Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) | Photo Courtesy of Elgie Sims
Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) | Photo Courtesy of Elgie Sims
State Sen. Elgie Sims Jr. (D-Chicago) recently observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau,” Sims recently posted on Facebook. “Today, we pause to remember and commemorate the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and other victims of Nazi persecution.”
Every year on Jan. 27, the United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) “pays tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holcaust and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to counter anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of intolerance that may lead to group-targeted violence.”
The date highlights the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Soviet troops in 1945.
Eight decades since the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum reports “violent anti-Semitism remains a threat, as evidenced by a recent hostage standoff at Congregation Beth Israel in Texas that ended in the death of the gunmen.
The Richard & Jill Chaifetz Family Virtual Reality Gallery is currently hosting The Journey Back exhibition, a first-in-the-world virtual reality exhibition that applies cutting-edge technology to “engage visitors on a journey as they walk through concentration camps with Holocaust Survivors who experienced them.”
The exhibit also allows the participant to control their own 360-degree experience as they walk with survivors Fritzie Fritzshall and George Brent through historical and current day Auschwitz, Mauthausen, and Ebensee.
The productions have received global recognition and numerous awards. It was the World Premiere at South by Southwest, Jury Award Winner at Nashville Film Festival, Winner of Best VR Storytelling at Cinequest Film and VR Festival.
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