Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center

Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, the third largest Holocaust museum in the world, serves as a keeper of the lessons learned when humans commit atrocious acts of hatred. The museum also teaches patrons about the power one has to create change. Located in Skokie, Illinois, the museum was founded by Holocaust survivors living in Skokie who stood up to a proposed march that threatened their community in the 1970s. What started as a small store-front museum soon became a pillar in a community that, in the 1990s, played a critical role in the Illinois General Assembly's decision to mandate Holocaust education in public schools, making Illinois the first state in the country to do so. The museum and its 100 community partners collaborate annually to provide a forum for the public discussion of relevant topics and provide a stage for learning, engagement and action important in keeping the lessons of the Holocaust alive.