Latest news with #IllinoisHolocaustMuseum
CBS News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie, Illinois, temporarily closing for renovations
The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in the north Chicago suburb of Skokie is temporarily closing for a major renovation project. The museum, at 9603 Woods Dr. near the site where the Edens Expressway crosses over Gold Road, closed all its exhibitions Monday. The museum will remain open for public programs and training sessions by reservation only through the end of the month, and will close completely on July 1. During the closure, the Skokie museum will be renovated to build a new lobby that can hold "vastly more guests of all ages and abilities." Also planned are a new visitor welcome center, a redesigned auditorium, and a reflection space in the Karkomi Holocaust exhibition. While the main Skokie museum will be closed, the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center will open a downtown satellite location featuring some of its most popular exhibitions. This satellite location will be in the former Museum of Broadcast Communications space at 360 N. State St. in River North. The State Street location will open this summer, and will remain open for a year. It will feature several award-winning exhibitions — including the museum's Virtual Reality and Holographic Theatres, and stories of survivors of the Holocaust and genocides around the world. The main Skokie museum will partially reopen on Jan. 2, 2026, with limited content that will be announced at a later time, and will fully reopen in the summer of 2026 with a grand reopening.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Hate is not an American value': State officials react to fatal shooting of 2 Israeli Embassy staffers in DC
CHICAGO — A Chicago man is in custody on Thursday morning in connection with the fatal shooting of two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington. The victims were gunned down as they were leaving an event that was being held at the Capital Jewish Museum. In a post shared on X, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino called the shooting an 'act of terror.' Two Israeli embassy staff members shot and killed near D.C. Jewish museum; suspect arrested is from Chicago 'Last night's act of terror has the full attention of your FBI. Targeted acts of anti-Semitic violence are typically carried out by spineless, gutless cowards. And the penalties will be harsh as we tighten up this investigation and run down any additional leads. I should have additional updates for you shortly as I head back to FBI HQ,' Bongino said. 'The Illinois Holocaust Museum mourns the senseless murder of two staff members of Israel's embassy, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, who were tragically shot last night at the Capital Jewish Museum. Our hearts go out to their families, the Israeli community, and all affected by this horrific act. We stand united against antisemitism and violence against Jews in all forms and reject the normalization of hate and violence as unacceptable,' a spokesperson for the Illinois Holocaust Museum said in a statement shared Thursday morning. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned the deadly shooting, calling it an 'antisemitic attack.' 'Acts of antisemitism, hate and violence have no place in our nation. I strongly condemn the antisemitic attack resulting in the murder of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim – two Israeli embassy staff – at the Capitol Jewish Museum last night in Washington, D.C.,' Johnson said. 'We send out deepest condolences and pray for the victims, their families, colleagues, and those who loved them,' Johnson said. Some state officials in Illinois have issued statements following the deadly shooting. Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, who recently announced a Senate bid, called the shooting 'horrific' and vowed to fight against antisemitism if elected. 'I am sickened by the horrific killing of two Israeli embassy officials outside the Capital Jewish Museum last night. What was meant to be a night of celebration and unity was ripped apart by a senseless act of violence and hate against the Jewish community. I am praying for the families and all those affected,' Stratton said. 'This horrific shooting is emblematic of the rise of antisemitism that has taken root in communities all across the country. It's unacceptable. As Lieutenant Governor, I'm proud to lead in an administration that established the Help Stop Hate program to combat the rise of hate crimes across our state, but that work is never done. As Senator, I'll continue to fight against antisemitism everywhere it takes place, and I'll continue working to make Illinois and America a place where the Jewish community can be safe and live free from the fear of violence.' Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who represents Illinois's 8th congressional district, called the shooting a 'horrific act of violence' in a statement shared late Wednesday night. 'My office is closely monitoring the tragic shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. As we await further details, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this horrific act of violence,' Rep. Brad Schneider who represents Illinois's 10th congressional district, also referred to the shooting as an apparent act of 'anti-semitic violence.' 