The Journey Back: A Holocaust Survivor VR Experience

The Morgan County Public Library’s Monrovia branch will host "The Journey Back," a virtual reality (VR) program designed to engage visitors with powerful stories of survival, memory, and resilience.  From February 10^th through the 21^st, this immersive experience will virtually transport participants into the world of historical events and personal narratives from the Holocaust, offering an innovative and educational perspective on history like never before.

With VR technology, visitors don’t just hear stories – they step into them. The 360-degree experience features virtual reality headsets that cover your eyes, immersing you in a 3D environment that feels incredibly real. You can explore, move, and occasionally interact with the virtual world. Many people find it exciting because they get to be part of the action, rather than being limited by camera angles.

Most people will never have the opportunity to travel to visit Holocaust sites. "The Journey Back" virtually transports participants to key places, like concentration camps, ghettos, and escape routes. As part of the experience, you’ll meet Holocaust survivors and learn their personal stories. Overall, the experience combines storytelling, history, and cutting-edge technology to give you a deeper understanding of the Holocaust, its survivors, and their legacy. 

Featured Survivor Films:

• A Promise Kept – Follow Fritzie Fritzshall, as she returns to her hometown and the notorious Auschwitz killing center, sharing her promise made to the 599 women who helped save her life. – 15 minutes
• Don’t Forget Me – Journey back to Auschwitz, Mauthausen and Ebensee concentration camps with Survivor George Brent, revealing one son’s will to survive the face of Nazi tyranny. – 13 minutes
• Walk to Westerbork – Accompany Rodi Glass as she revisits her hometown of Amsterdam and sites of her imprisonment at Westerbork transit camp and Vittel internment camp. – 19 minutes
• Letters from Drancy – Accompany Marion Deichmann as she recounts her daring childhood journey across the borders of Northern Europe with her mother Alice, her escape from the Nazis with the help of the French Resistance in Paris, and her survival of D-Day in Normandy. – 22 minutes
• Escape to Shanghai – Follow Doris Fogel’s epic journey from Germany to Shanghai, China – one of the only places whose doors were open to European Jews during the Holocaust. – 16 minutes

The Journey Bac, A VR Experience was created by Illinois Holocaust Museum Education Center in collaboration with East City Films and made possible through the generous support of Diane C. Hunter. 

This one-of-a-kind program is on loan from the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. Due to the program's content, it is recommended for middle school-aged children and adults. Children under 12 must have a parent present to participate.

Community members are welcome to explore the program at no charge during regular library hours. This program will be available through Saturday, February 21^st.

The Monrovia Branch Library is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00a.m. to 8:30p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 9:00a.m. to 5:30p.m.  The library is located at 145 S. Chestnut Street, in the Monrovia High School parking lot.  The library can be reached by phone at 463-300-4085.