To purchase tickets for the VR tour at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial, which will take place on Sunday at 1 pm ET, visit: https://mjhnyc.org/events/vrlearningauschwitz/
Watch a trailer for the VR tour below.
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NYC Museum of Jewish Heritage Opens Auschwitz Virtual Reality Tour
The sign “Arbeit macht frei” (“Work makes you free”) is pictured at the main gate of the former Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz in Oswiecim, Poland. Photo: Reuters/Pawel Ulatowski
New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will debut on Sunday a new experience that will allow visitors to take a virtual reality tour of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
With the use of VR technology, including VR headsets, visitors will get a firsthand perspective of Auschwitz through a 48-minute immersive and educational tour narrated by Rabbi Yisrael Goldwasser, an internationally acclaimed speaker on the topic of the Holocaust.
The VR experience was developed by the New York City-based nonprofit organization Spirit of Triumph. In 2020, two Orthodox women in Israel wanted to make a VR tour of Auschwitz, but the former Nazi concentration camp had never permitted the kind of access they needed to create the VR experience. The COVID-19 pandemic made the Auschwitz site available for filming.
“What has been preserved of the Auschwitz death camp is the ultimate historic artifact. To visit the camp in person, or to explore it now through this extraordinary VR technology, is a deeply moving experience,” Jack Kliger, president and CEO of the museum, told The Algemeiner.
“As the Holocaust recedes farther with each year, and as we lose our last generation of living survivors, we must explore new means to engage with this history and firsthand testimony,” he added. “The stoic barracks of Auschwitz remain our enduring eyewitnesses.”
More than 1.1 million European Jews were murdered in the notorious concentration camp as part of the Nazis’ “Final Solution” between 1941 and 1945. For those who have never been able to visit the site of the former Nazi camp in person, the VR tour offers them an opportunity to see nearly every area of the site. The tour includes overhead footage shot by drones that reveals the size and scale of the camp, which is hard to comprehend during on-the-ground tours.
The VR tour “is designed to foster critical conversation and inspire in its audience empathy and a commitment to combat hatred,” the museum said in announcing the initiative. “VR technology offers an opportunity to promote a profound understanding that transcends traditional classroom learning by transporting those who experience it beyond the confines of their four walls.”
“Participants will be able to explore the haunting landscapes and barracks, fostering empathy and a deeper understanding of the Holocaust,” the museum added.
The post NYC Museum of Jewish Heritage Opens Auschwitz Virtual Reality Tour first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Denmark’s National Broadcaster: We Will Not Vote to Ban Israel From 2026 Eurovision Song Contest
Israel’s representative to the Eurovision Song Contest, Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the deadly Oct. 7 2023, attack by Hamas on the Nova festival in Israel’s south, holds an Israeli flag in this handout photo obtained by Reuters on Jan. 23, 2025. Photo: “The Rising Star,” Channel Keshet 12/Handout via REUTERS
Denmark’s national broadcaster DR said on Tuesday it will not vote against Israel when the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) holds a special vote in November to decide if the Jewish state should be excluded from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) because of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
“DR supports the ESC as a cultural European event that has brought nations together through music since 1956. As such, we will not vote for any EBU member to be expelled from the competition, as long as they comply with the rules and regulations,” Gustav Lützhøft – head of culture, debate, and music at DR – said in a released statement. He added that DR’s participation in the Eurovision next year “remains conditional on there being a strong international community, control over security, and an apolitical framework around the competition.”
The EBU, which organizes the Eurovision, announced last week that the EBU’s General Assembly will hold an “extraordinary meeting” online in early November during which its members will vote on whether the Israeli public broadcaster KAN will be allowed to participate in the 2026 Eurovision held in Vienna, Austria. Kan released a statement in response to the EBU’s announcement, saying that it hopes the Eurovision “will continue to maintain its cultural and political character.”
“The removal of Israel’s public broadcasting body – one of the veteran, popular, and successful competitors throughout the decades of the competition – and especially on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Eurovision, which stood as a symbol of cooperation, kindness, and brotherhood, could be a step with significant consequences,” KAN added. “We are convinced that the European Broadcasting Union will continue to maintain the apolitical, professional, and cultural nature of the competition, especially on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Eurovision.”
