Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center

The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center is the most important Holocaust memorial and educational center in the midwestern United States. The cost of establishing the museum amounted to 45 million U.S. dollars. On the museum area, which extends over 20,000 square meters, there are several hundred exhibits about the Holocaust. The museum has about 2,000 video testimonies of survivors of the Holocaust and of other genocides.

History

In 1981 the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois, which runs the museum began its operations in a small business office. The creation of the Foundation and the opening of this first modest museum occurred in response to the announcement of neo- Nazi groups by Skokie - the home to many Holocaust survivors - to march.

On 19 April 2009, the new, much larger museum was opened in a ceremony attended by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and the guest of honor Elie Wiesel. Barack Obama, U.S. President and Shimon Peres, Israeli President participated via video messages in the festivities.

In June 2009, the security measures were tightened at the Museum of Illinois on the occasion of shootings in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Volunteers from the organization Action Reconciliation Service for Peace and Austrian Holocaust Memorial Servant working in the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center with.