Creation of Skokie Monument

It was in the summers of 1978 and 1981 when a neo-Nazi group desired to hold a demonstration, to march through the main street, in the Village of Skokie. 

Skokie was chosen as the location because it was the home of 7,000 Holocaust survivors, more than in any other suburb of Chicago, including the city proper. But in Skokie, the neo-Nazis met with an unexpected resistance. The newcomers (Holocaust survivors) in Skokie were organized and determined not to let it (referring to the persecution of the Holocaust) happen again. Also, the non-Jewish population of the Village, with its determined Mayor Albert J. Smith and Village Board of Trustees, were squarely behind the Holocaust survivors. After numerous court battles and a major counter demonstration by the survivors, the march was called off. 

This dramatic event so inspired the outside world that a television version of the event, with Danny Kaye in the main role, was aired for the whole world to see, proving that with determination and the support of the people, hate and racism can be overcome. This realization also galvanized the Sheerith Hapleitah, or so-called Holocaust survivors, and they began to think about erecting a monument for the six million Jews and other victims of Nazism. 

It was agreed that a permanent committee should be established to work for the realization of this project. Mr. Abram Swajger and Mr. Charles Lipshitz were put in charge of the project. Mr. Meyer Rubinstein and Mrs. Barbara Pryor were elected Vice-Presidents; Mrs. Tunia Kogan, Corresponding Secretary and Mr. William Mishell and Mr. Leo Sheiderman, Editors. An advisory committee, including Financial Secretary Joseph Birnberg, was also appointed. 

Furious activity then began. The first problem to be resolved was the location of the monument. Several choices were proposed, but none were satisfactory. Upon the suggestion of the committee, Mayor Albert J. Smith and Village officials were approached with the idea of using Village property for the purpose of placing a Holocaust monument in memory of all the victims who perished at the hands of the Nazis. 

With the location now approved, the next problem was to select an artist to design the monument. Numerous proposals were presented to the Holocaust Monument Committee and, finally, the design of Bert Gast of Chicago was selected. Edward Chesney of Detroit was the proposed sculptor and 

Fred Komick was given the assignment of general contractor. The design was presented to Mayor Smith and Village Trustees who reviewed every detail and made a few additional improvements. 

The next step was to select the appropriate inscriptions for all four sides of the base of the monument. Every word and sentence was agonized over and it took over 10 meetings to come up with the final text. Rabbis and experts were consulted and their opinions seriously weighed. In the final analysis, six names of extermination camps, one for every million victims, were approved and a saying from the book of Lamentations, both in its original Hebrew from and an English translation, were selected by the Committee and approved by the Village. 

Now the last problem had to be faced- that of collecting the funds for the realization of this grandiose project. This task took the entire committee over two years to accomplish. The Presidents of the eight participating organizations approached their groups and urged maximum participation in this project. Synagogues, temples, banks, the J.U.F. and many local businessmen were approached and many of them responded generously. Finally, the necessary funds were received and the actual work began. The text was carved in the base in Vermont and the sculpture modeled in Detroit.