Blog
A firefighter’s charms
March 12, 2021
A firefighter’s charms These small metal charms in the Sydney Jewish Museum’s collection were made in the Theresienstadt Ghetto. They belonged to Pavel Thorsch, a member of the Feuerwache (FW); …
Juden Raus! Out with the Jews! – The Anschluss of Austria
March 11, 2021
Juden Raus! Out with the Jews! – The Anschluss of Austria By Emeritus Professor Konrad Kwiet, Resident Historian On 12 March 1938, Hitler’s army marched into Austria. The subsequent Anschluss …
Survivor Portraits – Leon Milch
February 25, 2021
Holocaust survivor Leon Milch was born in 1932 in Podhajce, Poland, a vibrant town of 6000 people, of which half were Jewish. He and his brother lost both of their parents in the Holocaust.
The perpetual markings of Auschwitz
January 27, 2021
The perpetual markings of Auschwitz By Emeritus Professor Konrad Kwiet, Resident Historian Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day and marks 76 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. Only in Auschwitz …
Survivor Portraits – Yvonne Engelman
December 17, 2020
Holocaust survivor Yvonne Engelman was born in 1927 in Dovhe, Czechoslovakia. After promising her father she’d survive, Yvonne survived Auschwitz.
International Migrants Day: Waves of Jewish migration to Australia
December 17, 2020
International Migrants Day: Waves of Jewish migration to Australia The waves of Jewish migration to Australia before and after World War II have been turning points in the history of …
Remembering Kristallnacht in Australia
November 9, 2020
Remembering Kristallnacht in Australia On this day 82 years ago, the Nazis unleashed Kristallnacht – or the Night of Broken Glass – a bloody pogrom in Germany, Austria and Sudetenland. …
Oma’s Coffee Mug
October 7, 2020
A recent addition to our collection, this Villeroy & Boch mug that bears Nazi imagery on its base has an interesting history.
Nuremberg: From the Imperial Castle to Race Laws
October 6, 2020
The history of the Nuremberg Race Laws By Emeritus Professor Konrad Kwiet, Resident Historian at Sydney Jewish Museum Throughout history, Nuremberg has attracted much attention. Built in medieval times, the …
Remembering the massacre at Babyn Yar
September 29, 2020
The murder of more than 33,000 Jews in Babyn Yar marked one of the largest single ‘open-air shootings’ in the history of the Holocaust, only to be surpassed by the massacre of 50,000 Jews at Odessa and the two-day killing of almost 43,000 Jews in the Lublin district. Today we commemorate the 79th anniversary of the Babyn Yar massacre.
Yom Kippur from Home
September 23, 2020
Yom Kippur from Home Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is often spent in synagogue. Of course, this year for most will be different. While we know we can still …
An Egyptian Rosh Hashana Seder
September 16, 2020
An Egyptian Rosh Hashana Seder The festival of Rosh Hashana is both a joyous celebration and the start of a period of ten days during which Jewish people engage in …
“Love each other. Be tolerant. Help each other.”
September 4, 2020
“Love each other. Be tolerant. Help each other.” “What legacy can I leave my children, grandchildren and great-grands? Much love. Yes… Love each other. Be tolerant. Help each other.” – …
Synagogues and memory
July 10, 2020
Synagogues and memory When synagogues were forced to close their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Jewish communities felt distressed; not necessarily at the knowledge that they couldn’t attend, but …
Black lives didn’t matter: The Afro-German experience
July 2, 2020
Black lives didn’t matter: The Afro-German experience By Emeritus Professor Konrad Kwiet Afro-Germans – Germans of African descent – are among the forgotten victims of German racism and Nazi terror. …
From Dunera to D-Day
June 5, 2020
On the anniversary of D-Day, we tell the story of Barney Barnett; a Jewish soldier who survived D-Day and fought against Nazi Germany until he was captured.
A wedding in Theresienstadt
May 19, 2020
This is a story about the wedding of Otto Ehrmann and Elfi Felixova in Theresienstadt in 1943, before the young couple was to learn of their fates.
Newfound friendships in isolation
May 5, 2020
While many Holocaust survivors are feeling isolated right now, we have launched a Pen Pal Project to connect students and Holocaust survivors with one another through letter writing during these uncertain times.
Perspectives on the liberation of Bergen-Belsen
April 14, 2020
Perspectives on the liberation of Bergen-Belsen When Bergen-Belsen was liberated on 15 April 1945, a horrific landscape of death and suffering was revealed. Newsreels, photographs and sketches showed indescribable horrors. …
Righteous Among the Nations as mensches: Siek and Anna Attema
January 3, 2020
Siek and Anna Attema were Dutch farmers who selflessly hid Mia Polak and her sister for two years on their farm in Holland, during WWII.
From Kristallnacht to King Street
November 4, 2019
From Kristallnacht to King Street On 9 November 1938, Nazi party members engaged in a program of bloody pogroms across Germany and Austria that became known as Kristallnacht (Night of …
Learn the History – Who is a Jew?
November 4, 2019
Learn the History – Who is a Jew? In order to understand the complex answer to the question ‘Who is a Jew?’, one has to look at the many sources …
The Photographer of ‘I Met a Survivor’ – Nadine Saacks
October 3, 2019
The Photographer of ‘I Met a Survivor’ – Nadine Saacks Nadine Saacks is a photographer with a passion for documenting people’s stories through images. To bring the concept for ‘I …
Learn the History – Why did Jews not leave Germany when the Nazis came to power?
September 19, 2019
Learn the History – Why did Jews not leave Germany when the Nazis came to power? Our Resident Historian Emeritus Professor Konrad Kwiet explains why the assumption that German Jews …
Helping us get inspiring projects off the ground
September 10, 2019
Helping us get inspiring projects off the ground All projects start with a spark of inspiration. This is how the powerful collection of photographs that makes up I Met a …
A tapestry of a decade’s stories
September 4, 2019
A tapestry of a decade’s stories This large tapestry of an idyllic medieval landscape recently came into our collection, bringing with it a complex and tumultuous story. Behind the colourful …
Learn the History – Defining the Holocaust
June 21, 2019
Learn the History – Defining the Holocaust In this new monthly blog series, Learn the History, our Resident Historian Emeritus Professor Konrad Kwiet will dive into aspects of Holocaust history …
What is “genocide”?
April 23, 2019
What is “genocide”? April is Genocide Awareness Month, and in recognition of this weighty time of the year, we thought it important to be aware not only of the horrific …
The prohibited photographs of Mauthausen
March 8, 2019
The prohibited photographs of Mauthausen Inside an album that recently came into the Sydney Jewish Museum’s possession are photographs of the horrors of Nazi aggression that that took place at …
Museum as Memorial
February 25, 2019
Museum as Memorial Recently, descendants of Janusz Korczak, the director of a Jewish orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto, dedicated a plaque in the Sydney Jewish Museum’s Sanctum of Remembrance in …
100 year-old Holocaust survivor reflects on the duty to remember
January 31, 2019
100 year-old Holocaust survivor reflects on the duty to remember Today, on the 31st of January 2019, Holocaust survivor Lena Goldstein (nee Midler) turned 100. Lena was born in 1919 …
A milestone worth celebrating and collecting
January 14, 2019
A milestone worth celebrating and collecting A boy’s bar mitzvah and a girl’s bat mitzvah are rites of passage by Jewish law, and milestones in every young Jewish person’s life. …
Children’s Week 2018
October 26, 2018
Children’s Week 2018 This week is Children’s Week. Thousands of children from different locations and backgrounds come through the Sydney Jewish Museum every year with their schools. Most of them …
KEEP THEIR VOICE ALIVE | The Children’s Memorial
September 17, 2018
KEEP THEIR VOICE ALIVE | The Children’s Memorial The Children’s Memorial is one of the more moving spaces in the Sydney Jewish Museum. Its function is to commemorate the 1.5 …
The story of Eva Soschko
September 6, 2018
The story of Eva Soschko Not all Holocaust survivors can stand up and tell their story to adult and student groups. There are many survivors who are not necessarily the …
KEEP THEIR VOICE ALIVE | SJM Voices app
August 27, 2018
KEEP THEIR VOICE ALIVE | SJM Voices app Hearing a Holocaust survivor story is reported to be most impactful part of a visitor’s experience in the Sydney Jewish Museum. To …
Survivor Portraits – Vera Faludi
July 31, 2018
Vera Faludi was born in 1929 in Sofia, Bulgaria. At the end of 1939, Jewish children were banned from German schools, and Vera moved to a French school run by nuns.
Survivor Portraits – John Gruschka
June 28, 2018
John Gruschka was born in Aussig, Czechoslovakia in 1924. John’s family made a hurried exit to the Czech capital of Prague in 1938.
Survivor Portraits – Tom Fleming
May 25, 2018
Tom Fleming was born in 1938 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. He was six years old when he was imprisoned in the Theresienstadt ghetto.
Justice in Australia – A special visitor
May 15, 2018
Justice in Australia – A special visitor Recently, a visitor to the Sydney Jewish Museum revealed that he had worked as a Senior Investigator for the Special Investigations Unit of …
We are open today from 10:00am to 3:00pm.
| Mon - Thu | 10am to 4pm |
| Fri | 10am to 3pm |
| Sat | Closed |
| Sun | 10am to 4pm |
| Public/Jewish Holidays | Check here |
What’s On Newsletter
Keep up to date on all Museum events and exhibitions.