On 27 January, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we commemorate the six million Jewish women, men, and children, as well as all other victims of Nazism murdered during World War II. On this day, 76 years ago, the Allied Forces liberated the extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where they discovered unspeakable horrors.To mark this important day, the EU Delegation to the UN and the Israeli Mission in Geneva together with UNOG, the Communauté Israélite de Genève, and the World Jewish Congress organise an exclusive Testimony Exhibition, showcased from 25-31 January on the walls of the Beth Yaacov Great Synagogue of Geneva. The projection is based on the University of Southern California (USC) Shoah Foundation’s project entitled ‘Dimensions in Testimony’, an interactive project that enables people to ask questions that prompt real-time responses from pre-recorded video interviews with Holocaust survivors. Video extracts of ‘Dimensions in Testimony’ will be projected every day from 25-31 January from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the walls of the Synagogue, to encourage passers-by to listen to their stories, to visit the dedicated website(link is external) and to have a personal conversation with two Holocaust survivors. The website has created, through specialized display technologies and next generation natural language processing, an interactive biography, giving the visitor the opportunity to have conversational experiences with the survivor.
“The Holocaust is the darkest moment of European and humanity's history, and modern European history has been built on the premise ‘Never again’”, underlined EU Ambassador Walter Stevens. “The painful testimonies of survivors remind us ‘never to forget’ and to unite in the face of antisemitism, racism and hatred. We need to ensure to keep their memories alive as the number of survivors is dwindling. This is why the project of the USC Shoah Foundation is so valuable.”
“As Holocaust denial, anti-Semitism and racism continue to rise throughout the globe, it is essential to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive, especially as time passes, and fewer and fewer people who witnessed first-hand the horrors of the Holocaust are able to share their stories. Education must therefore be at the centre of our efforts against antisemitism”, said Israeli Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar. “We need to embrace the role and importance of technology and innovation - such as the Dimensions in Testimony project from the USC Shoah Foundation- to ensure future generations learn about the lessons of the Holocaust, the dire consequences of hate, and make sure history never repeats itself.”
“As the number of survivors worldwide dwindles, the concept of interactive biographies is a very innovative way of making sure the voice of Holocaust survivors is not lost, and that their stories continue to be told for generations to come,” said Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations in Geneva. “We are very grateful to the European Union, the Permanent Mission of Israel and other partners for making this outdoor exhibition possible.”
The World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said: “Amidst a global rise of antisemitism and frighteningly increasing levels of misinformation and hate speech, the importance of acknowledging the lessons learned from the horrors of the Holocaust and remembering the victims and survivors is critical. This testimonial exhibition broadcast on the walls of the historic Beth Yaacov Synagogue is an innovative means of countering attempts to deny and distort the truths of the Holocaust, in order to achieve a world free of genocide.”
The President of the CIG Roseline Cisier stressed: "As the last witnesses pass away, it is wonderful that through artificial intelligence, the survivors can continue to pass on their experiences and their universal message to future generations."
Dedicated website for this project
This dedicated website is accessible until 8 February 2021 where visitors have the possibility to interact with two Holocaust survivors: 
https://dimensionsintestimony.org/remembrance
Official opening ceremony
The official opening of the exhibition will take place on 25 January at 6 pm (CET) in front of the Beth Yaacov Great Synagogue.
Due to the current Covid-19 related restrictions, the inauguration will take place without a public audience but the opening will be live-streamed on https://www.facebook.com/IsraelinGeneva/live
A limited number of media representatives can however attend the opening. They are kindly invited to register with antje.knorr@eeas.europa.eu(link sends e-mail) in order to ensure that the all sanitary measures can be duly respected.
About “Dimensions in Testimony”
Dimensions in Testimony was developed in association with Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, with technology by USC Institute for Creative Technologies, and concept by Conscience Display. Funding for Dimensions in Testimony was provided in part by Pears Foundation, Louis. F. Smith, Melinda Goldrich and Andrea Cayton/Goldrich Family Foundation in honor of Jona Goldrich, Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, and Genesis Philanthropy Group (R.A.). Other partners include CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center. Fritzie Fritzshall and Izzy Starck were filmed in association with Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. Eva Kor was filmed in association with CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center. Lea Novera was filmed in association with Museo del Holocausto Buenos Aires. Asia Schindelman was filmed with the support of Genesis Philanthropy Group. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was filmed with the support of The EVZ Foundation.
More information about the USC Shoah Foundation’s Dimensions in Testimony: https://sfi.usc.edu/dit(link is external) or contact Mr. Philip Wood - pw_570@usc.edu
The Holocaust Remembrance Day(link is external) was initiated by the United Nations in 2005 and has been since marked each year by international organisations and governments around the world.