OSHPITZIN: THE TOWN KNOWN AS AUSCHWITZ to be unveiled January 27 to coincide with International Holocaust Remembrance Day
OŚWIĘCIM, POLAND/ NEW YORK, NY – On January 27, marking both International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 72nd anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and Birkenau, the Auschwitz Jewish Center will unveil its first project with Google Arts & Culture – the online exhibition OSHPITZIN: THE TOWN KNOWN AS AUSCHWITZ.
The new exhibition will be made available on Google Arts & Culture platform. Through vivid photographs, compelling personal documents, and curatorial insights, the exhibition tells the 400-year history of Oświęcim’s (Yiddish: Oshpitzin) Jewish community. The exhibition can be viewed at this link: www.ajcf.pl/online-exhibition
Tomasz Kuncewicz, Director of the Auschwitz Jewish Center, said that, “This new exhibit is an important milestone in reaching out to new audiences with the local Jewish history so much overshadowed by the tragedy of Auschwitz and the Holocaust. We are proud that Google joined us in our mission to preserve the memory of Jews who lived in the Polish town of Oświęcim, before it became Auschwitz.”
The Auschwitz Jewish Center is a subsidiary of the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, from the Museum’s New York City campus. It is the only Jewish presence in the vicinity of Auschwitz. The Center’s educational programs include immersive study programs on the Holocaust, pre-war Jewish life, and Polish-Jewish relations. The Center opened its doors in 2000 and joined with the Museum in 2006. Located just three kilometers from the Auschwitz–Birkenau death camps, the Center provides a place for individuals and groups from around the world to pray, study, and learn about the vibrancy of Jewish culture before the war, and memorialize victims of the Holocaust.
Google Arts & Culture is a new, immersive way to experience art, history, culture and world wonders from over a thousand organizations worldwide. Google Arts & Culture was created by the Google Cultural Institute and it is available for free for everyone on the web, on iOS, and Android.