As we approach January 27, marking the liberation in 1945 of the most horrific death camp established by the Nazi regime, we cannot begin to imagine the atrocities perpetrated between the two massive camps Auschwitz-Birkenau between the years of 1940 and 1945. To date, thousands of youth groups as well as adult contingents have visited the notorious death camp through organizations such as March of the Living and Heritage Tours. However, for most of the Jewish community in Israel and the U.S., the images of the site come from still photographs and albums.
Enter Miriam Cohen from Modi’in Ilit, a charedi city in central Israel. As a teenager she realized that despite the significant numbers of survivors and children of survivors in charedi communities throughout Israel, the youth of those communities would not be given the opportunity to visit the sites of this tragic era. Cohen was determined to somehow provide a visual experience to these youth.
While pursuing a career as an actress in “kosher entertainment” for charedi women, and subsequently creating and directing these films, Cohen became familiar with virtual reality (VR). Realizing the potential of this technology, she embarked on her mission to provide the experience of touring Auschwitz to not only charedim but Jews and non-Jews throughout the world.
Cohen partnered with two charedi female producers, Chani Koplowitz and Yuti Neiman, and the three learned how to use VR technology in conjunction with drones. However, their most grueling challenge was to obtain permission to visit the grounds of Auschwitz-Birkenau for filming. Not only were the camps closed during COVID, but they were off-limits to visitors including Steven Spielberg who created his own set for the camp in “Schindler’s List.”
Through determination, perseverance and sincere prayer, the women were granted three days to film their tour of Auschwitz. The trio flew to Ukraine, and drove to Poland where they were granted permission to be the first filmmakers allowed to film in Auschwitz.
In entitling their film “Triumph of the Spirit 360,” the producers were dedicating their film to the countless victims who clung to their faith in the midst of the hellish horrors of the Holocaust and gave up their lives al kiddush Hashem, in sanctifying God’s name. Originally intended for the charedi community, since its first showing in Israel in the summer of 2021, it has been seen by close to 100,000 viewers from all segments of the Israeli population.
Realizing the power of the film, and its potential impact universally, the producers were in touch with Israel Shechter, a charedi real estate professional residing in Brooklyn, who is now the president of Spiritvr360 and exclusive co-distributor of the film in New York together with the help of the PR/Marketing team at Schnur Associates Inc. (SAI).
“Triumph of the Spirit 360” is available for showings in schools, shuls, companies, clubs and businesses interested in sharing this experience with their employees. Now consisting of 150 headsets and VR glasses, the 45-minute film takes you to the vast expanse of Auschwitz- Birkenau, which you can see from the bird’s eye view of a drone and through a 360-degree vantage point of the surroundings.
Upon entry, we see the endless train tracks leading to Birkenau, the frightening train platform where the selections were made and families were separated forever, and the cruel “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“Work Will Set You Free”) signage above the entrance to Auschwitz. We tour through the barracks with sleeping spaces too tight for the thousands imprisoned there, the rooms filled with masses of labeled suitcases and infinite numbers of shoes of all sizes. We see half-demolished and burned crematoria where our brethren were gassed and then carted off for burial in mass graves.
The film is narrated by Rabbi Yisrael Goldwasser, an Israeli gerrer chasid and noted historian, who has led many in-person groups to Poland. In chasidic cap, garb and beard, Goldwasser guides us through this silent, eerie killing grounds, in Hebrew or English, with sensitivity and passion. “We are not here as tourists but as mourners. We are here because we are Jews. We are here because the holy victims pleaded with us to remember, retell what became of us.” At the site of Crematorium 2, Goldwasser wrapped himself in a tallit, and in a shattered voice, recited the Shema. Throughout the tour, he shares stories of the faith and heroism exhibited by our brethren.
The film culminates in three available versions. One concludes with the emotional swearing-in ceremony of an IDF unit in front of the Kotel, where joyous song and dance illustrate the perseverance and courage of our people after the tragedies of the Shoah. The second ending takes place amidst festive dancing in a charedi yeshiva where the spirit of the young bochurim represents the perpetual Jewish spirit despite attempts to extinguish it during the Holocaust. Most recently, a new ending marks the horrors of October 7 and the ensuing worldwide antisemitism through its slogan “Never Again Is Now.”
For those of us who have not as yet visited the killing fields of Auschwitz-Birkenau or even if we have had the opportunity, “Triumph of the Spirit 360” is a visual experience like no other. Its impact is powerful and lasting.
To arrange for a showing at your institution, workplace or private home, contact Israel Schecter at [email protected], jvr360.co.il or call 718-954-6069. Or Ethan Schnur of Schnur Associates Inc. at [email protected] or 212-489-0600.
