Beyond Our Walls: Illinois Holocaust Museum Makes Holocaust Survivor Stories Available in Home VR for the First Time
For the first time, three acclaimed VR films can be experienced on consumer headsets—making first-person Holocaust
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Chicago, IL, Oct. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center (IHMEC) announced today that three acclaimed virtual reality films featuring Holocaust Survivor stories and testimony are now available for the first time on standalone consumer VR headsets, bringing these immersive experiences to global audiences beyond the Museum’s walls and bringing Survivor stories to audiences in an entirely new way. The project represents a new chapter in IHMEC’s longstanding work to preserve and share Holocaust testimony through emerging technology.
Walk to Westerbork, Letters from Drancy, and Escape to Shanghai can now be experienced at home on Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S, as well as Pico 4 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy AndroidXR-compatible headsets later this fall. The films are free to download, with subtitled versions available in English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese. These films were only previously experienced at the Museum’s Richard and Jill Chaifetz Family Virtual Reality Gallery, The Northern Trust Virtual Reality Theater at the downtown Chicago location, and through its traveling Mobile VR Trunk program.
The expansion comes at a pivotal moment for Holocaust remembrance, amid a surge of global antisemitism and rising Holocaust distortion and denial. As the generation of Holocaust Survivors continues to grow smaller, Illinois Holocaust Museum is exploring new ways to ensure their experiences remain personal, accessible and meaningful for generations who will never have the opportunity to meet a Survivor.
“These three films exemplify how virtual reality can transform historical learning. We have seen firsthand how these films engage diverse audiences, serving as a universal bridge to complex and often distant histories,” said Kelley Szany, SVP of Education & Exhibitions at IHMEC. “This is exactly why it’s so important to share this work internationally on platforms like Meta Quest, Pico 4 Ultra, and Samsung Galaxy AndroidXR, as it allows global audiences to connect with these narratives through their own perspectives and contexts.”
Produced by IHMEC in collaboration with award-winning production company East City Films, the three documentaries go beyond traditional historical filmmaking. Using 360-degree video, 3D environments, motion capture and spatial sound, the films place viewers within reconstructed moments from each Survivor’s life, guided by their own memories and testimony. Rather than simply watching a story unfold on a screen, viewers can look around, explore their surroundings, and experience the spaces where pivotal moments took place.
The films include:
- Walk to Westerbork follows Rodi Glass’s journey from a final birthday celebration with her family in Amsterdam through the Westerbork transit camp and Vittel internment camp.
- Letters from Drancy traces Marion Deichmann’s childhood flight across Northern Europe, including hiding from a Nazi guard, her separation from her mother, and her survival through the aid of the French Resistance.
- Escape to Shanghai recounts Doris Fogel’s escape from Nazi Germany to Shanghai, China, where she built a new life far from Nazi-occupied Europe.
Filmed on location in Germany, France, the Netherlands, China, and the U.S., the films combine archival photographs and documents with live-action and animated sequences to recreate pivotal moments as survivors remember them.
“Everyone at East City Films is thrilled that the three VR films we created with the Illinois Holocaust Museum will now reach a much wider audience. At a time of increasing global conflict and divisive rhetoric, the stories of Marion Deichmann, Rodi Glass and Doris Fogel remind us of our shared humanity and the importance of continuing to listen to those who experienced the Holocaust first-hand,” said Darren Emerson, Co-Founder and Creative Lead of East City Films Ltd. “We’re hugely grateful to Agog for helping us bring these experiences to standalone VR, allowing these extraordinary testimonies to reach new audiences and future generations.”
With support from Agog: The Immersive Media Institute, the films’ move to consumer VR platforms removes the geographic barrier that once limited access to these experiences. Audiences no longer need to visit IHMEC in Chicago or encounter a traveling Mobile VR Trunk to experience the films.
The films are available beginning October 8th on Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S. Versions compatible with Pico 4 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy AndroidXR headsets will be distributed through Google Play later this fall. All three films are free to download. Learn more about the Museum’s virtual reality films: https://tinyurl.com/y8ujfvt4
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. Illinois Holocaust Museum presents Experience360, located at 360 N. State Street through the end of the year, is open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.ilholocaustmuseum.org or call 847-967-4800.
Amanda Berman Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center 847-967-4834 amanda.berman@ilhmec.org
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