Skokie is about to become the site of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, an ultra-modern facility in both senses of the word.

On one hand, its design, conceived by world-renowned Chicago architect and theorist Stanley Tigerman, exemplifies latest trends in architecture. On the other, its mission, responding to contemporary problems, aims at presenting the issue of genocide and at teaching younger generations how to say “no” to future Holocausts targeting specific ethnic groups. The Center is scheduled to open in early 2008.

“After the war, Skokie became the home to the greatest concentration of Holocaust survivors outside of Israel. They came to America to rebuild their lives, have families, become an integral part of the country, and, as Americans, live in a free democracy. They were able to realize their dream thanks to their courage, hard work, and resilience. They formed a group of people who were given a second chance in life and seized it,” says Richard S. Hirschhaut, the executive director of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.

And yet, thirty years later, in the late 1970s, the same people were once more confronted with the image of the swastika and attacks by the neo-Nazi. The peace of their neighborhood was disturbed by Ku Klux Klan rallies.

“These incidents compelled Skokie residents to share their Holocaust experiences with the society. The survivors decided to tell their stories in the hope that no one else would ever undergo a similar ordeal. Until then, most survivors had never talked of their past, not even to their families. And if they did talk about it, they whispered so that the children would not hear, or spoke another language—Yiddish, German, or Hebrew—so that they would not understand. The events of the 1970s served as a waking call and led to recognizing the need for an institution that would not only commemorate the victims of Holocaust, but also educate succeeding generations. As a consequence, Skokie became synonymous with teaching the Holocaust and recounting the tragic events to the young,” explains R. Hirschhaut.

In 1981, a small Holocaust museum was constructed in Skokie, thanks to the efforts of the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois. The scope of its educational activities went beyond providing historical resources to include cautioning against the dangers of manifestations of racial hatred.

The museum welcomes over 25,000 students a year. Yet, it was the introduction of Holocaust themes into public school curricula that presented the greatest challenge. The Land of Lincoln was the first U.S. state to mandate Holocaust education in history classrooms. “Holocaust used to be treated very selectively in public schools and never in the proper context, while history textbooks hardly mentioned the topic,” clarifies R. Hirschhaut. As a result of the Foundation’s lobbying, the state of Illinois enacted legislation requiring schools to incorporate not only Holocaust, but questions of genocide and discrimination into their curriculum.

The New Museum: From “Black” To “White”

“It is estimated that the new museum will welcome over 250,000 students and visitors annually,” says R. Hirschhaut.

The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center will measure 65,000 square feet and constitute the largest structure of the kind in the Midwest. Situated in the suburbs, at 9306 Woods Drive, just off Edens Expressway at Golf Rd and Woods Dr, and encompassed by the Forest Preserve, the building’s architecture is bound to attract attention. Its location will also foster reflection and personal response to the visit. The construction comes with a 35 million dollar price tag. As of today, the founding committee has raised half the required sum.

“Stanley Tigerman’s design combines two separate wings, one black and the other white,” notes Paweł Hardej, a developer and a member of the project’s advisory committee. “The dark wing constitutes the first structure inspired by the shape of concentration camp barracks and will form the main museum entrance. It will be very somber in tone, with its architecture reminiscent of guard towers, barbed wire entanglements, brick walls, etc. The visitors entering the museum are going to follow the heart-rending history of the Holocaust, remote as well as recent, and pass through a number of exhibition halls. They will then cross the middle wing into the white building, a contemporary glass and steel construction admitting much light. With the passage from darkness to light the focus of the exhibition will shift to the future and education. The visitor will leave the exhibition feeling uplifted rather than dejected.”

The museum’s architecture may be read differently. The tripartite construction begins with the “descent into darkness” represented by the confined dark wing which alludes to the Western Wall of the Jerusalem Temple. The shape of the middle wing represents the book of remembrance, a monument to those who perished in the Holocaust. The third wing symbolizes ascension towards light, and is going to house the education center. Yet another interpretation could relate the architecture to the Luriannic Kabala.

“The new museum will foreground education. We want to show that Holocaust was not conceived overnight. Auschwitz did not begin with laying bricks for crematoria, but with an outpour of hatred left unchecked. We would like the visitors to learn to recognize the signs of hatred and to confront them,” says Richard Hirschhaut. “We want to cultivate an attitude that expresses the slogan “Never more!” Our goal is to demonstrate the incredible courage shown by millions of people in the face of death; people who frequently risked their own lives and those of their loved ones. The exhibit will also include a presentation of the life of Jews prior to the Holocaust, their religion and customs. Naturally, its main theme is the annihilation of the Jewish nation, but it will conclude with stories of survival.”

