It’s Time to Harness Technology to Tell Our Story

In an era where digital manipulation and misinformation threaten to distort our daily reality, we stand at a crucial crossroads as we battle the forces of antisemitism. The exact same technological tools being wielded to spread falsehoods, also hold the potential to illuminate truth and bridge understanding across divided communities. As our world becomes increasingly digital, we must adapt our approach to storytelling and community engagement, particularly when sharing crucial narratives that shape understanding outside of the Jewish community.

Recent innovations in fields such as virtual reality are demonstrating how we can transform the way we can bring people closer to our narratives. This week in Los Angeles, a groundbreaking initiative, “Survived to Tell VR,” is bringing the events of Oct. 7 directly to viewers through VR technology, allowing people to witness survivors’ accounts in an unprecedented way. This immersive experience transports viewers to the Gaza Envelope to places events took place. AI tools enable virtual conversations, creating a powerful connection between witness and viewer transcending traditional storytelling methods.

The significance of this technological advancement cannot be overstated. While we’ve traditionally relied on written accounts, photographs, audio and video footage to document historical events, new immersive technologies offer something more profound: the ability to stand alongside survivors and witness their testimonies in the very locations where events unfolded. This approach creates personal empathy that cuts through competing, politicized narratives and places us in the human story.

For 30 years, those who seek to distort truth have been developing the art of multimedia warfare. The masterminds of misinformation and the hordes of bots that amplify their message on every channel make it ever harder to overcome. Old approaches will not work against new strategies.

The solution lies not just in adopting new technologies, but in fundamentally rethinking whom we want to speak to and about what. We have woefully ignored the audience we most need to engage — antisemites themselves.  Antisemitism is not one thing. Antisemites do not hold a single opinion. Nor do antisemites speak with one voice. Many have no idea they harbor antisemitic views. So why do we lump them into one category, only to spend our energies wringing our hands about just how bad it has become? 

It is time to reach beyond our own echo chamber. We must resist the temptation to simply preach to the converted and adopt strategies to engage with those who hold different viewpoints. Our goal should not be to denounce those who hold negative or misinformed views, but create the tools to meet people where they are and shape their perspectives over time.

Loyalty cannot be bought with advertising. Viewpoints won’t be changed by bludgeoning people online. Instead, we must win them over, engaging with them where they are, seeing through their perspective, and understanding the root causes. This means stepping out of our comfort zones, adapting our tools and methods, and speaking the language of digital natives.

An Israeli organization, ISRAELI-is, will gather together a group of media executives, producers, actors and filmmakers to review the methods of “Survived to Tell VR” this week. Their mission is to explore how our collective expertise can be harnessed to create a multimedia approach to storytelling that resonates with contemporary audiences. Their goal is to take the experience to 500 campuses next week after its L.A. launch.  

We have made some good progress.  Social media influencers from the Jewish world, such as Noa Tishby, who speaks to millions of people inside and outside of the Jewish community will lead discussions on harnessing new technologies as a part of the program this week, and Montana Tucker will discuss her work using documentary filmmaking alongside her social media channels. She reaches millions of followers too.  And they are not alone.  That’s the power of technology. The same technology that powers the misinformation, can help us reach new audiences. 

The path forward requires us to embrace this new paradigm wholeheartedly. When we truly understand the causes, embrace the audience we want to speak to, and harness technology effectively, we can create meaningful connections that transcend traditional boundaries. The virtual reality experience being showcased in Los Angeles this week represents just one step in this direction, but points toward a future where technology serves as a bridge rather than a barrier to understanding.

When we truly understand the causes, embrace the audience we want to speak to, and harness technology effectively, we can create meaningful connections that transcend traditional boundaries.

As we face these challenges, we must remember that our goal isn’t to win an information war – it’s to foster genuine understanding and connection in an increasingly fragmented world. 

“Survived to Tell VR” is open to the public at Holocaust Museum LA Tuesday Nov. 19 at 2:00-7:00 p.m. 

Montana Tucker will present “The Children of October 7th” at Temple Israel of Hollywood Wednesday Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m.

Stephen D. Smith is CEO of Memory Workers and Executive Director Emeritus of USC Shoah Foundation.