'It's horrifying to see what appears to be anti-semitic violence right here in the nation's capital. While authorities complete a full investigation, we must come together and say 'Am Yisrael Chai,'' Schneider said in an X post. Global leaders are condemning the fatal attack on 2 Israeli Embassy staffers. Here's what they said 'This is absolutely devastating. I'm keeping the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community in my prayers. No one should live in fear. We must stand united against hate—always,' Rep. Nikki Budzinski, who represents Illinois's 13th congressional district said. Congressman Eric Sorensen, who represents Illinois's 17th congressional district, issued a video statement addressing the shooting, calling it an 'apparent act of terrorism' 'My thoughts and my prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as those who were in attendance and the Irasalie embarassdor. But I also want to acknowledge a rising tide of antisemitism in our country. Hate is not an American value,' Sorensen said. Sara Feigenholtz, who represents Illinois 6th Senate District said she was heartbroken by the incident.' 'I am heartbroken at this act of senseless violence. Antisemitism is what killed two innocent souls last night who were gunned down in cold blood. My heart breaks for their loved ones and all who care about them and the future of humanity,' Feigenholtz said. 'Yaron Lischinsky is described by his friends as both a brilliant and kind person. He was a devout Christian and a gifted linguist who loved America. Sarah Milgram was a young woman who dedicated her life to building peace. Until hate and continued delegitimization of a people and their state ends, antisemitism will continue to flourish. To honor Sarah Milgram's memory, legacy and her commitment to peaceful coexistence, we must end the scourge of hate and antisemitism.' Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. According to the Associated Press, Lischinsky was a research assistant, and Milgrim organized visits and missions to Israel. 'Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. They were in the prime of their lives,' an official from the Israeli embassy said in a post shared on X early Thursday morning. The statement went on to describe the shooter as a 'terrorist.' 'The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder. No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss,' the post read in part. Yechiel Leiter, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., told the Associated Press that Lischinsky had purchased a ring this week with the intent to propose to Milgrim in Jerusalem next week. Authorities identified the suspect arrested in connection with the shooting as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, a Chicago resident. At a news conference held early Thursday morning, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said the victims were among a group of four people who were approached by the suspect before he allegedly opened fire. Here's what we know about the DC shooting where 2 staff members of the Israeli Embassy were killed Additionally, Rodriguez had allegedly been spotted pacing outside the museum prior to the shooting. He was then detained by event security after he walked into the museum after the shooting. At the time he was taken into custody, Rodriguez allegedly began chanting 'Free, free Palestine,' Smith said. A spokesperson for the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) confirmed Thursday morning that Rodriguez had been employed with them and promised to cooperate with investigators during their investigation. The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) joins with the American Osteopathic Information Association (AOIA) to express our profound sorrow in response to the tragic shooting deaths of two Israeli embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday evening. We were shocked and saddened to learn that an AOIA employee has been arrested as a suspect in this horrific crime. Both the AOIA and AOA stand ready to cooperate with the investigation in any way we can. As a physician organization dedicated to protecting the health and sanctity of human life, we believe in the rights of all persons to live safely without fear of violence. We extend our deepest sympathy to the victims' loved ones, wishing them peace, comfort and strength during this unimaginably difficult time. AOA President Teresa A. Hubka, DO, FACOOG (Dist.), CS, and Kathleen S. Creason, MBA. A spokesperson for the FBI Chicago Field Office told WGN-TV that it was supporting the Washington Field Office in its investigation into the deadly shooting. On Thursday morning, agents with the FBI Chicago field office were spotted raiding a residence in East Albany Park. A spokesperson later confirmed that agents were conducting authorized law enforcement activity in the area in relation to the shooting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MCC presents interactive Holocaust survivor testimonies in new exhibit
