Press Release: Illinois Holocaust Museum’s New Mobile VR Trunks Bring Holocaust Survivor Experiences to the Classroom

Skokie, IL – Educators are now able to bring the stories of Holocaust Survivors Fritzie Fritzshall and George Brent to their classrooms through Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center’s new Mobile Virtual Reality Trunks. Rolled out in partnership with VRAR Chicago and featuring the Museum’s award-winning virtual reality films, these teaching trunks are a global game-changer, revolutionizing the field of Holocaust memory through innovative technology and storytelling.

“We’re proud to be the first Holocaust museum in the country to bring this kind of groundbreaking technology into schools, libraries, and other organizations,” says Kelley Szany, Senior VP of Education and Exhibitions. “Through virtual reality, we have been able to merge technology and historical storytelling in a way that allows people to connect with our Survivors for generations to come. To be able to take these stories outside of the Museum walls is an important step forward.”

“VRAR Chicago is honored to be partnering with Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center on this groundbreaking program,” says Matthew Wren, VRAR Chicago Founder. “Virtual reality is an extremely powerful storytelling and communication medium, and we are excited to help share these immersive survivor stories beyond the walls of the museum, with students and learning institutions around the country.”

Through Fritzie Fritzshall’s film, A Promise Kept, and George Brent’s film, Don’t Forget Me, students will take part in an immersive educational experience by ‘walking’ with Survivors as they revisit their childhoods and stories of survival.

• A Promise Kept: Journey to the notorious Auschwitz killing center and hear from Fritzie as she fulfills her promise to the 599 women who helped save her life.
• Don’t Forget Me: Bear witness to George’s will to survive in the face of Nazi tyranny as he guides viewers through Auschwitz, Mauthausen, and Ebensee concentration camps.

Each of the Mobile Virtual Reality Trunks features everything educators will need including Meta Quest headsets, hand controllers, power chargers, and a teaching guide. The trunks are available for 7th – 12th grade and college/university classrooms, libraries, and organizations across Illinois. Information on booking the trunk, rates, and scholarships can be found here.

Sponsors
The Harvey L. Miller Supporting Foundation
The Diana C. Hunter Trust (Library Services)
D & R Legacy Fund
Allan and Loretta Kaplan
Carol Lavin Bernick Family Foundation
Harry & Sadie Lasky Foundation
Max and Sunny Howard Memorial Foundation
Robert & Toni Bader Charitable Foundation
David P. Brody Charitable Trust

About VRAR Chicago, Inc.
VRAR Chicago supports individuals, organizations, and institutions that are working to integrate virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and spatial computing (XR) technologies into their products and services. We provide consulting, business development, technology implementation, and event production and management services. Find us at https://VRARChicago.com

About Illinois Holocaust Museum
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center honors the Survivors and victims of the Holocaust and transforms history into current, relevant, and universal lessons in humanity. Through world-class exhibitions and programs, the Museum inspires individuals and organizations to remember the past and transform the future. The Museum is open Wednesday through Monday from 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.ilholocaustmuseum.org or call 847-967-4800.