Lützhøft previously stated that Denmark does not plan on withdrawing from the 2026 Eurovision if Israel participates. Meanwhile, several other countries have threatened to pull out of the competition if Israel is not banned, including Spain, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland, and Ireland.
Austria, the host country of the 2026 competition, has not publicly commented on demands to ban Israel from the Eurovision, but Austrian singer JJ, who won this year’s Eurovision, has also called for Israel’s exclusion from next year’s contest.
The 2026 Eurovision will take place in Vienna on May 16, with the semifinals airing on May 12 and 14. KAN announced on Monday that the singer who will represent Israel in the 2026 Eurovision will be selected again this year through the reality show “The Next Star,” which is set to air in Israel in the coming weeks.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said in an interview with KAN Reshet Bet radio on Monday that it is important for Israel to participate in the 2026 Eurovision competition. “I have seen dangerous processes that begin with Eurovision and end in other places,” Herzog said. “The delegitimization of Israel and the attempt to exclude us from every possible arena are moves designed to weaken us. It starts with Eurovision but reaches matters that are vital to us. Every arena is important.”
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Reebok Demands Israel’s National Soccer Team Removes Logo From Jerseys Following BDS Threats
Fans display a Palestinian flag and an Israel flag during the France v Israel soccer match at Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France on Nov. 14, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
The American footwear and apparel company Reebok has demanded that Israel’s national soccer team remove its logo from team uniforms due to threats from supporters of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Reebok only began outfitting the national team last summer and even launched a campaign featuring the new uniforms designed by Israeli former soccer player Tal Shetach. The Boston-based company is said to have asked its local equipment supplier in Israel, MGS Group, to remove the Reebok logo from the kits and uniforms for Israel’s national soccer team, Israel’s N12 reported on Tuesday.
The Israel Football Association confirmed the news, adding that its emblem and the Israeli flag “will continue to be proudly displayed on all national team uniforms.” The association said it never had a formal deal with Reebok and that the global brand “seemingly gave in to embarrassing boycott threats that were completely irrelevant.”
“The association entered into an agreement with a local equipment supplier and took into account that the new uniforms could feature various sponsors, certainly more courageous than Reebok International,” it explained. “We are convinced that in the near future there will be sponsors who will see great privilege in these days to be part of the national uniforms.”
One Israeli soccer team in the Premier League that is also linked to MGS and Reebok, Hapoel Haifa, has not received similar demands from Reebok, according to N12.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which is Europe’s governing body of soccer, is preparing to hold an emergency vote this week on suspending Israeli teams from international soccer competitions, including next year’s World Cup, because of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. On Monday, Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness called for Israel to be suspended from international soccer competitions. Last week, Turkish Football Federation President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu wrote to FIFA, UEFA, and national soccer association chiefs urging them to impose a ban on Israel.
Israel’s men’s soccer team is set to play against Norway in Oslo on Oct. 11 in a qualifier for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and they have another qualifier game scheduled against Italy for Oct. 14.
The Norwegian Football Federation already said profits from the Oct. 11 match in Oslo will go to the international NGO Doctors Without Borders to support humanitarian efforts in Gaza. Klaveness, who also serves on UEFA’s 20-member executive committee, did not advocate for a boycott of the match, but said she believes sanctions should be placed on Israel.
“I work on the issue from a principled standpoint, but we will not boycott on our own. A boycott would only result in Israel going to the World Cup instead of us,” Klaveness said on Norwegian podcast “Pop and Politics.”
She added, “In general, we are now working for Israel to be sanctioned. We believe that they should be, and this is about upholding the rules. Personally, I believe that since Russia is out, Israel should also be out. As a football president you can have personal opinions, and I certainly have mine.”
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Israeli Hostage Families, American Jewish Organizations Welcome Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan
US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One to depart for Quantico, Virginia, from the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, DC, US, Sept. 30, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
American Jewish organizations and Israeli hostage families largely came out in support of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, which he announced on Monday.
