Phoenix's Jewish Heritage Center opens holographic Holocaust exhibit - The Arizona Republic

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Downtown Phoenix's Jewish Heritage Center volition show a section Holocaust survivor's holographiclike representation and stories starting this week.

The show features 96-year-old Scottsdale nonmigratory Oskar Knoblauch.

The exhibit, "Stories of Survival: An Immersive Journey Through the Holocaust," opens to the nationalist astatine the Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

"I consciousness honored (and) very privileged to beryllium 1 of the fewer successful the satellite to beryllium a hologram. I consciousness similar I was chosen to bash this. They gave maine a caller birth," Knoblauch said.

Phoenix volition beryllium one of 12 locations in the satellite to big a holographic exhibition. Knoblauch turns 97 successful November, and radical leaders felt a consciousness of urgency to unfastened the exhibit.

"The survivors aren’t going to beryllium with america overmuch longer. Ten years from present I’ll uncertainty determination volition beryllium precise galore of them left. The hologram allows Oskar &mldr; to proceed to talk adjacent erstwhile helium is gone," said Heritage Center manager Lawrence Bell.

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Knoblauch was filmed and asked much than 2,000 questions. Visitors tin virtually inquire him questions astir his beingness during the Holocaust. He'll adjacent reply questions astir his favorite food (spoiler alert: peanut butter).

Knoblauch was a teenager during the Holocaust. He and his household were captured by the Nazis and were forced to enactment astatine Gestapo office successful Poland. Knoblauch's begetter was an experienced furrier, which Nazi soldiers recovered useful. Nazis' coats were often lined with fur and the skillset helped keep Knoblauch's household alive.

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Knoblauch's begetter was murdered by Nazi soldiers but Knoblauch, his siblings and parent survived.

During the filming for the exhibit, Knoblauch was besides asked if helium had a favorite opus (spoiler alert: "Over the Rainbow" from "The Wizard of Oz").

"How galore times did mom say to america connected days successful the ghetto erstwhile it was horrible days, horrible days &mldr; her answer was look for the rainbow successful the sky. And you know what? That rainbow was ever there, but I couldn't spot it," Knoblauch said. "She was right."

An further portion of the showcase is a virtual world acquisition wherever attendees deterioration headsets and visit a real-life concentration camp. Holocaust subsister Pinchas Gutter was filmed visiting Majdanek, a concentration campy successful Poland where he and his household were imprisoned.

For 16 minutes, Gutter leads exhibit-goers through the campy and shares memories and the last clip helium saw his duplicate sister alive.

Holocaust artifacts connected show see a bluish and white-striped azygous worn by a subsister the time they were liberated. Holocaust artwork donated by Scottsdale creator Robert Sutz volition besides beryllium featured.

Phoenix is 1 of the largest cities successful the state without a Holocaust center. The radical is raising funds to add on to its existing building.

"Part of what we are trying to bash is to marque a caller procreation alert of the Holocaust, what happened and however it is applicable now," Bell said.