The Forever Project

Exclusive to The National Holocaust Centre & Museum

Our family of Holocaust survivors have always been the cornerstone of our exhibitions and learning programmes. Their witness testimony is of crucial importance but so too is what we can learn from their life before and after the Holocaust. What was the life they left behind? What was it like settling as refugees in Britain? And how has 'Beth Shalom', the House of Peace created for them by the Smith family, affected their life here?

All this is crucial for future generations to learn from. It is not just a History lesson but a Life lesson: the importance of identity, decency, respect, reconciliation and empathy with those who are different to us. In other words, a lesson in good citizenship - something sorely lacking in our society at present.

So what will we do when there are no more Holocaust survivors left to talk to?

Some 9 years ago, in collaboration with Dr Stephen Smith MBE, our Co-Founder and until 2022 Director of the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles, we began developing a pioneering conversational experience. One designed to let you have an in-depth question & answer session with a Holocaust survivor even once they have passed away. In the UK it is now known as The Forever Project.

Using voice recognition and artificial intelligence, The Forever Project enables you not only to watch and hear a survivor sharing his or her testimony, but to ask that survivor hundreds of questions. In real time. From anywhere in the world.

This incredible initiative has won awards for its technological and creative innovation. 

We now offer a range of these rich, immersive interactive experiences, featuring 11 members of our Holocaust survivor family. This complements the hundreds of conventional video testimonies we also hold. The Forever Project preserves the benefit of a 'Talk with...' experience rather than merely a 'Being talked at...' one. A Harvard University study suggests that in learning situations, two-way interaction improves memory retention by a factor of approximately 40%.

All 11 conversational experiences are accessible at the Museum and online at https://forever.holocaust.org.uk. However, booking is essential. One of our professional Educators will run the session with you, to ensure we maintain a sense of respectfulness towards the Survivors and their stories.

To learn more about the multiple applications of The Forever Project, please email our Director of Development [email protected].

If you are a school or other organisation who would like to book a learning session or programme using The Forever Project, please email our Director of Learning [email protected].

PLEASE GIVE

Like all technologies, the cost of maintaining and upgrading the software is ongoing. Please give whatever you can. It will go towards the  the single most powerful Holocaust learning experience there is, once we have no more Survivors living.

Thank you.

We owe the success of The Forever Project to the wonderful support of partners including the Pears Foundation, Association of Jewish Refugees, Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Genesis Philanthropy Group, Department for Communities and Local Government, Heritage Fund, Audrey and Stanley Burton 1960 Charitable Trust, Foyle Foundation and R&D Digital Fund for the Arts.