The plan, which Israel already accepted and Hamas is currently reviewing, has 20 points — including the release of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas, the replacement of Hamas as the political administration in Gaza, and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the war-torn enclave.
Aside from the US and Israel, the proposal has the backing of many Arab and Muslim countries, including Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia. Fatah, the political party that leads the Palestinian Authority, also came out in support of the deal.
In response to the announcement, hostage families in Israel and American Jewish organizations similarly expressed support.
“After almost two years of unimaginable anguish, we stand at a historic turning point,” the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, the main organization of hostage families, posted on X. “We are profoundly grateful to President Trump for his unwavering commitment to our families and the state of Israel, and for achieving what we have been desperately seeking since Oct. 7 – a deal to bring all our loved ones home.”
Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists kidnapped 251 hostages and murdered about 1,200 people during their brutal invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, launching the war in Gaza. Currently, 48 hostages remain in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
“President Trump has accomplished what many said was impossible. His determination never wavered, even when others lost hope,” the forum added in its statement. “This is a historic agreement that will allow our people to heal, end the war, and chart a new future for the Middle East. We commend Prime Minister Netanyahu for accepting President Trump’s initiative and call on him to immediately order a cessation of fighting in Gaza, which continues to endanger the fate of our hostages.”
The Tikva Forum, which also represents hostage families and is more right-wing politically, also came out in favor of the deal.
“According to the proposed agreement, Hamas will be defeated and will no longer pose a threat to Israel’s citizens,” it wrote on X. “We believe this is the only path to prevent hostage-taking in the future and ensure the release of our loved ones.”
“At these moments our hearts are with the bereaved families, with the wounded, and with our heroic fighters, whose steadfastness and dedication have created the conditions for an agreement,” the Tikva Forum continued. “However, Israel must continue to stand guard. For as long as these objectives have not been fully achieved, we cannot lay down our arms.”
American Jewish organizations also came out in favor of the deal.
The American Jewish Committee wrote that it “welcomes Israel’s acceptance of the US plan, as well as the regional Arab and international support outlined by President Trump. The world should be united in ensuring this plan can succeed. It is now up to Hamas to put an end to this violent conflict it started on Oct. 7.”
In addition, the AJC added that they “thank the Trump administration for its sustained leadership in its effort to bring an end to this war that preserves Israel’s security and sees the return of all remaining hostages, and provides a path to long-term durable peace that sees a prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
The Jewish Federations of North America said in a statement that they “welcome the deal to release all the remaining hostages and end the war in Gaza announced by President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today.”
“Every day for nearly two years, our community has lived with the pain of knowing our people are suffering in captivity, and watched Israel come under attack as it tried to defend itself from a genocidal terrorist group on its borders,” it continued. “We hope and pray that this deal will come to fruition and bring the remaining hostages home to their families.”
The Anti-Defamation League also wrote that they “commend” the announcement of the plan.
“We urge governments and people worldwide to use all available levers to pressure Hamas to accept and implement the agreement as soon as possible,” the ADL added.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which lobbies in favor of the US-Israel relationship, also came out in favor of the plan. “We welcome the announcement today of a plan to end the conflict in Gaza, disarm Hamas, and free the hostages. We appreciate the determined efforts of President Donald Trump and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to help negotiate this plan together with Israel,” AIPAC said in a statement.
“This peace plan has the wide support of the United States, Israel, and several Arab countries. Now the onus is on Hamas to agree to the plan, disarm, and free the hostages who have been brutally held captive in violation of law and basic morality. If Hamas agrees to the implementation of this plan, aid will further surge to Gazan civilians to help ameliorate the humanitarian situation,” the group added.
“Hamas started this war on Oct. 7 with one of the most barbaric assaults imaginable. Since then, the Iranian-backed terror group has proceeded to use Palestinians in Gaza as human shields for its maniacal war against the Jewish state, bringing terrible death, destruction and humanitarian crises to Gaza,” AIPAC said. “American and world leaders must now pressure Hamas to agree to the peace plan and adhere to its terms and implementation.”