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Small groups and community members are invited to schedule visits to see “The Journey Back: A VR Experience,” October 17-November 13, at Raritan Valley Community College, Branchburg. The VR Experience will be shown in The Morris and Dorothy Hirsch Research Library, located on the second floor of the College’s Evelyn S. Field Library.

Presented by the College’s Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, “The Journey Back: A VR Experience” was created by the Illinois Holocaust Museum in partnership with visionary Virtual Reality (VR) producers, East City Films. It features three VR films, each 20 minutes in length: Letters from Drancy, Walk to Westerbork, and Escape to Shanghai.

While watching the VR films, audiences will “walk” with Holocaust survivors through childhood hometowns, concentration camps, and places of hiding as they share their stories of survival. Filmed on location in the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the United States, the films bring each survivor's story to life using 360-degree video technologies alongside 3D environments, animation, motion capture, and a spatial soundtrack. The films are recommended for audience members ages 12 and older.

The VR Experience is free of charge to participants, but advance reservations are required. To schedule a reservation, email michelle.edgar@raritanval.edu.

The Institute of Holocaust & Genocide Studies at Raritan Valley Community College is a collaboration with the Jewish Federation of West-Central New Jersey. To learn more about the Institute, visit https://www.raritanval.edu/community-resources/holocaust-institute.

RVCC is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 18, 2025

PR #21