The Take a Stand Center T A K E H I S T O R Y T O H E A R T. T A K E A S T A N D F O R H U M A N I T Y.
PA R T O F T H E M U S E U M ’S N E W TA K E A S TA N D C E N T E R , THE ABE & IDA COOPER SURVIVOR STORIES EXPERIENCE
uses groundbreaking, state-of-the-art technology to enable recorded Survivors to tell their deeply moving personal stories, respond spontaneously to free-form questions, and engage meaningfully and movingly with a live audience.
We must never forget. TELLING OUR STORIES TO KEEP MEMORIES AND LESSONS ALIVE
“I MADE A PROMISE TO THE WOMEN IN AUSCHWITZ THAT IF I SURVIVED, I WOULD TELL THE WORLD MY STORY.” F R I T Z I E F R I T Z S H A L L , Holocaust Survivor, Museum President
The world has changed dramatically since the Holocaust.
of genocide, intolerance, and inhumanity—historic and present
Tragically, the human capacity for inhumanity has not.
day, domestic and global. We do it by empowering and enabling
The evidence is stark: Genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. The global immigration crisis. Antisemitism and other hatred on the rise worldwide. Bullying rampant in schools and online. All stand as proof that intolerance and inhumanity still threaten the security, well-being, and far too often the lives of our fellow human beings. That must change, and you can help make it happen.
S TA N D I N G U P T O H AT R E D Since 1981, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center has focused on one clear mission: To use the history and lessons of the Holocaust to transform the future—to equip all visitors with the knowledge, skills, and courage to take a stand for humanity. We do this by preserving and telling first-person Survivor stories that are moving and shocking, and ultimately uplifting and empowering. We do it through world-class exhibitions, education, and public programming that bring scholars, activists and artists together with the community to focus attention on issues
more than 150,000 students, teachers, and visitors each year to become Upstanders for social justice, to speak out against intolerance and genocide, and to lead by example.
Take your stand. With your support, the Museum’s new interactive Take a Stand Center will move visitors from knowledge to inspiration to action. We’ll help them understand the lessons of history, the power of their voices, and the choices they have for creating change. We’ll inspire them to apply the lessons learned to local, national, and global issues today. We’ll empower them to take a stand by putting tangible tools for change in their hands.
The world needs knowledge and know-how. E D U C AT I N G A N D I N S P I R I N G U P S TA N D E R S F O R TO DAY A N D TO M O R R O W
“THE INDESCRIBABLE EMOTIONS THAT WENT THROUGH MY BODY WHILE I WAS AT THE MUSEUM CHANGED THE WAY I LOOK AT EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD.” D A N N Y , eighth-grade student, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Waukegan, Illinois
Almost four decades ago, in response to a threatened neo-
We actively encourage students to recognize human rights
Nazi march in Skokie, Illinois, Holocaust Survivors in the
abuses in their own lives or the lives of others and give them
community took a bold and highly public stand against hatred.
tools and skills for making sound choices and taking action
Their courageous activism captured the attention of the world,
on the playground, in their neighborhoods and communities,
coalesced support, and ultimately inspired Museum founders
and in the world at large.
to lead the charge to make Illinois the first state in the country to mandate instruction of the Holocaust, and subsequently genocide, in school classrooms. Twenty-three states have since followed suit with similar mandates or legislation. In 2016, Illinois added a mandate for the study of civics, a decision aligned with our founders’ understanding that education is the first step toward civic responsibility and action.
T R A N S F O R M I N G K N O W L E D G E I N T O I N S I G H T, I N S P I R AT I O N , A N D AC T I O N
ENABLING AND EXTENDING THE MUSEUM EXPERIENCE School field trips to the Museum, generously funded by our supporters, offer students a hands-on learning experience for understanding the power of even a single voice and the importance of becoming an Upstander. Opportunity Scholarships ensure that all schools, regardless of resources, can provide this experience for their students. We also extend the Museum experience into classrooms across the Midwest through teacher-training programs; visits from our
Because we believe that education is the most effective tool
Speakers’ Bureau members; distribution of thematic teaching
for teaching the dangers of prejudice, hatred, and indifference,
trunks that provide Holocaust and genocide educational tools
the Museum takes a broad, multidimensional approach, one
for elementary, middle, and high school classes; and Student
that helps schools meet the state mandates. We open students’
Leadership Days that challenge young people to think about
eyes to the realities of the Holocaust in ways appropriate
citizenship and strategies for creating social change.
for their ages and sensibilities and connect those lessons to contemporary, real-world issues of intolerance and the abuses
Commit to take a stand.
and atrocities it engenders.
By supporting the new Take a Stand Center, you will directly impact our capacity to equip and empower teachers, students, and families to take a stand for humanity.
