Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation supports Testimony 360 to “immortalise” Holocaust survivors

Cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) technology has been created to ‘immortalise’ real Holocaust survivors and allow school pupils to have conversations with them – even beyond their lifetimes.

Currently, Holocaust survivors share their experiences with thousands of students across the UK every year. But as survivors become older, fewer and frailer, we are rapidly approaching a time when this will not be possible, and where the Holocaust is no longer in living memory. To address this significant issue, the Eyal and Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation approached the Holocaust Educational Trust to create a digital project that would use cutting edge technology to capture survivors’ testimony in a format that allows for life-like conversations with pupils, sharing their experiences of life before, during and after the Holocaust for generations to come. The technology “immortalises” real Holocaust survivors and their stories in the form of ‘interactive survivor testimonies’ – which has been likened to a ‘talking portrait’ and can answer up to 1,000 questions which a student may pose.

Artificial intelligence matches the pupil’s question to the survivor’s actual, recorded answer, with technology ensuring it feels like a smooth and natural conversation.

After ’speaking’ with the survivor, students then use virtual reality headsets to explore key sites related to the survivor’s story, such as where the survivor lived before the war, the places where they were deported, and the concentration camps or ghetto where they were detained – all without leaving their classrooms.

This technology formed the new Testimony 360: People and Places of the Holocaust programme, which is core to the work of the UK-based charity Holocaust Educational Trust. The Holocaust Educational Trust works to ensure that people from every background are educated about the Holocaust and the important lessons to be learned for today. This project was designed to support the national curriculum and help Year 9-13 pupils aged 13 to 18 understand the Holocaust. The Trust offers a range of programmes for students and teachers – find out more at www.het.org.uk

Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust said:

“We are very grateful to the Eyal and Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation for their generous support for Testimony 360: People and places of the Holocaust. From inception to roll-out, the Foundation has been an integral source of advice, support and guidance as we developed this remarkable programme. It is a pleasure to work in partnership with the Foundation on a cause that is very close to their hearts.

Thanks to this groundbreaking initiative, young people in every corner of the country will have the chance to hear directly from a Holocaust survivor, even once the Holocaust is no longer in living memory. With antisemitism at record levels, it is more vital than ever that we create opportunities for the next generation to understand this most challenging episode in our shared history.”

The move is set to revolutionise access to survivor testimony – and wider education – for generations to come. The programme, the first of its kind to be seen in the UK, is being rolled out across British schools.

Testimony 360 is sponsored by The Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation in partnership with the Holocaust Educational Trust and the USC Shoah Foundation.

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