Holocaust Museum and Baha'i Temple -- September 22, 2009

It was a day for contemplation and reflection when OLLI visited two important sites near Chicago: the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie. OLLI instructor and retired architect Bennett Johnson joined us to point out some of the architectural details at each building.

Our day began with a private tour of the temple. One of only seven temples in the world, the unique structure stands for unity and invites prayer to God. The House of Worship in Wilmette was dedicated in 1953 after more than 30 years of construction. It is listed in the United States Register of Historic Places and has been designated as one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois.

After lunch at Hackney's on Lake, we traveled to Skokie to tour the Holocaust Museum, which opened earlier this year. Architect Stanley Tigerman created the three-part building dedicated to Holocaust survivors. We entered through the dark side, where dark walls and sharp angles represent the "descent into darkness." The Room of Rememberance forms the building's hinge, and the German rail car residents in the dark cleave formed by the building's two halves. The third part of the building ascends into light, where rounded edges and rooflines delineate the area with exhibitions on post-war rescue and renewal.

During the tour, OLLI members spent the most time at the Zev and Shifra Karkomi Permanent Exhibition, which 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.

It was an informative, set sobering, day of leanring. For more information about our stops, please visit these websites:

The Baha'i House of Worship
Hackney's on Lake
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center