Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center

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Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center (Photo: 2009)
View from the northeast

The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie , Illinois is the premier Holocaust memorial and educational facility in the American Midwest . The architect was Stanley Tigerman .

The initial cost was $ 45 million. On the museum area, which extends over 20,000 square meters, there are several hundred exhibits about the Holocaust . The museum has around 2000 film evidence of survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides.

history

In 1981 the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois , the sponsor, began operations in a small business office. The establishment of the foundation and the opening of this first humble museum came in response to the announcement by neo-Nazi groups that they were marching through Skokie - the home of many Holocaust survivors.

On April 19, 2009, the new, much larger museum was officially opened in the presence of the former US President Bill Clinton and the guest of honor Elie Wiesel . Barack Obama , US President, and Shimon Peres , Israeli President, participated in the celebrations through video messages.

Volunteers from the organization Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste and Austrian memorial servants (since 2009) work in the facility.

Web links

Coordinates: 42 ° 3 '24.8 "  N , 87 ° 45' 46.1"  W.