University of Maryland showcased the “Survived to Tell: Be the Witness” virtual reality experience on the evening of September 24 at the Hillel Center.

The VR project, developed by Israel-is, featured the testimonies of five survivors of the October 7th massacre.

Primary footage, an immersive VR landscape and reenactments of survivors’ experiences worked in tandem to bring their testimonies to life.

“It brings people to an experience that’s… true to life,” said Ella Chen, a fellow for University of Maryland’s Mishelanu chapter, a network dedicated to providing space for Israeli-American students on college campuses.

“After doing the virtual reality, I felt like I was truly… immersed in the situation,” she continued, adding that VR allowed her to “have a greater grasp on the horrific tragedies” of October 7th.

The event’s virtual reality medium provided a unique perspective on the massacre, allowing viewers to view firsthand accounts in a personal manner.

“I think it’s really, really important to… hear their stories, experience what they experienced, so that we can understand what happened that day,” said Einav Tsach, another Mishelanu fellow.

Mishelanu and Terps for Israel, a campus pro-Israel group, collaborated with Israel-is to bring the VR experience to campus.

Israel-is, a DC based organization, provides resources for young Israelis to promote understanding and open discussion on Israel’s role in global politics, as well as fostering connections between Israelis and non-Israeli youth worldwide.

“Working with Israel-is has been great, and we’re so happy that we can give students the opportunity to experience the VR headsets and truly grasp what happened on October 7th,” Chen said.

“They bring people who they are connected with who have experienced this. The staff members were in Israel. They experienced all the stuff themselves,” Tsach added.

The VR experience ran from 7-9 p.m. at UMD’s Hillel Center for Jewish Life. Attendees chose to view one or two testimonies following the virtual reality segment.

The testimonies included narrations from survivors of the Supernova rave massacre.

Two young women, Millet Ben Haim and Mazal Tazazo, recounted what took place from the perspective of music festival attendees.

Additionally, the event presented narratives from Remo Alhuziyel, a police officer present at the attack, and Ofir Engel, a young Israeli who was held hostage for 54 days.

Israel-is CEO Nimrod Palmach also shared his story in the VR experience. An IDF reservist, Palmach drove south to defend Gaza’s border communities on October 7. Armed only with a pistol, he fought off Hamas invaders.

Much of the footage used in the video segments of the experience was documented by Palmach in the days following the massacre.

Although graphic images were not shown in the VR landscape or testimonies, images of destruction and bloodstains allowed viewers to understand the gravity of the October 7th attacks.

“The point we’re doing this is to build empathy,” says Aviv Kurnas, Director of International Partners at Israel-is.

“People can agree and disagree, but you need to build empathy as a community for people who suffer,” he continued.

The “Survived to Tell” program aims to facilitate dialogue about October 7th, often visiting college campuses nationwide to encourage open discussion among students.

“When they feel… empathy, it’s the best point to start a conversation,” said Israel-is staff member Tal Ber.

She added that along with building empathy, these conversations aim to reduce hostility toward those who were affected by the attacks.

“When people went through the worst life has to offer, people need to stop and understand,” Kurnas said.

Both Israel-is and Mishelanu invited participants with a wide variety of viewpoints, hoping that events like these instill better understanding of the massacre’s scale.

“We really want a diverse group of people to come to our event,” said Chen. “We want as many students as possible to experience the VR headsets, and also we wanted to help facilitate constructive conversations about the war in the Middle East and October 7th.”

Events like “Survived to Tell” are intended to ease tensions among students with opposing viewpoints, providing a platform for victims of violence to share their stories.

“As… Jews living on college campuses dealing with the rise of antisemitism and an unprecedented level of hate against Israel, it’s our responsibility to tell these stories, to show the world what happened, and become better advocates,” said Tsach.