PEORIA MAGAZINE August 2023
John Morris. “The museum’s collabora tion with the Jewish Federation of Peoria allows us to feature the extraordinary Holocaust memorial for thousands to experience in this inspired setting each year. The ‘Button Project’ that created a memorial unique in the entire world is certainly the most impactful historic sculpture of its kind.” The memorial has been a family project since the beginning for Susan Katz and her husband Sheldon, who designed the star exhibit. While the 2003 opening was a triumph for them, the 2017 rededication had an even more emotional impact as Sheldon’s father, a Holocaust survivor, spoke at the simultaneous annual remembrance day of Yom HaShoah.
The Peoria Holocaust Memorial after dark with lights illuminating the exhibit outside the Peoria Riverfront Museum
throughout central Illinois that was inspiring, exciting and deeply emotional. Many individuals contributed buttons that had a special meaning for them, such as the memory of a lost loved one. Miller was one of many volunteers who spent time at the memorial giving tours, answering questions or merely witnessing visitors as they grasped the unfathomable 6 million stories contained within the 18 glass stars of David, a number that is “chai” in Hebrew, meaning “life.” A NEW HOME The life of the Holocaust Memorial changed direction when it left the shopping center for a new home: the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Announced in 2016, a successful fundraising campaign led to the reconstruction of the memorial on the southwest corner of the museum campus in April 2017, with new technology that had not been available a decade before. Michelle Eggert, who co-chaired the rededication effort, said the museum was a “dream location, a natural fit.” It quickly garnered community-wide support and a new wave of education about the memorial’s purpose. “I can’t wrap my mind around how many good people there are in this world who don’t need to care, but they do,” said Eggert. The dedication was “extremely emotional,” she said, and reinvigorated the mission to teach more people, especially children, about the dangers of hatred and intolerance. “At the Peoria Riverfront Museum, we remember,” said its executive director,
“How would we ever get 11 million buttons?” she asked. “The entire community came together to build this memorial and engage and educate the Peoria area,” said Wetchler. “Even non-Jewish individuals banded together over something we were all passionate about.” A year later, the goal was achieved with donations at 74 drop-off locations throughout central Illinois, with con tributions that ultimately came from 47 states, five foreign countries and a few button companies. Hundreds of area children and adults donated untold hours to count every button by hand. Why? Because every button, as every life, was important. Miller said the timing was a perfect storm. The early 2000s had seen a wave of anti-Semitism and vandalism at Jewish properties across the country. The Button Project mustered a unity Holocaust survivor and author Marion Blu menthal Lazan visits the Holocaust Memorial during a presentation in Peoria. Marion had immigrated to Peoria after World War II
“Our granddaughter was three and a half,” Sue Katz said, “the same age as Sheldon’s aunt when she was taken away by the Nazis during the war. Luckily, our little girl lives in a place where she doesn’t face those horrific experiences. It was somber, yet a celebration of life.” Memorial committee members Evelyn Vogel and Dr. Joy Miller at the April 2003 dedication of the memorial at the Shoppes at Grand Prairie Susan Katz, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Peoria, and Peoria Holocaust
Monica Vest Wheeler is an author and speaker who focuses on Peoria area history and those dealing with the everyday challenges of brain-related injuries, illnesses and diseases
JULY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 67
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