Now, more than ever, our societies need more individuals practising small acts of kindness on an everyday basis, working towards making the world a more accepting and welcoming place. In other words, we need more mensches.

Be A Mensch is a reminder of the impact that kindness, humility, integrity and personal responsibility can have on the world – small acts that can make a better society, one person at a time. Be A Mensch is a call for the lessons of history to inspire humanity and empathy.

A mensch, in Yiddish, is a person of integrity, morality, dignity, with a sense of what is right and responsible. But mensch is more than just an old Yiddish adage. It is relevant now, across the world, more than ever.

The Sydney Jewish Museum’s tagline, “Where history has a voice”, distills the origins of the Museum and its mission that continues to transmit across generations.

The objects within the collection and on display in the Museum’s exhibitions tell compelling stories of their owners and contribute to the narratives that the Museum tells within its walls. Testimony, accessible digitally and face-to-face, anchors the objects in the display cases to real world events, and gives life and narrative to history.

The Sydney Jewish Museum is a living museum, where history is kept alive and dynamic to continue to speak to future generations in a way that will always resonate.