Local Holocaust Survivor's Interactive Dimensions in Testimony interview Premieres at El Paso Holocaust Museum
El Paso Holocaust Museum (EPHM) is proud to announce the unveiling of an exciting new interactive biography as part of its Dimensions in Testimony exhibition from the USC Shoah Foundation. The testimony of Dr. Edith Eger, who once called El Paso home, will premiere at EPHM during the week of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27-31, 2026.
The permanent addition to the interactive survivor biography exhibit will invite visitors to engage with the moving and inspiring testimony of Dr. Edith Eger, who moved to El Paso after the Holocaust with her family and lived here for several decades. Dr. Eger, a Holocaust survivor who endured the horrors of Auschwitz, and the concentration camps of Mauthausen and Gunskirchen as a teenager, went on to earn her degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1969 then pursued her doctoral internship at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center at Fort Bliss. Dr. Eger is a prolific author and clinical psychologist and has appeared on numerous television programs including CNN and the Oprah Winfrey Show. Her book, The Choice, is a powerful memoir of her lived experiences that has received numerous awards including the 2017 National Jewish Book Award. And her newly released book for teens, The Ballerina of Auschwitz, has received the Sydney Taylor Award Notable Young Adult Book. “Our family is honored and thrilled to have Dr. Eger's DiT project coming to life at the El Paso Holocaust Museum,” said Jordan Engle, Dr. Eger' s grandson and the Director of The Edith Eger Foundation. “Edie and Bela moved to El Paso to find a future for their family, and it remains a very important place for our family. Having Edie's DiT project launch in El Paso is truly an honor for all of us.”
Dimensions in Testimony opened at El Paso Holocaust Museum in September 2024 with the interactive biographies of four Holocaust survivors, including one in Spanish, and a WWII liberator. EPHM is home to one of only 32 Dimensions in Testimony exhibitions worldwide and is one of only two installations in the United States to feature a Spanish-speaking survivor. This groundbreaking exhibit employs advanced filming techniques, specialized display technologies, and next-generation natural language processing to create an immersive experience that allows guests to speak and interact with survivors. The exhibit ensures that the voices of Holocaust survivors will continue to educate and inspire future generations.
While the filming of Dr. Eger’s testimony was conducted by the USC Shoah Foundation with support from Seed the Dream Foundation, El Paso was the sole site for the beta testing phase of her testimony. "Holocaust Survivor Henry Kellen founded the El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center to confront rising Holocaust denial, and his legacy underscores how vital survivor testimony remains in combating denialism and antisemitism today, Dr. Robert J. Williams, USC Shoah Foundation CEO and Finci Viterbi Chair noted. “We are grateful for our partnership with the Museum and their commitment to premiering the interactive biography of Dr. Edith Eger – a longtime friend of the USC Shoah Foundation.”
Through EPHM, local students and educators engaged in 4,000 unique interactions with Dr. Edith’s biography, fine tuning the responsiveness of the technology to visitor questions and ensuring the highest quality conversational experience.
“When we learned that Dr. Edith Eger was one of the survivors interviewed by the USC Shoah Foundation, we knew her testimony had to have a home here at EPHM,” said Jamie Flores, Executive Director of El Paso Holocaust Museum. “Not only does Dr. Eger have special ties to El Paso, her home after years of persecution and displacement, but for our students to have the opportunity to engage so deeply with her incredible story and be responsible for getting it ready for the wider public is such a gift.”
In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Week, which commemorates the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945, EPHM invites students, educators, and the community to attend special presentations of Dr. Edith Eger’s Dimensions in Testimony. There is no charge to attend. Presentations will be conducted hourly. To RSVP or book a group presentation, contact EPHM: (915) 351-0048 / [email protected].
About Dimensions in Testimony from USC Shoah Foundation
The exhibit was developed in association with the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, with technology by USC Institute for Creative Technologies, and concept by Conscience Display. Funding for Dimensions in Testimony was provided in part by Pears Foundation, Louis F. Smith, Melinda Goldrich and Andrea Cayton/Goldrich Family Foundation in honor of Jona Goldrich, Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, and Genesis Philanthropy Group (R.A.). Other partners include CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center.
About El Paso Holocaust Museum
El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center, located in Downtown El Paso, is a memorial to the millions of people who were brutally murdered by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Regime from 1933 to 1945. The mission of El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center is to teach the history of the Holocaust in order to combat prejudice and intolerance through education, community outreach, and cultural activities. El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center is a nonprofit organization led by a dedicated Board of Directors, staff and dozens of dedicated volunteers. El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center does not charge admission but welcomes donations by visitors.