[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 21, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E918]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING THE GRAND OPENING OF THE ILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MUSEUM AND 
                            EDUCATION CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 21, 2009

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, on Sunday, April 19th, over 10,000 
people gathered in Skokie, Illinois, joining special guests President 
Bill Clinton, Elie Wiesel, and Governor Pat Quinn to celebrate the 
grand opening of the new Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education 
Center. President Obama personally offered his congratulations on a 
recorded video. I had the great opportunity to participate in the 
opening of this beautiful new museum, which will share the history of 
the Holocaust and teach the importance of combating hatred, 
indifference, and genocide to current and future generations across the 
Midwest.
  Skokie, located in my district, is a community that knows the 
importance of preserving memories and teaching history. In the wake of 
World War II, the community offered an attractive haven to Jewish 
families, including Holocaust survivors searching for a new life in 
America. Between 1945 and 1955, an estimated 3,000 Jewish families came 
to Skokie, building a vibrant Jewish community.
  Children who grew up in Skokie during this time recall daily life 
carrying an underpinning of trauma. They share stories of parents 
unable to sleep, panicking when their children returned home late, and 
refusing to take showers. However, while they describe seeing tattooed 
numbers on arms as commonplace, the Holocaust wasn't something 
survivors wanted to talk about. Many Skokie Jews remember not knowing 
which of their friends had survived gas chambers.
  That changed in the mid-1970s. In 1976, neo-Nazi Frank Collin 
threatened to march in the town, distributing fliers proclaiming ``we 
are coming'' and telling the Chicago Sun-Times, ``I hope they're 
terrified.'' Survivors, who had worked for decades to rebuild a sense 
of personal security, suddenly found themselves threatened once again.
  The people of Skokie, led by the survivor community, fought back 
against Collin. The case ultimately went to court and, after uproar 
from around the world, the march was held elsewhere.
  In the wake of those events, Chicago-area survivors founded the 
Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois, a group dedicated to 
fighting hatred through education. The group has educated school and 
community groups since 1981, and the first museum was opened in 1985. 
In large part due to the organization and advocacy of the survivor 
community, in 1990 Illinois became the first state where Holocaust 
education is mandatory.
  Today, there are an estimated 7,000 Holocaust survivors still living 
in the Chicago area, and as many as 1,000-2,000 of them currently live 
in Skokie. Most are now in their 70s, 80s, or 90s. Like the town of 
Skokie itself, the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center would 
not have been possible without their active involvement and input. Its 
permanent exhibits show hundreds of artifacts, many which have been 
collected in recent years from local residents. The museum will also 
present thousands of video interviews with survivors, conducted and 
donated by Steven Spielberg and his Shoah Foundation.
  Madam Speaker, the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center may 
be one of the last Holocaust museums to be built in collaboration with 
survivors. The new 65,000-square foot museum will have the capacity to 
serve over 250,000 annual visitors, and will teach countless people, 
young and old, the importance of actively fighting hatred and 
prejudice. In a world where genocide continues, despite decades of 
pledging ``never again,'' these are priceless lessons.

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