W I T H I T S B L E N D O F S T O R Y T E L L I N G A N D T E C H N O L O G Y,
the new Take a Stand Center’s Goodman Upstander Gallery broadens and extends our message beyond the Holocaust to other issues of social justice including civic, social, economic, and environmental rights.
T H E N E W TA K E A S TA N D C E N T E R O F F E R S A L E A R N I N G L A B O R A T O R Y where all can acquire and practice the civic skills
required to make their voices heard. The Take a Stand Lab is aligned with the Illinois mandate for civic education and applicable to other student groups and public audiences.
We all can take a stand. E M P O W E R I N G A N D E N A B L I N G P E O P L E A N D O R GA N I Z AT I O N S TO S TA N D U P F O R H U M A N I T Y
“BUILDING CITIZENSHIP AND TEACHING CHILDREN TO DO RIGHT IS MY GOAL. THE MUSEUM IS A PLACE TO LEARN THAT, AS WELL AS HOW TO BE KIND.” S U Z I G A N T Z , O. A. Thorp Scholastic Academy, Chicago
Visitors of all ages leave the Museum having walked through darkness into the light—physically, intellectually, and emotionally. You can see the transformative effect of the Museum experience expressed in their faces and hear it in their voices. This happens by design. Every detail of our stunning physical space, every exhibit and gallery installation, every program and event links visitors to our profoundly inspiring core message: Everyone can and must take a stand for humanity.
MEASURING OUTCOMES As a result of their interactions with the Take a Stand Center, Museum visitors can experience measurable changes in their:
Knowledge and skills • Increased capacity for historical and personal empathy • Increased knowledge of history and greater ability to relate it to current events • Greater knowledge of key local, national, and global issues • Increased understanding of methods and activities that can make an impact on important social issues • Increased understanding of the importance of expressing one’s opinion and ways in which to do so
• Increased understanding of community organizations operating in the social sector and ways to participate
Attitudes and behavior • Higher levels of interest in taking action on civic issues • Greater inclination to stand up and speak out for one’s self and others The Museum will measure achievement of these indicators of change through visitor surveys and exhibit analytics. Pre- and post-visit materials will guide students in applying the concepts they learn in their schools and communities.
Commit to take a stand. The new Take a Stand Center, enabled by groundbreaking technology, moves visitors through a progressively more engaged pathway to understanding, inspiration, and action. • Understanding the history and lessons of the Holocaust as told through the stories of Survivors in strikingly life-like ways • Inspiration to repair and strengthen our world in the areas of civil, social, economic, and environmental rights • Action to create positive change in their schools, communities, and world
The Take a Stand Center. BRINGING THE LESSONS OF HISTORY TO LIFE TO INSPIRE F U T U R E G E N E R AT I O N S O F U P S TA N D E R S
M A K I N G T H E L E S S O N S R E L E VA N T T O D AY Current local and global events compel us all to act with ethics and courage when confronted with a wrong or when we believe strongly in an important social issue. The new Take a Stand Center combines the state-of-the-art Holographic
Take a Stand Lab
Theater’s Survivor Stories Experience with the interactive
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Goodman Upstander Gallery and action-oriented Take a Stand Lab to set current and future generations on a path to becoming Upstanders and engaged citizens.
Abe & Ida Cooper Survivor Stories Experience Because today’s young people are likely the last generation
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F
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D
Goodman Upstander
to hear Holocaust Survivors recount their stories first hand, capturing and preserving those stories has become an educational and moral imperative. These interactions humanize and personalize history, leaving an indelible impression
Holocaust. Through strikingly lifelike interaction with these
unrivaled by any textbook.
recorded Survivors, participants learn the dangers of
Imagine a “conversation” with a recorded Holocaust Survivor. The Museum’s new, interactive Abe & Ida Cooper Survivor Stories Experience features groundbreaking technology, developed through USC Shoah Foundation’s New Dimensions
silence and indifference and how the power of their words and actions can transform the world.
Goodman Upstander Gallery
in Testimony project in partnership with the Museum. It com-
A natural segue from the Abe & Ida Cooper Survivor Stories
bines high-definition recording and custom voice recognition
Experience, the Goodman Upstander Gallery blends storytelling
technology to enable recorded Survivors to recount their
and technology to further expand participants’ understanding
experiences in their own voices, answer free-form questions
of social justice issues including civic, social, economic, and
meaningfully, and engage spontaneously with individual
environmental rights.
members of a live audience.
Holographic Theater This space is home to the stories of the 13 Survivors who have recorded their experiences and answers to thousands of questions related to their lives and lessons from the
• Multi-User Media Kiosk (B) invites individuals and groups to explore the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and profiles of Upstanders who have changed our world through their words and deeds. • Life-size Story Pods (C) immerse visitors in the lives, causes, and actions of approximately 30 Upstanders—historical and contemporary, famous and less well known—by touching and scrolling through topics of interest.
