Blog
Celebrating 25 years
November 21, 2017
Celebrating 25 years Saturday 18 November marked the Sydney Jewish Museum’s momentous 25th birthday. Moving into our 26th year, we are taking some time to reflect upon the formative years …
Greetings for a sweet New Year
September 11, 2017
Greetings for a sweet New Year The exchanging of Jewish New Year greetings goes back centuries. With the industrial revolution printing became inexpensive and entrepreneurs began selling cards printed specifically …
Can you spot a fake?
August 21, 2017
Can you spot a fake? Star of David armband worn by ghetto police (fake) and Jewish ghetto police desk seal (fake) If you were shopping in a market in Thailand …
Holocaust survivor, society darling and acclaimed portrait artist
August 8, 2017
Holocaust survivor, society darling and acclaimed portrait artist ‘’I always say God paints the last brushstroke on my portraits, because I leave them to mature for a few weeks after …
Save our history
July 13, 2017
Save our history When the Museum opened nearly 25 years ago, the Holocaust Survivors initiated a collection of Holocaust related material by donating precious objects and images. These personal belongings …
‘You have nothing to lose but your cultural cringe’
February 20, 2017
‘You have nothing to lose but your cultural cringe’ The Museum has recently acquired the first ever issue of POL, a cutting edge magazine which expressed the preoccupations of a …
A pair of pants from Auschwitz
February 9, 2017
A pair of pants from Auschwitz “It is amazing what treasures can be found sitting in the back shed or the garage*. Today we received an extraordinary donation of an …
I need a hero…
January 10, 2017
“If a person destroys one life, it is as if they have destroyed the entire world. And if a person saves one life, it is as if they have saved …
What a lot of nonsense
December 21, 2016
What a lot of nonsense Speakers of Yiddish will be well familiar with the term bobba mayseh. Often mistranslated as “an old wife’s tale” (from bobba = “grandmother” and mayseh …
Graphic Art and the Struggle to Represent the Holocaust
December 6, 2016
Graphic Art and the Struggle to Represent the Holocaust One of the most rewarding experiences for members of the education department is the opportunity to work closely with teachers in …
The art of interpretation
December 2, 2016
The art of interpretation For this year’s Design Thinking day, the Museum commissioned Year 10 students from the Wenona School to create a graphic novel strip based on the testimony …
‘Jewish Wizards’ and where to find them
November 29, 2016
‘Jewish Wizards’ and where to find them Throughout pre-modern history, death was a familiar visitor in the home. Even as late as the 18th century, poorer families in Europe could …
The League of Nations
November 21, 2016
The League of Nations The saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child, and at the SJM it has taken a league of nations to build our …
Still too busy to blog…
November 10, 2016
Still too busy to blog… It’s not unusual these days to see our curators caked in dust, ferrying wads of paper around and consulting with construction workers. In lieu of a …
Vale Edith Szanto
November 1, 2016
Vale Edith Szanto I met Edith more than ten years ago one Sunday morning in shopping centre of all places. There she was, sitting next to me as I had …
Inside the autograph book
October 13, 2016
Inside the autograph book The autograph book above was donated to the museum by Yola Schneider (nee Rawdin). It was presented to her new, at the school she attended …
A timeless tale of Viennese Cuisine
October 5, 2016
A timeless tale of Viennese Cuisine As a rule, the Sydney Jewish Museum Curators are discerning about books accessioned into the collection. Most donated texts are redirected to the library, …
Professor Michael Berenbaum
September 1, 2016
Professor Michael Berenbaum It’s been wonderful having Professor Michael Berenbaum at the Museum this week. For those of you who don’t know him, he is a preeminent Holocaust historian maybe …
Behind the scenes
August 25, 2016
Behind the scenes The Museum is still an active building site filled with scaffolding; carpenters and builders, painters and electricians are everywhere. The exhibition designer, Jisuk Han, is checking specifications, …
Too busy to blog…
August 4, 2016
Too busy to blog… “Too busy to blog” – so say our indomitable re-development team who are currently in the bowels of the building making final changes to the exhibition text. In …
Decoding ‘Digital’
July 28, 2016
Decoding ‘Digital’ Digital. A word that is likely to strike fear into the hearts of purists and luddites the world over. An appreciation of digital media does not have to …
74,746 words and counting…
July 20, 2016
74,746 words and counting… 74, 746. The number of words in this exhibition. Over the past three weeks our extraordinary and indefatigable copy editor, Marie-Louise Bethune and I have poured …
Where do we begin?
