Forward Thinking to Remember the Past
Learning about key events and figures in history often involves textbooks and Google searches, but technological development is making it possible to lift these stories off the page and bring them to life in some capacity.
There is nothing quite like hearing a story firsthand, but the reality is that this is not always possible. As the presence of Holocaust survivors diminishes, the documentation and preservation of this period of time is becoming increasingly relevant and urgent. “New Dimensions in Testimony” at the USC Shoah Foundation aims to provide a primary source of education to students, where they can interact with people who have experienced and witnessed genocide.
As someone who has had the privilege of hearing from Holocaust survivors, it is difficult for me to compare the impact of a face-to-face conversation with a virtual one. There are limitations to pre-determined questions and pre-recorded responses, but this might be the best alternative to solicit a sense of empathy and understanding of the impact of hate and persecution.
If people manage to deny the Holocaust even in the presence of those who have experienced it, their claims will only become harder to fight once there are no survivors left. The virtual manifestation of the remaining survivors provides the opportunity for current and future generations to access unedited testimony and contemplate the impact of these events on an individual and global scale.
By utilizing technology that exists now and anticipating trends of the future, stories become timeless and history is no longer defined as something of the past.
