Sonoma Students Take VR Tour of Auschwitz

Virtual reality experience brings history to life for high schoolers

Jan. 27, 2026 at 8:47pm

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About 70 students at Sonoma Valley High School in California took part in a virtual reality tour of the Auschwitz concentration camp, the largest Nazi extermination site during World War II. The immersive experience, organized by the local Chabad Jewish Center, aimed to educate students about the Holocaust and the atrocities that occurred at Auschwitz, where over 1.1 million people were killed.

Why it matters

The virtual reality tour allowed students to gain a deeper, more emotional understanding of the horrors of the Holocaust, which is a critical part of history education. By using advanced technology to bring the past to life, the experience helped students connect with the subject matter on a personal level and appreciate the gravity of the events that took place at Auschwitz.

The details

The 40-minute guided VR tour took students through the Auschwitz camp, with a narrator describing the conditions and experiences of those imprisoned there. For many students, this was their first time using a VR headset in a school setting. The tour was made possible through support from local organizations and foundations.

  • The virtual reality tour took place on Tuesday, January 28, 2026.
  • The tour was organized in recognition of Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed on January 27, the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops.

The players

Sonoma Valley High School

A high school located in Sonoma, California, where the virtual reality tour of Auschwitz took place.

Sonoma Valley Chabad Jewish Center

The organization that organized the immersive educational experience for Sonoma Valley High students.

Rabbi Mendy Wenger

The co-director of the Sonoma Valley Chabad Jewish Center, who spoke to the students about the importance of Holocaust education.

Bernadette Weissmann

A teacher at Sonoma Valley High School who has taught U.S. and World history for 25 years and helped coordinate the VR tour.

Spirit of Triumph

The organization that produced the virtual reality film used for the tour, with the mission of bringing Jewish history to life through advanced technology.

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What they’re saying

“Auschwitz is not the beginning of the story. It was actually the end of the story. It's where millions of people lost their lives and lost all the potential they could have contributed to society and to the world.”

— Rabbi Mendy Wenger, Co-director, Sonoma Valley Chabad Jewish Center

“It really brings a lot more emotion so you can feel like you were in that same experience knowing how they felt.”

— Sadie Chavez, 15-year-old student

“You could see all of the monuments and the clothes that people wore going into it and the places where they slept. It gives you a bigger picture of what happened there.”

— Etta Weissmann, 15-year-old student

What’s next

The Sonoma Valley High School plans to continue offering the virtual reality tour of Auschwitz to students in the coming years as part of their Holocaust education curriculum.

The takeaway

By using immersive virtual reality technology, Sonoma Valley High School was able to provide students with a powerful and emotional learning experience about the Holocaust, helping them better understand the gravity of the atrocities that occurred at Auschwitz and the importance of Holocaust education.