The power of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center is its ability to present the history of the Holocaust in ways that enable visitors to relate this experience to his or her own life today - the values we hold dear, the moral choices we each confront, and recognizing that each of us has the power to stand up to bigotry.

Through its core exhibition and a wide array of public programs, the new Museum has become a cherished destination for learning and reflection, as well as a foundation for advancing inter group understanding in our community.
Learn more about all of the exhibitions in the new Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

The Zev and Shifra Karkomi Permanent Exhibition
The Exhibition tells the story of the Holocaust, from pre-war German life through ghetto life and concentration camps to eventual liberation and resettlement throughout the world, with a special focus on post-war life in Israel and Skokie. More than 500 artifacts, documents and photographs help illustrate the narrative of the Holocaust while testimonies from local survivors add personal detail. A German Rail Car of the type used in Nazi deportation programs sits in the cleave of the building. As you pass, feel free to enter the rail car. The exhibition concludes with a summary film in the Pritzker Theater that connects the lessons of the Holocaust with other Genocides.

The average visit time is one to two hours. This exhibition is recommended for visitors 12 years of age and older.

Make a Difference: The Miller Family Youth Exhibition
Make a Difference: The Miller Family Youth Exhibition is designed for younger visitors aged 8-11, although everyone will find something engaging in this space. The exhibitions interactive and hands-on activities in the McDonald's Friendship Park help younger visitors identify who they are as individuals, explore what it takes to care for themselves and others, and how to make the difficult decisions that lead to being an upstander rather than a bystander. ITW's state-of-the-art "Take a Stand" exhibit is a virtual-reality experience that provides a safe forum for our younger visitors to explore their impact on their environment and how their decisions and actions affect others. The Polk Bros Global Community Theater offers a variety of film and live experiences.

Legacy of Absence Gallery
The Legacy of Absence Gallery focuses on the feelings of sadness and loss that continue in the shadow of the Holocaust and other modern genocides, including Cambodia, Rwanda and the Soviet Gulag. Through various artistic perspectives, these six galleries will help visitors gain an understanding of the impact of the Holocaust, genocide and human rights abuses on the individual and the various ways they express these feelings. The gallery features photographs, works of contemporary art, and multimedia displays from world-renowned artists such as Samuel Bak, Betye Saar and Jozef Szajna, among many others.

Room of Remembrance and Hall of Reflection

The Room of Remembrance pays special homage to the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Representative names of victims line the walls in a moving tribute to those who were lost. The inspirational Pritzker Hall of Reflection provides a forum for peaceful discussion and contemplation for groups and individuals.

TOUR TIMES

Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 10am

The Australian Museum has an international reputation in the fields of natural history and indigenous research, community programs and exhibitions. The Museum was established in 1827 and is Australia's first museum, with unique and extensive collections of natural science and cultural artefacts.

A Brief History
The Australian Museum is Australia's oldest museum: a museum of natural history and anthropology, its collections cover invertebrate and vertebrate zoology, mineralogy and palaeontology, and anthropology.

The Australian Museum was founded in 1827 when Earl Bathurst, Secretary of State for the Colonies, wrote, on 30 March, to Lieutenant-General Darling, Governor of New South Wales:

"It having been represented to me that it would be very desirable were the Government to afford its aid towards the formation of a Publick Museum at New South Wales where it is stated that many rare and curious specimens of Natural History are to be procured.. I am disposed.. to allow a sum, not exceeding 200 per annum... to be dispersed for the purpose of assisting in the accomplishment of this object"

A museum had earlier been planned in 1821 by the newly formed Philosophical Society of Australasia, and some specimens collected, but the Society folded in 1822. A new impetus came with the arrival, in 1826, of Alexander Macleay, entomologist and Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, appointed as NSW Colonial Secretary. Macleay, along with other prominent Sydney figures, lobbied for a museum.

A Brief History of the Collectors
From the beginning of European settlement, the curious specimens of the strange flora and fauna encountered were collected. The great interest by European naturalists in this 'land of contrarieties', together with the growing competitive imperial acquisitiveness of the great museums, saw large shipments of specimens of flora and fauna sent back to Europe, where descriptions and studies were published in the scientific literature. The small convict colony lacked naturalists to describe the new world encountered.

In 1827, when the idea for a museum was proposed, the impetus came from the desire to procure the 'many rare and curious specimens of Natural History' for naturalists in England. The early museum collections were acquired solely for display - for the edification and entertainment of the public. In 1832, Dr George Bennett, medical practitioner and naturalist, visited the Museum and described the infant institution in his 'Wanderings in New South Wales...'[1834]:

'the ornithological collection is by far the best, both for the number, and being beautifully stuffed and 'set up' in attitudes... There are also several of the mammalia, and reptiles of the colony in the collection.'

Facilities

Parking
There is no parking on site. Coaches can drop off in College Street.

Shop
All major credit cards accepted (except Diners). Purchases can be mailed overseas (shipping and handling charges apply). Shop opening hours 9.30am to 16.45pm

Restaurant and Functions
A Sydney icon, Australias first Museum offers a selection of extraordinary venue combined with a superior level of personal and professional service.
Cocktails, dinners, conferences, product launches and workshops can be seamlessly accommodated and tailored to suit your needs.

Other Facilities
There are baby change rooms and disabled toilets on site. Disabled access to all levels of the Museum (disabled entrance via William Street).

Times:
Open 9.30am to 16.45
(Museum is closed by 17.00)

The Australian Museum is open every day except Christmas Day(25December)

Entrance via College Street

Customers must present voucher on arrival at the museum at the College Street Entrance.

Child ages 5-15 years.

The city of Petropolis is located 60 km away from Rio and it has been called the Imperial City since the Emperor Pedro II. Settled by the Germans, Petropolis keeps the memory of Brazilian history with its buildings and charming streets.

This tour starts with the visit to the Imperial Museum, which has been the summer residence of the Emperor D. Pedro II and that keeps furniture and objects such as the crown of gold, pearls and diamonds used by D. Pedro I and D. Pedro II.

The tour will continue on to the Gothic Cathedral where Princess Isabel was buried along with the tombstones of D. Pedro II and his wife. From there you will see the Crystal Palace, built in France and mounted in Brazil, destined to shelter exhibitions and great parties promoted by Princess Isabel.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS: