MM.
HUMPHREY, THE ILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MM.
HUMPHREY, THE ILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MUSEUM AND EDUCATION CENTER, IS USING CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY TO
PRESERVE THE TESTIMONIES OF SOME
OF THE REMAINING SURVIVORS OF
THE HOLOCAUST. YEAH THE DOORS
WERE SHUT RESTARTED. PEOPLE
STARTED CRYING. I WONDER WHERE
WE GOING? WHAT’S HAPPENING TO US
? GEORGE BRENT REMEMBERS WHAT IT
FELT LIKE TO BE A 14 YEAR OLD
BOY ON A TRAIN TO AUSCHWITZ. AND
NOW AT AGE 93. HE’S HELPING
OTHERS IMAGINE THE UNIMAGINABLE
THE FIRST OF ITS KIND, VIRTUAL
REALITY EXHIBITION. A JOURNEY
BACK GIVES PEOPLE TODAY A SMALL
SENSE OF WHAT GEORGE AND
MILLIONS OF OTHERS WENT THROUGH.
SPECIALLY THE TRAVEL ON THE
TRAIN SO REALISTIC. IT’S
PROBABLY FOR THE FIRST THREE
DAYS I SPENT IN MY LIFE INSTEAD
OF PASSIVELY READING OR WATCHING
SOMETHING ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST.
VIRTUAL REALITY IMMERSES YOU IN
IT AND LETS YOU DRIVE THE
EXPERIENCE CAN LOOK SIDE TO SIDE
UP DOWN ALL AROUND AS GEORGE IS
TELLING YOU ABOUT BEING PUSHED
FROM THE RAILCAR ONTO THE
ARRIVAL RAMP AND THEN ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT WE DO, TOO, BECAUSE
WHEN YOU LOOK TODAY WHEN WE WERE
FILMING IN THE PRESENT DAY
THERE’S GREEN GRASS AND MAYBE A
BLUE SKY, BUT WE OVERLAY
HISTORICAL PHOTOS THROUGH
VIRTUAL REALITY. THE SITES OF
THESE ATROCITIES ARE ALSO BEING
PRESERVED. WHAT STRUCK ME IS THE
CHANGE HIS PLACES GO THROUGH
OVER THE YEARS. AND WHAT I’M
AFRAID OF. THAT EVENTUALLY THEY
DISAPPEAR HAS BEEN REDEVELOPED,
AND THERE ARE HOUSES WHERE THE
CAMP USED TO BE. AND SO WITH THE
R. WE’VE DOCUMENTED IT IN THIS 3
60 AWAY WITH EACH PASSING YEAR,
THE NUMBER OF HOLOCAUST
SURVIVORS WHO ARE ABLE TO SHARE
THEIR STORIES. THE WINDOWS. IT
GIVES ME THE CHILLS EVERY TIME I
THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT
TECHNOLOGY WAS A AVAILABLE JUST
AT THIS MOMENT WHEN OUR
SURVIVORS WERE STILL ABLE TO
SHARE THESE STORIES TO DO. A
STUDENT AT THE CHICAGO MILITARY
ACADEMY. TRIED THE VIRTUAL
REALITY EXPERIENCE WHILE ON A
SCHOOL FIELD TRIP, JUST BEING IN
THE CART. UM AT THE V R PLACE, I
FELT KIND OF SCARED MYSELF BEING
CRAMPED ALONE WITH ALL THE
PEOPLE. IT WAS VERY IMMERSIVE, I
THINK WILL BE VERY USEFUL TO IT
TO TEACH OTHER KIDS ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED DURING DIVINES VISIT TO
THE ILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MUSEUM
AND EDUCATION CENTER. HE AND HIS
CLASSMATES GOT A SURPRISE. THEY
GOT TO MEET GEORGE IN REAL LIFE
, A PRIVILEGED GENERATIONS FROM
NOW WILL NOT HAVE, AND THAT’S
WHY SO MANY SURVIVORS LIKE
GEORGE ARE EAGER TO SHARE THEIR
STORIES USING NEW TECHNOLOGY.
THAT I WAS HAPPY TO DO IT
BECAUSE I SELF THERE’S SOMETHING
I LOVE TO LEAVE BEHIND. AND
PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT
WHAT I WENT THROUGH, AND OTHER
MILLIONS WENT TO DURING THE
HELLA PAST. HOLOCAUST
REMEMBRANCE. THEY HAPPENED
EARLIER THIS WEEK. BUT DISPLAYS
LIKE THIS LIVE FOREVER. SIX
MILLION JEWISH PEOPLE WERE
MURDERED BY GERMANY DURING THE
HOLOCAUST. THIS IS AROUND TWO
THIRDS OF EUROPE’S JEWISH
POPULATION AT THE TIME. THIS
HISTORY IS PART OF MY FAMILY’S
HISTORY AND YOURS WHETHER IT’S
THROUGH HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS OR
VICTIMS OR THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO
ACTUALLY FOUGHT FOR THEIR
FREEDOM, SO IN THAT WAY, IT
BELONGS TO ALL OF US. IT IS SO
AMAZING THAT MODERN TECHNOLOGY
NOW IS HERE TO PRESERVE IT. I’M
METEOROLOGIST HEADER. HUMPHREY
THAT’S TECH TIME WITH ANDREW
HUMPHREY BACK OVER TO YOU. THAT
WAS A REMARKABLE STORY. THANK
YOU, ANDREW. YEAH AND HERE AT
HOME, THE SIEGELMAN HOLOCAUST
CENTER WILL HOST ITS ANNUAL
COMMUNITY WIDE YOM HA SHOAH
COMMEMORATION TODAY. IT’S A DAY
SET ASIDE FOR JEWS TO REMEMBER
THE HOLOCAUST AND THE NAME COMES
FROM THE HEBREW WORD SHOW UP,
WHICH MEANS WHIRLWIND. THE EVENT
STARTS THIS AFTERNOON AT 2 30 IN
THE MUSEUM AND FARMINGTON HILLS.
MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WILL
SPEAK AND PRESENT, STIRRING
READINGS THROUGHOUT THE
COMMEMORATION, AND IN ADDITION,
CANDLES WILL BE LIT BY SURVIVORS