Two prominent designers, who participated in similar projects around the world, are going to work on the interiors and the exhibitions: Michael Berenbaum and Yitzchak Mais. Although they had never worked together before, they agreed to collaborate on the project in Illinois. The museum will house permanent as well as temporary exhibitions featuring objects loaned from other Holocaust museums. There will also be a movie theater, a lecture hall with the seating capacity of 270, a library, and classrooms destined for school use.

There will equally be a special space for children under 12. “Perhaps grandparents reluctant to broach the topic at home may be encouraged by the participation of larger groups of children. This would be a lesson bridging different generations,” says R. Hirschhaut. “We certainly intend to explain the process of extermination, but not through reconstructing the path to the gas chamber. Besides, the visitors should be offered a free choice: if they wish to bypass part of the exhibit, they won’t have to resign to it just because they have to follow the museum tour.”

“Our permanent exhibition will feature an authentic German railcar used to transport Jews to the death camps. Visitors will have the option of going inside. There will also be on display a number of items from camp museums, including a pair of shoes from Majdanek, whose leather still preserves a specific odor that will give visitors a particular olfactory experience. We won’t be including such horrific exhibits as the human hair in Auschwitz. Instead, our exhibition will feature enlargements of camp photographs, family pic tures, identification cards, marriage certificates. The focus will be on personal experiences of in-
dividual victims whose nightmare should serve others as a lesson. We intend to help visitors cultivate the conviction that the horror should not happen again. If we achieve that goal and succeed in educating young people, the museum will be a great accomplishment,” concludes R. Hirschhaut.

Various objects, such as letters from the camps, photos, and personal keepsakes will be sealed in a time capsule installed at the museum and reopened hundred years later.

The Center could devote a portion of the exhibit to the Polish experience. Paweł Hardej also came out with the idea of presenting images from the Warsaw uprising, available in private collections. “I hope that other Poles will join in supporting the museum. I think it is a worthwhile project. Thanks to the Center, we might be able to promote programs focusing on different approaches to the Holocaust and to human suffering in general. In my opinion, a Polish exhibit could take up not only the Warsaw uprising of 1944, but the Ghetto uprising, and many other things, both positive and negative. There are many topics that were avoided for years, and we nearly forgot how to talk about them,” says Paweł Hardej. “I am wary of negative reactions to this article on the part of the Polish community, because I sense there persist traces of racism and anti-Semitism. Yet my own case proves, I think, that understanding and cooperation are possible. Younger Jewish, Polish, and German generations, despite their rich history and traditions, are very much alike and view things from a similar perspective. The reason I am doing this is because I feel indebted to Poland where I was raised, and to people who lost their lives in the camps. If I can repay them somehow, I am going to feel better about myself. And if the Polish and Jewish communities can benefit from my actions, all the better.”

The project is coordinated by the executive board and aided by an advisory committee comprised of different community members, such as J.B. Pritzker who was actively engaged in the fundraising efforts.

Paweł Hardej campaigns in the Polish community: “I have always been fascinated by the history of World War II, by the Warsaw uprising. My family has been rooted in Warsaw for generations, and I am in love with my city. I started collecting uniforms and military insignia already as a child. Nevertheless, I consider myself a pacifist and despise war; I think that examples of wartime heroism help alter our perspective on life. For instance, when I am down, have a bad day, feel tired or frustrated, I pick up my old books on Monte Cassino or on the Warsaw uprising. As I read about 19-year-olds who went through things we find hard to imagine today, I immediately reach the conclusion that I am in great shape, had a wonderful day, and my problems are mere trifles.”

Everyone can become part of the project: by contributing 10-20 dollars; donating keepsakes related to the Holocaust; or presenting ideas for further cooperation or future exhibitions.

“The idea of creating a museum in Skokie seems to have been very well-received in the area. Many people are familiar with the museum in Washington, D.C. which, by the way, offered us a great deal of support. At the same time, people realize that nearly 90% of local students are unable to travel to Washington to see it. Thanks to our initiative, they will have an opportunity to learn more about the Holocaust,” adds R. Hirschhaut.

Presently, the site is being prepared for construction and contractors are placing bids on the museum and the education center project. The construction should start as early as autumn of this year. Grand opening is slated for spring 2008. 

More information can be found at: www.hmfi.org 

PLUS Journal/September 2006