Holocaust Survivor's Story Lives On in New VR Experience

When Benno Kern's mother told him "You have the opportunity to stay alive" before their deportation to Auschwitz, he became the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust. Now, 80 years later, his story is reaching a new generation through an innovative mixed-reality experience that turns memory into light.

"Benno's Light" launched at the University of Vienna, transforming the 96-year-old survivor's testimony into an immersive journey available on desktop, mobile, VR, and in museums worldwide. Created by technology agency makemepulse for the Claims Conference, the project ensures Benno's voice and story won't fade as the number of living Holocaust survivors continues to decline.

Born in Vienna in 1927, Benno experienced a childhood filled with music and family before the Nazis forced his family to flee across Europe. The experience follows his journey through Czechoslovakia, Belgium, and Paris before his capture and deportation to Auschwitz, then Buchenwald concentration camp.

The project's creators built the experience around a moving insight: Benno's memories were shaped by the people who helped him survive. Throughout six immersive chapters, audiences watch as each person Benno encounters passes fragments of light to him, symbolizing hope and humanity amid darkness.

The experience combines hand-drawn illustrations, spatial sound design, and interactive storytelling with historical research and archival audio. Viewers witness Benno aging through the story, feeling the emotional passage of time alongside him.

Why This Inspires

The launch location carries profound meaning. Five centuries ago, stones from Vienna's destroyed medieval synagogue were used to build parts of the university. Today, that same institution hosts a project dedicated to preserving Jewish memory and survivor testimony.

"I carried my family's story for more than 80 years with uncertainty as to whether it would be remembered," Benno said. "Let them light your way and remind you what it means to carry compassion, even in the darkest of times."

Gideon Taylor, president of the Claims Conference, emphasizes the urgency of using advanced technology to preserve these stories. "We cannot let stories like Benno's fade into the darkness," he said.

The project represents more than historical preservation. It's about maintaining emotional connection and ensuring the humanity behind survivor testimony reaches people in ways that feel active and resonant, not just educational.

Benno's message to future generations is clear: hear these words, carry them forward, and let them guide you toward compassion.