Yes, this is a controversial campaign right now, but its use of technology is striking. Its aim is to immortalise the memories of Jewish holocaust survivors, whose numbers are dwindling.
But is also a pioneering mixed reality experience that can educate future generations about injustice, persecution and violence by recreating a watershed moment in history. Inside Kristallnacht, co-produced by immersive technology studio, makemepulse, and USC Shoah Foundation, Inside Kristallnacht, transports users into the infamous November Pogrom of 1938 – aka The Night of Broken Glass.
The 25-minute experience, which can be accessed on mobile, desktop or via a VR headset, is led and narrated by 91-year-old Knobloch, who guides users through interactive reconstructions of key spaces and moments in her incredible story. Born in Munich in 1932, Knobloch was just six years old when she witnessed the horrors of neighbours turning on each other and citizens savagely beaten in the street, as the windows of Jewish businesses, homes and synagogues were shattered. Following her father’s arrest by the Nazis, she narrowly escaped deportation herself after being taken in by farmers in Franconia and passed off as their illegitimate daughter until liberation.
Split into four ‘chapters’, the first-of-its-kind web XR experience enables VR and interactive web viewing and vividly brings Knobloch’s memories to life through a mixture of live action, hand-drawn animation, AI and archival footage. It is a tale of hope as well as horror. As well as navigating between scenes, users can explore inside individual scenes. By clicking interactive buttons they can access a wealth of additional detail including official statistics, archival photographs, audio footage and documents such as the fake ID cards carried by Jews – all of which add a further layer of authenticity to the experience.
Inside Kristallnacht launches 86 years after 10,000 Jewish businesses were destroyed, 2,000 synagogues burned down, tens of thousands of homes were wrecked and more than 30,000 Jewish men rounded up and sent to concentration camps across Germany and Austria – a harrowing 24 hours which marked the beginning of the systematic persecution of Jewish communities by the Nazi regime.
It was commissioned by The Claims Conference, a nonprofit organisation securing compensation and social welfare services for Holocaust survivors around the world – and supported by Meta and UNESCO.
The full experience is around 25 minutes on mobile or desktop. insidekristallnacht.org
The teaser film is here:
A 10 mins shortened walkthrough film is here.
The full version is here:
In a further interactive twist that taps into Gen Z’s penchant for active participation, there is the opportunity to chat with Knobloch at the end of the experience, via the Ask Me Your Question button, a DIT tool featuring an API (application programming interface) developed by USC Shoah Foundation and integrated by makemepulse. The tool allows users to ask specific questions, typed or spoken, that are answered by an AI-generated version of Knobloch, using natural language processing technology in which her pre-recorded answers are matched with the questions.
Inside Kristallnacht has launched with a series of events in the US and Germany. It is set to roll out in cultural and educational spaces across the US, Germany, UK, Austria, Israel and France as part of a wider education programme created by the Claims Commission, Unesco and Meta.
Dr Charlotte Knobloch, Holocaust survivor and featured storyteller, stated,“Being part of this high-tech experience gives me great pride. There are fewer survivors every year who can share their memories of the Holocaust and knowing that the lessons they have to share will last beyond any of us gives me hope for the future and makes me feel that those lessons will not be lost.”
Gideon Taylor, president of the Claims Conference, commented,“This level of technology isn’t just giving a powerful experience – it provides learning opportunities that can reach an audience in a very personal way. Allowing individuals to feel as though they are on the street in the aftermath of Kristallnacht enables them not just to learn about what happened at the onset of World War II but to understand it in a very immersive way. This is the kind of education we need to reach future generations who will be far removed from the experience of hearing the first-hand testimonies of survivors.”
Nicolas Rajabaly, co-founder & chief creative officer, makemepulse,added, “Inside Kristallnacht is a groundbreaking project that harnesses the power of XR to bring history to life. This isn’t just about recounting the past—it’s about forging deep, emotional connections with stories of survival and resilience. In a time when empathy and understanding are more critical than ever, this project stands as a powerful reminder of the human spirit’s endurance. Our team is deeply committed to exploring how cutting-edge technology can be a vehicle for storytelling to create experiences that not only preserve history but inspire future generations to learn from it.”
NOTE: Inside Kristallnacht wascommissioned by, and with assistance from, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and supported by the German Federal Ministry of Finance and the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future.
Credits
Client: Claims Conference
Campaign Partner: USC Shoah Foundation
Director : Ryan Fenton-Strauss
Dimensions in Testimony Producer: Svetlana Ushakova, Ph.D.
Dimensions in Testimony Programmer: Alex Paiva, Jr.
Lead Technical Designer: Sebastian De Cesare
Technical Designer: Fernando Ramos
Interviewer: Berit Zimmerling, MA
Historical Researcher & Writer: Daryn Eller, MLIS
Historical Advisor: Jennifer Rodgers, PhD
Translator: Osik Moses, MA
Historical Advisor: Wolf Gruner, PhD
Project Manager: Ashlee Cowell
Production Coordinator: Elise Ballard
Production Assistants: Matthias Pany & Theresa Schlag
Production Agency: makemepulse
Art Directors: Solène Robichon, Thomas Rousset, Claire Rieusset, Adrien Laurent & Luana Doueur
3D Artists: Jérome Levilly, Aurélien Comnos, Anthony Meric & Guillaume Lanoiselée
Front-end developer : Julien Vasseur
Creative developers: Gauthier Pompougnac, Nils Landrodie, Romane Chouteau & Pierre Lepers
Back-end developer: Jérémie Colombo
Producer: Sacha Grunberg
Executive Producers: Mathias Roumy & Norra Abdul Rahim
Growth & Partnerships Lead: Helena Nattrass
Head of Production: Gregory Bruneau
Head of Growth & Director of Partnerships: Sarah Cutler
Founder & CTO: Antoine Ughetto
Founder & CCO: Nicolas Rajabaly
