I had been watching the white, curved building rise on Meridian Avenue, waiting for the day it would finally open.

When it did, I found myself standing at a podium in Theater II, microphone in hand, speaking to 101-year-old Jack Waksal. On the screen, he wore a light blue collared shirt and a navy zip-up sweater. In real life, he was sitting in the next room, in his pink checkered button-down.

It happened during the opening of the new Education Center at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach.

I spent much of the day giving demonstrations of “Dimensions in Testimony.” Visitors could ask questions and hear responses from Holocaust survivors through interactive technology.

On the screen was Jack Waksal. He is someone I know well. Over time, he has come to feel more like an adopted grandfather than just a fellow volunteer.

What made that moment surreal was that Jack was physically there that day, sitting just a few steps away in the classroom next door.

I found myself speaking to his image on the screen, asking questions,........

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