Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie to reopen Nov. 11 after more than a year closed

The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie will reopen Wednesday, Veterans Day, after more than a year closed for renovations, the museum said.

All veterans, active-duty and retired military personnel can visit for free on opening day, along with up to four family members. A valid military ID is required.

The museum temporarily closed in July 2025 for the renovation, which included a redesigned auditorium and gallery and a welcome center with a larger lobby. The museum also has a new reflection gallery where guests can gather after their visit, and the virtual reality and holographic theaters remain.

Bernard Cherkasov of the museum said in October that the building is meant for "a new generation of witnesses, a new generation of upstanders."

The museum's temporary downtown location, Experience360, opened in August 2025 and will stay open at State and Kinzie streets through the end of the year.

Holocaust survivor Aaron Elster, who died in 2018, is still telling his story through a hologram at the museum.