Peoria Holocaust Memorial
About the Exhibition
The Peoria Holocaust Memorial is located outdoors on the campus of the Peoria Riverfront Museum, near the corner of Washington and Liberty Streets. The Memorial is on long-term loan from and cared for by the Jewish Federation of Peoria. Jewish Federation volunteers conduct tours of the Memorial by request and speak to school groups about the Holocaust and the Memorial during their field trip visits to the Museum.
We are honored to be home to the Peoria Holocaust Memorial, the only memorial of its kind in the world. Created by the Jewish Federation of Peoria, each of its 11 million buttons, collected by school children during the “The Button Project,” symbolizes a life lost during the Holocaust.
The purpose of the Peoria Holocaust Memorial is to remember the 6 million Jews and 5 million enemies of the state who lost their lives during the Nazi Holocaust, and to help educate future generations about the importance of standing up to bigotry, prejudice and hatred wherever and whenever they occur.