Woman talking in front of group of people.

Museum and Cultural Sites

Spark Interactive

San Diego, California

Transforming Holocaust education into a living, mobile experience.

As the number of Holocaust survivors continues to decline, preserving their stories and ensuring future generations understand the consequences of hatred and intolerance has never been more important.

The Legacy of Light Goldberg Institute for Holocaust Education, a new initiative of the Jewish Federation of San Diego, is meeting this challenge through innovative educational experiences that make history immersive, personal and deeply relevant. At the heart of this mission is Spark Interactive, a mobile museum that brings Holocaust education directly to schools and communities, expanding access to learning beyond traditional classroom settings.

Through experiential storytelling and the voices of Holocaust survivors who built their lives in San Diego, Spark Interactive fosters empathy, critical thinking and meaningful dialogue, helping visitors connect the lessons of the past to the challenges of today.

In collaboration with Mobility Resource Associates, Inc. (MRA), Unified Field and Yazdani Studios, Electrosonic provided design, build and support services to bring this vision to life. Electrosonic integrated award-winning audiovisual technology to create a powerful and engaging museum experience that immerses visitors in personal narratives and lived experiences surrounding the Holocaust.

Kid touching LED screen.

Images Courtesy of Jewish Federation of San Diego.

Breaking down barriers to bring history to life.

The Legacy of Light Goldberg Institute recognizes that public schools and communities may not have the required resources to make this knowledge accessible. This mobile museum aims to increase access to education and bring this essential history directly to students and teachers.

The institute for Holocaust Education envisions a world that is more vigilant, compassionate, and just, where the universal lessons of the Holocaust illuminate the past and inspire communities to reject hatred, foster resilience, and uphold human dignity. Holocaust education should go beyond informing and should spark understanding, reflection and action.

The programs that are brought to students are grounded in historical accuracy, survivor testimonies and media literacy making the content more digestible to the targeted audiences while increasing the skills needed to recognize misinformation. With this, visitors understand the past while reflecting on how society acts in the present.

To achieve this, the Institute developed a mobile experience designed to meet students where they are, eliminating the financial and logistical challenges often associated with traditional field trips.

Kid touching LED screen.

Images Courtesy of Jewish Federation of San Diego.

From venue to vehicle, creating innovation in motion.

Integrating a fully immersive, technology-rich experience into a mobile environment proved to be one of the most unique challenges of the project. Each addition or modification required careful evaluation that considered both the spatial limitations and electrical demand placed on the system. Every new idea meant recalculating power consumption and ensuring that the generator could support the cumulative load without risk or failure.

At the same time, the team carefully managed weight distribution. The space’s ability to transform from a vehicle to a standing classroom and learning studio presented a complex challenge. All of the equipment were measured and placed so that the vehicle remained balanced, safe and road-ready.

This required close collaboration across engineering, design and integration teams, turning the vehicle itself into a carefully calibrated system where everything can function together seamlessly. The result is a cutting-edge, transformative vehicle that preserves the historical significance of the Holocaust while serving as a powerful tool to educate and inspire generations to come.

Kid touching LED screen.

Images Courtesy of Jewish Federation of San Diego.

Turning lessons into lived experiences.

This initiative reshapes how historical lessons are experienced, transforming abstract events into meaningful encounters that resonate with visitors. By traveling directly to neighborhoods and schools, the program removes barriers that often limit engagement, allowing more people to connect with survivor memories and the enduring significance of these events. It ensures that every young person, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to connect with these stories and the human lessons they carry.

Beyond accessibility, the project encourages critical thinking and reflection. Advanced interactive technologies and expertly coordinated systems create an immersive setting, allowing learners to engage fully with the material and fostering empathy, awareness and a sense of responsibility that extends beyond the classroom.

By delivering this content directly into schools and local communities, the program ensures equitable access to meaningful, high-quality learning opportunities. The integration of audiovisual technology plays a critical role in enabling the presentation of rich, layered content in a compact environment using dynamic visuals and sound to capture attention while supporting different learning styles. Importantly, this technology does not replace human interaction. Instead, it works to enhance interactivity between the educator and students, providing customizable, media-rich ways to ask and answer questions while engaging students in discussion.

Client:
Jewish Federation of San Diego

Location:
San Diego, California

Size:
450 square feet

Technology partners:
DetaiLED, TSI Touch, Smart Monkeys, ISAAC, HLB Lightning Design

Creative partners:
Unified Field and Yazdani Studios

Services

AV Consulting
Concept Design
Schematic Design
Design Development
Construction Documentation
Design Validation
Software & User Interface
Fabrication
Installation
Testing & Commissioning
Training & Adoption
Field Service
Preventative Maintenance
Technology Assessments
On-Site Support
Remote Support

The experience begins

A rolling exhibit that comes to life on arrival.

The experience begins before a visitor steps inside. The side of the vehicle’s exterior is lined with a 2.5mm LED wall display that presents media, catching viewers' eye from a distance. From the outside, it looks like a semi-truck but upon arrival it transforms into a fully functional exhibit space. Each system is connected through an integrated control system, allowing the space to power up quickly and run smoothly no matter where it travels.

As visitors enter, they are greeted by a mix of video, audio and hands-on interactions. Large LED screens display digital media with touchscreens letting visitors explore stories and information at their own pace.

Stories You Experience

Immersive journey through history and humanity.

As guests move through the space, the platform works to bring technology together to create a smooth and engaging experience that teaches visitors about the realities of the Holocaust. The audio from speakers is balanced for the small space so it’s clear but not overwhelming, working to tell the audience stories from the past and its importance to the future. LED displays add visuals to the information bringing names to faces and drawing people into the story. Interactive technology further enhances the experience by allowing visitors to interact directly with the content, offering new ways to explore and understand each detail.

Together, these systems create a cohesive environment where technology and storytelling work hand in hand. The result is a thoughtfully designed mobile experience that encourages reflection, making complex history more accessible and engaging for every visitor.

Kid holding tablet while interacting with touchscreen.

A group of three people interacting with touchscreen.

Group of people viewing media on the wall.

LED walls with text saying "The Final Solution".

Group of people sitting and looking up at media.

The exterior of the trailer with a ramp on the outside.

A boy interacting with the media on the touchscreen.

A girl touching a tablet in front of the LED wall

A person pointing at media on a LED wall.

A group of people looking at media on the LED walls.

How technology is transforming societal impact with mobile learning environments.

Integrating technology into museums has redefined the visitor experience, creating more engaging and immersive ways to explore history. Discover how technology can attract new audiences while preserving and honoring the stories at the heart of your museum.

The experience draws people in and its mobility is essential to our mission to deliver and increase access to innovative Holocaust education. Now we can share history directly with communities and students that we couldn’t easily reach before. The seamless integration of visuals, audio and interactivity has transformed how we share these stories, making them more engaging and impactful for every visitor.

Erica Whinston, Director of Operations

Legacy of Light Goldberg Institute for Holocaust Education