I was in Poland this past summer to officiate a b’nai mitzvah for two brothers from Miami. My wife joined me, and together we toured Poland with the bar mitzvah brothers, their parents and their extended family. The meaningful bar mitzvah ceremony took place in their ancestral homeland of Łódź, but first our journey took us from the solemn ground of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps to the historic streets of Kraków.
We then ventured to Warsaw. Given its communist past, I did not expect Warsaw to showcase cutting-edge technology, so the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews’ multimedia exhibits were a striking surprise. What many expected to be a quick one-hour walk through the sprawling museum became a four-hour experience, fully immersing us in the remarkable space. It was powerful how 21st-century technology could bring a millennium of Polish Jewish history vividly to life.
From the moment you enter, the museum communicates in both design and substance. The cavernous main hall, framed by soaring glass and copper walls, sets a reflective tone before you even begin exploring. The exhibit then unfolds across eight galleries, tracing Jewish life in Poland from its medieval roots through the Reformation, the Shoah and into the present. The Holocaust is treated with care and depth, using powerful survivor testimonies, poignant archival footage and interactive displays, yet it is placed within the broader continuum of Jewish history.
What struck me most was the museum’s use of technology to tell stories. Projections, oral histories, animated reconstructions and an awe-inspiring replica of the 17th-century Gwoździec synagogue ceiling surrounded me with experiences that felt alive rather than static. Instead of merely presenting artifacts behind glass, the POLIN Museum draws visitors into the narrative itself.
The curators clearly envisioned a living museum, one that breathes through technology. Every gallery weaves in new media, from interactive maps to immersive soundscapes. This design allows history to be accessible without ever losing its dignity.
Back home in Metro Detroit, the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills has also embraced digital storytelling through a major renovation completed in January 2024. Its multi-million-dollar renovation centers on survivor voices, blending archival film, photographs and interactive testimony into a powerful learning experience. Visitors walk through 15,000 square feet of carefully designed space that guides the emotional journey from tragedy to resilience.
During my recent visit to the Zekelman Holocaust Center, I was reminded of my first trip to its original location at the JCC with my late grandfather in the 1990s. I couldn’t help but contrast the early exhibits, which showed grainy VHS footage on small monitors, with the current displays that use high-definition screens and the latest video technology.
Both the POLIN Museum and the Zekelman Holocaust Center teach us an important lesson: When multimedia is applied with scholarship and sensitivity, technology becomes a vessel for memory rather than a distraction. These institutions remind us that the power of narrative rests not only in what is told, but also in how it is conveyed.
Yet there are challenges. The rapid pace of technological change can outstrip the capacity of museums to keep up. Visitors today expect seamless, high-resolution experiences. When systems age, they quickly feel outdated. Studies show that many museums still devote less than 5% of their budgets to digital initiatives, leaving them vulnerable to falling behind. Staff are often occupied with maintaining existing systems rather than developing new innovations.
This is why institutions must treat technology as a core investment, not an optional expense. Developing interactive content requires expertise in design, software and preservation. It demands long-term planning and recognition that multimedia is no longer a novelty but a central tool in education.
For Jewish educational settings, the lessons are clear. First, storytelling must remain the anchor. Technology is powerful only when it serves the message. Second, sustainability is crucial. Just as the Zekelman Center made a generational investment in its digital redesign, other institutions must plan for the ongoing upkeep and renewal of their multimedia resources.
Finally, we must honor tradition even as we innovate. Jewish education, whether in the synagogue classroom or at the bar and bat mitzvah tutoring table, is rooted in memory and transmission. Multimedia can deepen this by giving students the chance to explore shtetl life through interactive maps, enter reconstructed synagogues in 3D or hear survivors’ voices in vivid ways.
Standing in the POLIN Museum, I felt not only the weight of centuries of Jewish history but also the potential of technology to carry that story forward. At the Zekelman Holocaust Center, I saw local survivor voices preserved through the same thoughtful use of digital tools.
Our tradition teaches us to pass on our stories with diligence. Technology will continue to change. But when used with respect and intention, it becomes more than just a tool. It becomes a companion in our sacred responsibility to ensure that Jewish memory, and the lessons it carries, live on for generations to come.
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