Holocaust museum opens in the Midwest

— -- With speeches from former President Clinton and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center opened this week in the Chicago suburb of Skokie, Ill. The $45 million museum, conceived by survivors after a neo-Nazi group threatened to march in Skokie in the late-1970s, is 65,000 square feet and contains exhibitions that tell the story of the Holocaust from pre-war German life to concentration camps and finally to liberation. The walls of the Room of Remembrance list the names of the victims, and the Hall of Reflection offers visitors the chance to pay homage to the 6 million Jews and millions of others murdered during the Holocaust. The museum is open Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $5-$8. Information: ilholocaustmuseum.org, 847-967-4800.

Coinciding with the opening, the Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center Chicago North Shore is offering free lodging to Holocaust survivors traveling to the area. The offer starts today and lasts for one year. "Having this museum in the Midwest has such great significance to Holocaust survivors, we felt it was important to honor the survivors and their legacies by opening our doors to them," Joe Dadiego, Doubletree general manager, said in a statement. Information: chicagonorthshore.doubletree.com, 847-679-7000.