July 14, 2016
Where do we begin? One of the most challenging aspects of creating a comprehensive narrative of the history of the Holocaust is figuring out where to begin! While collective in its …
Keeping the faith
July 6, 2016
Keeping the faith There are two prayer books earmarked for the new exhibition – the owners of whom did not know one another at the time of acquisition. Both, imprisoned …
The ‘Glamour’ of Image Acquisition
June 27, 2016
The ‘Glamour’ of Image Acquisition At last I can see the light at the end of the tunnel – copyright and image procurement is almost complete! All that remains are …
The Voices of Human Rights Leaders
June 22, 2016
The Voices of Human Rights Leaders In an exciting development, some of Australia’s foremost leaders in human rights have signed up to work with Sydney Jewish Museum on our new …
Learning to let go
June 10, 2016
Learning to let go In the countdown to the exhibition opening there are lots of little deadlines. Today I feel like a huge weight has been lifted as we are …
Surveying the scene
June 9, 2016
Surveying the scene Yesterday, Museum curators and staff toured the construction site to see how work has been progressing. While previous visits tended to be characterised by rubble and debris, this …
‘Safely in, safely out’ philosophies of Holocaust Education
June 2, 2016
‘Safely in, safely out’ philosophies of Holocaust Education How do we bring students and visitors safely in and out of this history? Listen to Education Officer Marie Bonardelli explain the Museum’s …
‘Selling’ the Holocaust
May 30, 2016
‘Selling’ the Holocaust When I reveal to new acquaintances that I am the Marketing Manager at Sydney Jewish Museum, I am often met with one of three reactions: Confusion, followed …
It takes a village…
May 26, 2016
It takes a village… Adding names to the acknowledgements list for the new exhibition the other day, I was struck by the extraordinary number of people who have contributed to …
Filming History
May 20, 2016
Filming History An aspect of the new exhibition that I am particularly excited about is the use of historical footage. In the previous exhibition, snippets of footage were interspersed with …
Giving voice to the voiceless
May 16, 2016
Giving voice to the voiceless It’s been four years since I joined the Education team at the Sydney Jewish Museum, and I continue to feel an enormous sense of privilege …
Art and the new exhibition
May 12, 2016
Art and the new exhibition The new Holocaust exhibition is a wonderful opportunity for us to show more of our collection. More than 300 artefacts will be displayed thus doubling …
What’s Australia Got to Do with It?
May 10, 2016
What’s Australia Got to Do with It? Ever wondered whether Australia has to do with the Holocaust? You are not alone. Most Australians commonly associate their country’s involvement with WWII …
When the jackhammers fall silent
May 5, 2016
When the jackhammers fall silent Some time has passed since the jackhammers moved in, and the Museum team has started to see its vision become a reality. While the builders bustle away, the upgrade team …
The Complexity of the Camp System
May 2, 2016
The Complexity of the Camp System What do you do when approached to provide the research for a state-of-the-art interactive on the camp system for Sydney’s new Holocaust exhibition? If …
A picture worth a thousand words
April 28, 2016
A picture worth a thousand words For the past few years, the exhibition team has been pouring over thousands of images, debating which one is best suited for each section. …
Educating in the new exhibition
April 26, 2016
Educating in the new exhibition After a busy 2015, which saw the Museum host a record 25,000 school students, we certainly have not lost any momentum. …
Inside the archives
April 21, 2016
Inside the archives When the Museum opened in 1992, it had only been collecting memorabilia from Survivors for a year or so. Thus it is not surprising to hear that …
Museum Expansion Project
We are embarking on a Museum Expansion Project.
Our exhibitions are closed to the public and will reopen in late 2026.
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