs, breaking the glass of Jewish homes and shops. 

Dr. Charlotte Knobloch, Holocaust survivor and featured storyteller, said, "It is imperative at this moment in history that we do everything in our power to elevate Holocaust education and to get it into the hands and minds of future generations. Antisemitism is on the rise throughout the world – it exists today as it always has. If we do not continue to keep the memory of the past alive and push the lessons of the Holocaust, they will soon be forgotten, and we will be doomed to repeat our history. As those of us who survived pass on, these tools, this technology will continue to be our voice and our testimony."

The completed project will include real-life footage and photos of Kristallnacht combined with Knobloch sharing the moments her family experienced before, during and after Kristallnacht in an immersive, interactive and virtual setting, allowing the user to experience Knobloch's memories. Users will be able to engage in a Q&A, asking questions about Kristallnacht, Knobloch's family and the Holocaust in general. The full immersive VR experience and accompanying education materials will be released in 2024.

Greg Schneider, Executive Vice President of the Claims Conference, said, "The time is fast approaching when we will soon lose first-hand testimonies like Charlotte's as this generation of Holocaust survivors continues to wane. It is critical that we find new and innovative ways to capture and share their experiences so that future generations can hear and understand the critical lesson of the Holocaust. Survivors often ask me, who will remember what happened to us all when we are gone. With these new virtual reality capabilities, future generations will be able to access these testimonies and experience the lessons of the Holocaust in ways that we couldn't even imagine until now."

Dr. Robert J. Williams, Finci-Viterbi Executive Director of USC Shoah Foundation, UNESCO Chair on Genocide Education, Advisor to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, said, "Partnership and adherence to the historical record will guarantee a future for Holocaust memory, and the USC Shoah Foundation is honored to partner with the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany (or Claims Conference) on this leading-edge immersive project. Technological innovation and cooperation are essential to preserve authentic Holocaust experiences and voices and to honor the wishes of survivors for future generations."

Jordana Cutler, Public Policy Director, Israel & the Jewish Diaspora at Meta, said, "In a world where the memory of Kristallnacht's horrors are threatened to fade with time, technology stands as our steadfast ally to preserve the voices of Holocaust survivors. As we mark the 85th anniversary of the gruesome events of November 9th, 1938, we congratulate Claims Conference on realizing the Kristallnacht VR project. Meta believes in XR-technology as a vital tool for education and in this context, as an enabler for future generations to bear witness to the past and take on responsibility to prevent such darkness in the present."

UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education Stefania Giannini, stated, "The November pogroms revealed the true nature of Nazi policy against Jews. For many, it marked the beginning of the end. Voices like Charlotte Knobloch's remind us of our duty to remember, learn and educate about the Holocaust so that it will never be forgotten. UNESCO supports this important initiative and innovative use of technology to preserve and elevate the voices of survivors that should always be part of our collective memory."

Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, said, "The haunting legacy of Kristallnacht serves as a stark reminder of the profound implications it had for the Jewish people, leading to the darkest chapters of the Holocaust. Given the recent tragic events of Hamas' October 7th terror attack, which claimed the lives of over 1,400 Jews, this project is more crucial now than ever. By immersing individuals in Charlotte Knobloch's experiences, we emphasize the importance of remembering our past and using it as a reference point to combat hate and ensure such horrors are never repeated."

About the Claims Conference: The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference), a nonprofit organization with offices in New York, Israel, Germany and Austria, secures material compensation for Holocaust survivors around the world. Founded in 1951 by representatives of 23 major international Jewish organizations, the Claims Conference negotiates for and disburses funds to individuals and organizations and seeks the return of Jewish property stolen during the Holocaust. As a result of negotiations with the Claims Conference since 1952, the German government has paid more than $90 billion in indemnification to individuals for suffering and losses resulting from persecution by the Nazis. In 2023, the Claims Conference will distribute approximately $562 million in compensation to over 200,000 survivors in 83 countries and allocate over $750 million in grants to over 300 social service agencies worldwide that provide vital services for Holocaust survivors, such as home care, food and medicine.

For more information, please visit: www.claimscon.org

SOURCE Claims Conference