Take history to heart.
Take a stand for humanity.

Free Day/Black Friday at the Museum

Join us on Friday, November 29 for our November Free Day and some Black Friday deals!
Enjoy 25% off all regular priced merchandise in-store and online.
We have a membership deal! Buy one, gift one! This promotion is available in-store for one day only!

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Open Dec. 15: "Resilience"

Told from the point of view of Sansei (third generation) Japanese Americans, "Resilience - A Sansei Sense of Legacy" is an exhibition of eight artists whose work reflects on the generational impact of the forced imprisonment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

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Current Exhibitions

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Every night as I was scared and hungry and cold, my aunt Bella put her arms around me and whispered, ‘Tomorrow will be better.’

THE JOURNEY BACK: A VR EXPERIENCE

Experience the first-in-the-world virtual reality exhibition, The Journey Back, which applies cutting-edge technology to engage visitors on a journey as they walk through concentration camps with Holocaust Survivors who experienced them. Read More

Education is key to learning from the lessons of the Holocaust and confronting antisemitism.

Survivor Profiles: Sam Harris

Samuel R. Harris (born Szlamek Rzeznik) is one of the youngest Survivors of Nazi concentration camps. Born in 1935 in Deblin, Poland, he was just four years old when the Nazis occupied Poland. Sam and his seven siblings and parents were forced to move into the ghetto. Read more of Sam’s story>>

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It was like they were sitting right in front of me, and we were having a conversation.

Interactive Holograms: Survivor Stories Experiences

“Meet” a Survivor and ask them questions about what life was like before, during, and after the Holocaust in the interactive Abe & Ida Cooper Survivor Stories Experience holographic theater.

Upcoming Events

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Dec

6:30pm CST

On-Site: Book & Author: Our Nazi: An American Suburb’s Encounter with Evil

Dec

2:30pm CST

On-Site: Exhibition Opening: Resilience – A Sansei Sense of Legacy

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Photo credits: Scott Edwards; Kathleen Hinkel; David Seide; Chris Strong; Sierra Wolff

Voice of the Museum

Honoring International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today, as candles are lit in remembrance of the 79th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and with commemorations across the globe in observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember the victims and Survivors of the Holocaust. As an institution founded and built by Survivors of the Holocaust, we are inspired by their courage, resilience,… Read More

Joint Statement by Holocaust Museums

The following is a joint statement issued by The Florida Holocaust Museum, Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, The Zekelman Holocaust Center, Holocaust Center for Humanity, Holocaust & Humanity Center, and Holocaust Museum L.A. in response to the vandalism at Seattle’s Holocaust Center for… Read More

Museum Condemns Recent Antisemitism on College Campuses

We are concerned about the latest reports of increasing verbal harassment and physical violence targeting Jewish students on college campuses. It is all the more alarming that some of the harassment uses references to the Holocaust. Jewish Americans hold a wealth of political viewpoints, backgrounds, and identities. It is antisemitic to assume that, by being… Read More

Open Letter From Survivors

As the world watches the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza, moments like this reverberate with many Holocaust Survivors. Today, on the 85th anniversary of “Kristallnacht,” several Survivors have come together to share a message with the world. Our hearts are broken – but now is not the time to give up. Over 80 years ago… Read More

Developments in Israel and the Gaza Strip

Resolution of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors WHEREAS: We – the community of Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center – mourn the murder and wounding of hundreds of soldiers and innocent Israeli civilians during an unprovoked attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists, which is known to have resulted in more than 1,300… Read More

Take history to heart. Take a stand for humanity.