The 15th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar—which was celebrated this year on Thursday, January 25, —is Tu BiShvat, the day that marks the beginning of a “New Year” for trees.
At the Virginia Holocaust Museum, every day feels like Tu BiShvat, because every day we plant the seeds of what we hope will grow into the fruit-bearing trees of empathy, knowledge, and social action to end antisemitism once and for all.
As I pen these words, we are awaiting permits from the City of Richmond to begin construction of our long-awaited USC Shoah Foundation’s Dimensions in Testimony theater that will feature an interactive Survivor biography of Holocaust Survivor Halina Zimm.
Please follow us on social media for updates on the construction project. We hope that it will open to the public in Spring/Summer.
Dimensions in Testimony enables people to ask direct questions of Holocaust Survivors and other witnesses to genocide and receive responses from pre-recorded video images. The pioneering project integrates advanced filming techniques, specialized display technologies and next-generation natural language processing to create an interactive biography.
Now and far into the future, museum-goers, students and others can have conversational interactions with these eyewitnesses to history to learn from those who were there.
Dimensions in Testimony was developed in association with the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, with technology by the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, and concept by Conscience Display.
Funding for Dimensions in Testimony was provided in part by the 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.).
Volunteer Docents Wanted
The VHM is accepting applications for new docents! We are looking for candidates with excellent communication skills, a comfort speaking in front of large groups, and a passion for education and history.
Docents lead multiple weekly tours of the museum’s exhibits for school groups, as well as various clubs, companies, police and military, and church groups.
No prior experience is necessary to become a docent.
For more information, or to apply, interested parties should contact Matt Simpson, Director of Guest Services (msimpson@vaholocaust.org), or Katelynn Adams, Assistant Director of Guest Services (kadams@vaholocaust.org).
Memberships & Gift Memberships
Have you considered a VHM Membership?
VHM Memberships help fund:
- Free admission for 40,000+ visitors a year
- Docent-led tours for 120 different public and private schools a year
- The maintenance and renovations of the Museum’s permanent exhibits and Memorial Gardens
- The preservation of over 4,800 Holocaust-related artifacts
- And So Much More!
And when you become a member, or give someone a gift membership, you become a part of the VHM family and ensure that our critical work will continue for generations.
Please visit our website to learn more: https://bit.ly/VHMMembership.
Until Next Time,
Samuel H. Asher
Some additional photos of the renovation on the first floor
