Aurora church to host Mobile Museum of Tolerance Nov. 23

New England Congregational Church in Aurora will host the Mobile Museum of Tolerance on Sunday, Nov. 23, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

With an on-board educator leading a workshop, the 50-foot bus will be stationed in the church parking lot, 406 W. Galena Blvd. The public is invited. Admission and parking are free. Sponsor is the church’s Students of the Beloved Community committee.

Instead of traditional museum artifacts, the bus features a workshop with a film followed by an educator-led dialogue on fighting for civil rights, roles of upstanders and bystanders and how students can help prevent hate while promoting tolerance.

The museum is provided by Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization.

Workshops use documentary films about the Holocaust or civil rights movement to teach the history of those time periods and how people were dehumanized based on their race and/or religion.

The museum's mission is to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds, empowering them to raise their voices to combat anti-Semitism, bullying, racism, hate and intolerance, and to promote human dignity.

In February 2021, America’s first Mobile Museum of Tolerance rolled out in Chicago. Since 2021, the outreach has expanded to 5 states, 66,000+ miles traveled and 9 Mobile Museums. Currently, museums operate in Illinois, Florida, New York, California, and Massachusetts.

The Wiesenthal Center is a leading international Jewish human rights organization founded in 1977 by Rabbi Marvin Hier. The SWC confronts anti-Semitism, hate, and terrorism, stands with Israel, defends the safety of Jews worldwide, and teaches the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations.