Israeli engineers participating in the popular online game Minecraft’s initiative to build a scale model of the entire world in the game have joined forces with German gamers to create an accurate model of the Yad Vashem Museum and an educational exhibition in the game.
The project is led by BTE Germany and Build Israel, a collective of roughly 50 teenagers across Israel who are building a scale model of the State of Israel on Minecraft. Among the sites that have already been built in the game is the Old City of Jerusalem, Masada, Rabin Square, Dizengoff Street and the Knesset.
The project will be unveiled to the public on International Holocaust Day on January 27. The project will include a virtual exhibition commemorating the Holocaust and will be accessible to millions of young people who play Minecraft around the world.
"When we had the idea to build the Yad Vashem Museum and set up an educational exhibition in Minecraft through it, we immediately contacted Yad Vashem who responded to our request with open arms and made sure to provide us with educational materials, videos, and even give us a full tour of the site.”
Alex Gold
A virtual memory of the Holocaust
"When we had the idea to build the Yad Vashem Museum and set up an educational exhibition in Minecraft through it, we immediately contacted Yad Vashem who responded to our request with open arms and made sure to provide us with educational materials, videos, and even give us a full tour of the site,” said Build Israel CEO Alex Gold.
“At the end of the tour, we realized the magnitude of the challenge, and we turned to BTE: Germany, a gamer community from Germany who immediately jumped in for help and together with them, we successfully completed the task," Gold explained.
"My grandfather is a Holocaust survivor and this project holds a special meaning for me. Building a virtual memory of the Holocaust through the Yad Vashem Museum on Minecraft is not only a way to honor my grandfather's story, but also a way to ensure that future generations can learn about this dark period in history."
Bernard Moerdler
"My grandfather is a Holocaust survivor and this project holds a special meaning for me. Building a virtual memory of the Holocaust through the Yad Vashem Museum on Minecraft is not only a way to honor my grandfather's story, but also a way to ensure that future generations can learn about this dark period in history," said Bernard Moerdler, a student at Bar-Ilan University and co-owner of Build Israel.
"I'm proud to have been a part of Build Israel's initiative to create an accurate and educational model of the museum, and grateful for the support we received from our German gaming partners in making it a reality."
The rendered model of Yad Vashem provides a virtual memory of the Holocaust and subsequent educational materials for future generations from all over the world.
The desire to build an accurate model of the Yad Vashem museum in the game led the Build Israel team to turn to Israeli 3D modeling company Simplex, which supplies hundreds of construction companies, architect offices and automatic 3D modeling authorities.
The new model will be unveiled on International Holocaust Remembrance Day with the help of YouTuber and Israeli network star RainbowQueen, who will promote the most important project in the world together with YouTubers from other countries in the world.