Holocaust museum 'a force for good'
What began as a storefront museum organized by Holocaust survivors becomes an independent, brick and mortar testament to awareness, tolerance and remembrance with the opening of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center this month in Skokie.
On Thursday, Holocaust survivors, museum supporters and public officials including Governor Patrick Quinn and former Secretary of State Colin Powell gathered at the museum for an inaugural gala during which they paid tribute to its mission and the millions of people it memorializes.
"The Holocaust was no ordinary conflagration, it was an unprecedented act of arson," said Powell to a crowd of 2,400.
The museum will exist not just as a symbol of remembrance but to inspire acts of tolerance, he said.
"It will serve as a living tribute- an affirmation of our common humanity and our common suffering," Powell said. "We must never forget."
The museum is the result of efforts by members of the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois, established by Holocaust survivors in the wake of the 1978 march in Skokie by members of the Nazi Party. The group established a storefront museum, which they operated up until a few years ago, and a speaker's bureau whose members traveled throughout the state sharing their stories.
About 10 years ago, the foundation began working to expand the museum which would, as executive director Richard S. Hirschhaut described Thursday, "act large and be a force for good."
Its striking, deeply symbolic design by renowned architect Stanley Tigerman, is at once daunting and uplifting. Made of steel and cinder block, comprised of two buildings - one light and one dark - it is a study in contrasts that Tigerman described in a video overview as the most important building he has ever produced.
The museum opens officially April 19 at 9602 Woods Drive, Skokie. Former president Bill Clinton delivers the keynote address at the event which includes special guests Elie Wiesel, Senator Dick Durbin and Governor Pat Quinn. Tickets are free but require reservations. See ilholocaustmuseum.org for information.