Muscatine Community College (MCC) will bring history to life with The Journey Back: A Virtual Reality Experience, an interactive exhibition developed by the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, according to a news release. Using 360-degree immersive technology, the exhibit shares firsthand Holocaust Survivor testimonies in a deeply personal way. The exhibit will be open to the public April 21-May 2 at MCC's Loper Hall. Participants will use virtual reality headsets to follow survivors as they revisit key locations from their past, including childhood homes, ghettos, and concentration camps. The exhibit is free and open to ages 12 and older. MCC Student Engagement Coordinator Trevor Meyers led efforts to bring 'The Journey Back' to campus after experiencing it at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. 'Listening to a Holocaust Survivor's story is powerful, but stepping into their world through virtual reality is something entirely different,' Meyers said. 'This experience allows you to connect with history in a deeply personal way—one that stays with you. The moment I experienced it myself, I knew our students and the Muscatine community needed that opportunity also.' The Illinois Holocaust Museum provides Mobile VR Trunks to institutions across the country, equipping them with 10 Meta Quest 2 VR headsets, synchronized viewing tablets, and other essential technology. Survivor stories Participants can choose from five immersive Survivor stories, each lasting 13-23 minutes: A Promise Kept – Fritzie Fritzshall returns to her hometown and Auschwitz, sharing the promise she made to the 599 women who helped save her life. Don't Forget Me – George Brent retraces his journey through Auschwitz, Mauthausen, and Ebensee, revealing his will to survive. Letters from Drancy – Marion Deichmann recounts her childhood escape across Northern Europe and survival of D-Day in Normandy. Walk to Westerbork – Rodi Glass revisits her imprisonment at Westerbork transit camp and Vittel internment camp. Escape to Shanghai – Doris Fogel's journey from Germany to Shanghai, China—one of the few places that welcomed Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. Registration and accessibility Advance registration is required, though walk-ins will be accommodated as space allows. Participants should arrive 5-10 minutes early to check in and set up their VR headset. Because of the historical content, the exhibit is recommended for ages 12 and up, with parents and educators encouraged to determine suitability for younger attendees. The VR experience is stable and seated, with no movement required. Free parking is available on campus, and all MCC buildings are handicap accessible. For more information or to register, visit this event link. About the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center Guided by its mission to 'Remember the Past, Transform the Future,' the Illinois Holocaust Museum preserves Holocaust history and educates the public on human rights and social justice. Through exhibitions like 'The Journey Back,' the museum ensures these lessons continue to resonate with future generations. This initiative is supported by The Kimberly Duchossois Family Global Immersive Technology Initiative, The Diana C. Hunter Trust, and The Spagat Family Virtual Reality Trunk Program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New Illinois Holocaust Museum exhibit explores Japanese American incarceration during WWII
The Brief "Resilience – A Sansei Sense of Legacy" explores the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans. The exhibit features powerful artwork, historical artifacts, and personal stories. Dr. Roy Wesley, whose family was interned, emphasizes the importance of remembering this history. SKOKIE, Ill. - A new exhibit at the Illinois Holocaust Museum is shining a light on a lesser-known chapter of American history: the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. What we know "Resilience – A Sansei Sense of Legacy" highlights the forced relocation and imprisonment of thousands of families, mostly from the West Coast, under Executive Order 9066. Among the exhibit's powerful pieces is an installation made of tags bearing the names of those sent to internment camps across the country—each individual reduced to a number. Dr. Roy Wesley, a former internee, was an infant when his family was forced from their home in Portland, Oregon, and sent to a camp in Idaho. His father, an ophthalmologist, lost his practice, and his entire family was uprooted. "My parents and my grandparents, my family were all interned at the same time under the Executive Order 9066, which was a continuation of the Enemy Alien Act of 1798 which was recently reenacted again, even though when Roosevelt signed it, it was wartime. This today is not wartime," said Dr. Wesley. Dr. Wesley, an advocate for preserving Japanese American history, has worked with the Japanese American Service Committee (JASC) to document and share these experiences. He did not fully understand what had happened to his family until his 30s, when he began uncovering the tragic details. "I did not know anything about this until I got into my 30s, when I finally discovered what actually happened. It was eye-opening because I didn't realize all this tragedy had occurred to my grandparents, to my parents, to myself and my brother," said Dr. Wesley. The exhibit includes artwork, photographs, and videos, as well as a quilted kimono created by JASC members in honor of those imprisoned. "They that put the quilt together to memorialize the people who were in the incarceration camps — fhey were prisoners of the US government," said Dr. Wesley. What's next Dr. Wesley hopes visitors will take the time to learn about this painful yet important history. He draws a connection between past injustices and the present, echoing the Illinois Holocaust Museum's mission to remember and learn from history. "It's very timely, and it's something that people should pay attention to because, as in the Illinois Holocaust museum itself, with a slogan 'Never forget, always remember' what happened and if we forget, this period of time, worse atrocities will happen in the future," he said. The exhibit is open through June 1 at the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie. The Source Roseanne Tellez reported on this story.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Editorial: Trump's executive orders are nothing new. Neither are the court challenges