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Welcome Film
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Interactive Trilon Installations (2)
B
Multi-User Media Kiosk
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Interactive Media Kiosk
C
Story Pods (4)
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Success Stories Flip Books (2)
G
Leave-A-Pledge Interactive
A
Introduction Gallery
Art Gallery
Holographic Theater Abe & Ida Cooper Survivor Stories Experience
B
Gallery
• Interactive Trilons (D) expand opportunities for visitors to learn
before they leave the Museum. Participants also can come
about other Upstanders—who they are, where they’re from,
away with or email to themselves a personalized action list
the issues on which they work, and the words they use to
including resources they can use after visiting.
inspire. By interacting and identifying with these heroic stories, visitors come away inspired to enact positive change in their own communities.
Take a Stand Lab The action-oriented Take a Stand Lab encourages civic engagement by putting the power of change in visitors’ hands. By providing information about present-day local, national, and international issues along with ideas, tools, and opportunities to take action, the Lab enables visitors to get involved and make their voices heard. The Lab’s features include: • Interactive Media Kiosk (E) shows visitors how to write letters to elected officials or publication editors, spread the word
• Success Stories Flip Books (F) share stories and strategies of individuals and organizations that have taken a stand and made a positive difference in their communities. • Leave-A-Pledge Interactive (G) enables visitors to pledge to make a difference in their area of passion. Pledges will be grouped by issue to provide a sense of public priorities and foster communities of change makers.
Art Gallery The Museum’s Art Gallery (top right) bookends the Take a Stand Center’s visitor experience with an area of artistic response to global genocides.
about an issue of concern, speak up for victims of discrimination, and volunteer or raise funds on behalf of a cause—all
For additional description of exhibition components, see Take a Stand Center Naming Opportunities information.
“YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE TAKE A STAND CENTER HELPS ENSURE THAT SURVIVORS CAN TELL THEIR STORIES AND INSPIRE NEW GENERATIONS OF UPSTANDERS FOREVER.” S U S A N A B R A M S , Chief Executive Officer, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
ENGAGING AND E M P O W E R I N G U P S TA N D E R S The Museum’s stunning design by worldrenowned architect Stanley Tigerman embodies our foundational messaging through stark structural elements, dramatic lighting, and symbolism.
Core exhibitions document the full arc of the Holocaust story and address contemporary issues of intolerance and genocide.
Make a Difference! The interactive Harvey L. Miller Family Youth Exhibition empowers young visitors to use their voices and choices to stand up for themselves and others. Changing exhibitions explore a wide range of subjects that offer new perspectives on issues such as racial prejudice, cultural influence, and women’s rights. Special programming—films, concerts, book discussions, lectures, and more—brings artists, activists, educators, and the public together, stimulating new dialogue and action.
Commit to the future. H E L P U S B R I N G T H E TA K E A S TA N D C E N T E R TO L I F E
“THE TAKE A STAND CENTER IS A SIGNIFICANT PHILANTHROPIC OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE STRONGER COMMUNITIES. NORTHERN TRUST PROUDLY SUPPORTS THIS IMPORTANT MISSION.” S T E V E N L . F R A D K I N , President, Wealth Management, Northern Trust
The mission and message of Illinois Holocaust Museum
T A K E H I S T O R Y T O H E A R T.
& Education Center have never been more relevant. With your
T A K E A S T A N D F O R H U M A N I T Y.
support, we can secure the programmatic future of our world-class institution and fund the technological advances and interactive experiences that will: • Personalize and humanize lessons of the Holocaust and
Give generously now to the Take a Stand Center. Every gift to support the Take a Stand Center has an immediate
heighten each participant’s capacity for historical and
and lasting impact on our ability to expand our reach and to
personal empathy
shape future generations of Upstanders who will take what they
• Expand our visitors’ knowledge of local, national, and global
learn here to heart and commit to transforming the future.
issues; increase their understanding of the importance of
For more information about supporting
taking a stand; and show them how to do it
the Take a Stand Center, please contact:
• Set future generations on the path to becoming Upstanders who will speak out bravely for justice, involve themselves
Susan Abrams Chief Executive Officer
deeply in civic issues, and work actively to create schools,
susan.abrams@ilhmec.org
institutions, workplaces, and global communities free of
847.967.4880
intolerance, violence, and hate
Ken Cooper Vice President, Development ken.cooper@ilhmec.org 847.967.4502 Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, IL 60077 www.ilholocaustmuseum.org
P A S S I N G T H E T O R C H Aaron Elster, Holocaust Survivor and
Museum Vice President; Doris Lazarus, Museum docent and daughter of a Survivor; and Atticus Miller, fourth-grade student, are committed to keeping the stories alive.
Back Cover: Julian Humphries / Courtesy of Getty Images
Museum Images: James Schnepf, David Seide, and Robin Subar
Abe & Ida Cooper Survivor Stories Experience Photography: Ron Gould
Portrait Photography: Chris Strong