‘Cool’ new ad for Yad Vashem raises questions about Holocaust museum’s direction
Some Israelis startled by TV spot with beaming keyboard player touting new sound and light show at institution dedicated to preserving the memory of six million murdered Jews
Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
Many Israelis were startled this week to see a TV ad touting the national Holocaust memorial and museum’s new theatrical offerings — including a sound and light show — urging the public to come discover “the other side of Yad Vashem.”
The ad raised questions about the direction taken by the institution dedicated to preserving the memory of the six million Jews murdered by Nazi Germany, with many suggesting that it had gone too far in efforts to target new audiences.
In the commercial, which began airing in Israel in the past week, a voice in Hebrew asks users what they think when they see the Yad Vashem logo, displayed over a staid gray background. Then, switching to dramatic music and fast-paced visuals, the voice invites viewers to discover “the other side of Yad Vashem,” which includes a stirring new light and sound show and musical and theatrical performances.
At one point in the 20-second TV commercial, a musician is seen playing the keyboard with a big smile on his face.
The use of such imagery to promote one of the nation’s most solemn institutions sparked both outrage and bemusement on social media.
“Did I just see a Yad Vashem commercial that tries to position itself as cool and less about the Holocaust?” posted user Amir Barkol on X. As if proposing a date at the somber memorial museum, he joked: “Hey babe, want to go for your birthday to a fascinating and empowering audiovisual experience in Yad Vashem’s Valley of Communities?”
“What’s next, a Fast Pass to skip lines? A hotel onsite?” posted another X user, Oren Evron, comparing it to a Disney-like theme park.
Some Holocaust educators were likewise bothered by the tone of the commercial.
“I think the execution of the message is very problematic, and I can see why people might think it inappropriate,” said John Efron, a professor of Jewish history at the University of California-Berkeley. “The ad makes it look like a visit to Yad Vashem might be fun and exciting. Is that really the message they want to convey?”
Alvin Rosenfeld, the director of Indiana University’s Center for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, posited that “time spent at Yad Vashem is not ‘fun,’ and is not meant to be.”
He said “whether intended or not, the ad has a certain entertainment allure to it and ends up seeming to project a lighthearted approach to visiting Yad Vashem. That strikes me as being out of sync with the institution’s purpose and meaning.”
Yad Vashem defended the campaign, saying that its goal was to highlight several new initiatives designed to teach about the Holocaust in novel ways.
“This campaign is a way to let the public know that there are new experiences to see and stories to be heard at Yad Vashem, even for those who have visited Yad Vashem in the past and who might think we have nothing new to share with them,” the institution said in response to an inquiry by The Times of Israel.
“These new experiences might not immediately come to mind when thinking about a visit to Yad Vashem. But they are part of our mission to tell the story of Jewish life before and during the Holocaust,” the statement from the museum added.
Yad Vashem stressed that it is constantly looking for new ways to tell the story of the Holocaust and to engage the public.
“This is in part through initiatives like the Touching Memories theater, the audio-visual experience at the Valley of Communities, and by opening the doors of a new collection center that tells untold stories through artwork and artifacts and offers a peek at the work being done behind the scenes,” it said.
The new light and sound show is not yet open, and will be launched publicly in the coming months, Yad Vashem noted.
The new campaign, by one of the world’s most important centers for Holocaust education and remembrance, reflects a challenge that is coming to the forefront as the world marks 80 years since the end of the Holocaust and World War II: With antisemitism around the world rising since Hamas launched its October 7, 2023, onslaught on southern Israel, and with the number of living survivors rapidly declining, how can the lessons of the genocide against the Jews be passed on effectively to the younger generation?
These challenges have made it more important than ever to use new technology and methods to teach about the horrors of the Holocaust and the dangers of extremism, experts say.
Meanwhile, Yad Vashem seeks to attract more visitors to remain relevant and support its operations, noted a former employee of the institution who wished to remain anonymous.
“This ad doesn’t surprise me. Yad Vashem is struggling financially, and they are trying to bring in more people,” the source said. “Yad Vashem has a very important mission in Israeli society, but people barely come in except on Holocaust Remembrance Day, and employees are leaving because there is no money. It makes sense that the management is trying to commercialize its efforts better.”
Approximately 40% of Yad Vashem’s budget comes from the Israeli government, with the remainder provided by private donations, which have declined in recent years, the source noted.
Educational institutions are increasingly exploring using new vehicles to create immersive experiences, including Holocaust-themed films, virtual reality experiences, social media campaigns and artificial intelligence tools.
Earlier this year, New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage unveiled a new exhibit of “Survivor Stories” in which visitors can have virtual conversations with survivors through an AI interface.
In-person meetings with Holocaust survivors have long been considered the most effective medium for transmitting the message of the Shoah. However, with the passage of time, there are fewer survivors alive and able to share their stories.
At the most recent International Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, only 50 survivors were able to attend, compared to 300 a decade ago.
Worldwide, there are believed to be some 220,000 Holocaust survivors still living, with half located in Israel, according to the Claims Conference, which advocates for reparations for victims of the Holocaust.
Meanwhile, awareness about the Holocaust is in decline around the world. A recent survey by the Claims Conference found that large swaths of the global population do not know that six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, even as Holocaust denial and distortion become more widespread.
