Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center
View of the Museum and Education Center
from the Northeast |
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| Established | 1981 (Original Site) 2009 (Current Site) |
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| Location | 9603 Woods Drive Skokie, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 42°03′25″N 87°45′46″W / 42.056893°N 87.762802°W |
| Type | Holocaust memorials |
| Visitors | over 300,000 |
| President | Fritzie Fritzshall |
| Curator | Arielle Weininger |
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| Public transit access | CTA and Pace buses |
| Website | www |
The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center is a museum located in Skokie, Illinois near Chicago).
Its mission statement is to "Remember the Past" and "Transform the Future" and to preserve the legacy of the Holocaust by honoring the memories of those who were lost and by teaching universal lessons that combat hatred, prejudice and indifference. The Museum fulfills its mission through the exhibition, preservation and interpretation of its collections and through education programs and initiatives that foster the promotion of human rights and the elimination of genocide
The Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois, which runs the museum, began as small storefront operation along Main Street in 1981. The foundation and small museum were established as a response to a Neo-Nazi group's attempt to march through Skokie, in which many Holocaust survivors had settled in the decades following the atrocities.
The new museum building opened to the public on April 19, 2009, in the attendance of keynote speaker Bill Clinton and special guest Elie Wiesel. President Barack Obama spoke through a recorded video message, as did Shimon Peres, president of Israel.
Security arrangements at the museum were tightened after the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting on June 10, 2009.
There are also volunteers from the Action Reconciliation Service for Peace and the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service (since 2009) that work for the museum.
The building was designed by Stanley Tigerman. The Interior and Exhibition was co-designed by Yitzchak Mais, a former director of Yad Vashem. The Holocaust exhibition occupies the first floor, beside the auditorium, the main entrance hall, the information and membership desks, the coatroom, the gift shop, and library.
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