Situated in the Village of Skokie, the site of the controversial planned Neo Nazi March of 1978, Michael Berenbaum was the conceptual developer of the Museum, working closely with its architect, its designer, its staff and Board to develop the 70,000 s.f. building, its permanent exhibition, its children’s exhibition and its special gallery on the Legacy of Absence. He authored the text, assisted in the production and scripting of the films, created the catalogue and helped recruit and develop its staff, collections and archival holdings. Among the features of this Museum is the transition from the Holocaust to Genocide as well as a full interactive exploration of the controversy surrounding the planned neo-Nazi March. Berenbaum also helped secure major artifacts for the Museum and developed an integrated plan for the collection of artifacts that gave the Museum its distinct ethos. Working with Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation (Now the US Shoah Institute) he also used the Chicagoland survivors to create the many survivor testimony films that punctuate the exhibition. He was integral to the choice of designers and oversaw the design process. Permanent Exhibition designed by Layman Design.
ServicesInterpretive Planning, Conceptual Design, Content Development, Media and FilmLocationSkokie, IllinoisYear2009