At the Illinois Holocaust Museum, soon to undergo a major renovation, a heart-tugging special exhibit in Skokie explores the internment of Japanese Americans in U.S. prison camps during World War II. Front and center as visitors enter the exhibit? An executive order from the desk of then-President Franklin Roosevelt. The notorious Order 9066 paved the way for imprisoning citizens, declaring the West Coast a war zone and thus permitting it to be cleared of anyone with Japanese heritage after the Pearl Harbor attack. Shamefully, more than 120,000 people were rounded up under threat of arrest and moved to harsh makeshift camps under armed guard. Americans have been hearing a lot about executive orders since President Donald Trump took office in January. During his speech to a joint session of Congress, Trump bragged about already having signed more than 100 executive orders (some in front of cameras) and taking more than 400 executive actions — piling them up at a much faster pace than he did during his first term. Courts across the country are considering challenges, upholding some of Trump's orders for now and temporarily blocking others. People losing their minds over this spectacle need to remember that executive orders numbering in the hundreds are part of every modern administration, as are the court challenges. Presidential orders and actions shaped American history long before Trump, for good and bad. Illinois Republican Abraham Lincoln authored the Emancipation Proclamation, leaving no doubt the Civil War was being fought for civil rights. And before his terrible wartime order locking up blameless citizens, Roosevelt used executive orders to push through his New Deal. Those who oppose a president's orders typically demonize them, as Democrats have done with Trump. 'His disrespect for the rule of law was unprecedented,' the Heritage Foundation once wrote. That judgment wasn't about Trump, but rather President Bill Clinton, whose orders expanding federal regulations and environmental protections aggravated the conservative group, which went on to publish the Project 2025 playbook that featured so prominently at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Through executive action, Trump has launched jarring attacks on civil servants, immigrants in the country without legal permission, LGTBQ people and anyone involved in diversity initiatives. He pardoned felons who attacked police in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, while also targeting government watchdogs. He canceled predecessor Joe Biden's executive orders addressing climate change, among others. With Congress in the hands of Trump's GOP, the pressure very much is on the judiciary to call balls and strikes. Executive orders are unlawful if they override federal laws and statutes, and the president cannot use them to sidestep checks and balances, such as the power vested in Congress to make new laws or vested in the courts to determine if an executive action is constitutional. Trump already has run afoul of the Constitution with his order meant to curb birthright citizenship. 'It has become ever more apparent that to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals,' wrote U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee who has blocked Trump's order — which we hope was a bit of political theater rather than a serious effort to overturn the 14th Amendment's explicit guarantee. While we expect similar court decisions to follow as the president tests the limits of his executive power, we also expect that much of Trump's agenda will survive court challenges. For better or worse. As history demonstrates, even lawful orders can still cause harm. Trump's decision to rescind President Lyndon Johnson's order setting civil rights obligations for federal contractors does not conflict with any statute, for instance, but his action still undermines civil liberties. Trump's pardons of the Jan. 6 criminals also are firmly within his legal purview under the Constitution although they shocked many Americans and understandably so. Plus, Americans can't always count on the courts to get it right. In the case of Roosevelt's Order 9066, the Supreme Court, by a 6-3 vote, upheld the internment of Japanese Americans. The consequences were awful, and the Holocaust Museum exhibit does a good job showing how awful: 'Japanese Americans lost their homes, family heirlooms and treasured possessions, pets, properties, farms, jobs and businesses.' Most importantly, they lost their personal liberty for years. The exhibit goes on to document how being treated as enemies took a traumatic toll on those incarcerated, who faced barriers to resettlement after the war ended and the camps finally were closed. There were no silver linings, though the exhibit documents how many Japanese Americans anticipating a hostile reception on the West Coast instead sought a fresh start in Chicago, forming mutual aid groups and making a new home in a new city they helped grow and flourish through their remarkable efforts that impacted multiple generations of Chicagoans. One lesson to be learned? Humility. Some of the president's most devoted followers like to think of the U.S. as uniquely virtuous and their hero as practically infallible. But to avoid repeating America's past sins, it's critical to acknowledge them when they occur and that includes Order 9066. Believing presidents can do no wrong exposes our great country to the risk of committing more wrongs in the future. _____
