Survivor Portraits – Eddie Jaku OAM
April 3, 2020
Eddie Jaku was born in Leipzig, Germany, in 1920 to a loving family that regarded themselves as “Germans first and foremost, and Jewish only in [their] home”. That all changed when Hitler came to power.
Celebrating one of the strong women in the Purim story
March 6, 2020
Celebrating one of the strong women in the Purim story On International Women’s Day, and on the eve of Purim, we look at one of the powerful women in the …
Survivor Portraits – Peter Rossler
March 5, 2020
Peter was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1930, and was nine years old when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. Life as Peter knew it began to change.
Australia – A Territorial Solution of the Jewish Problem
March 4, 2020
In April 1938 – following the Anschluss, or annexation, of Austria into Hitler’s Great Germanic Empire – a bizarre plan was hatched which has evaded history books. On the eve of the Holocaust, Australia was selected as a suitable site for solving the ‘Jewish Problem’.
4 ways to create more inclusive habits
February 25, 2020
4 ways to create more inclusive habits To celebrate Mardi Gras this year, we are exploring ways that individuals can become more aware and more inclusive of people within the …
Deena Yako’s story
February 7, 2020
Deena Yako fled Iraq with her family at the age of nine and works to support young refugees in Australia.
Survivor Portraits – Jack Meister
January 31, 2020
Jack was born in Kielce, Poland, in 1928. He was 11 years old when the Nazis came, and that marked the end of his childhood.
What happened after the evacuation and liberation of Auschwitz?
January 21, 2020
On 27 January 1945, Russian soldiers liberated 4,800 inmates from Auschwitz. The day has been chosen by the United Nations as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. But what is far less known – what happened after the evacuation and liberation of Auschwitz?
Mensches, movers and shakers: Dr Kerryn Phelps AM
January 17, 2020
Dr Kerryn Phelps talks about how she continues to strive for change in public policy and her advice for young, emerging leaders.
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.
Survivor Portraits – Susan Warhaftig
December 27, 2019
Susan Warhaftig was born in 1937 in Vienna, Austria. She went into hiding in Hungary with her mother.
Mensches, movers and shakers: Genevieve Clay-Smith
December 27, 2019
Genevieve Clay-Smith tells us about making film industry more representative and inclusive of people with disabilities.
Auschwitz: The exchange of belongings
December 19, 2019
So many Jewish people deported to camps brought their most valuable and sentimental possessions with them to the camps. Where did they believe they were going, and what became of their precious belongings?
Mensches, movers and shakers: Melanie and Sarah Penicka-Smith
December 19, 2019
Melanie and Sarah Penicka-Smith tell us how they are creating positive change in the LGBTQI+ space.
Survivor Portraits – Mimi Wise
December 2, 2019
Mimi Wise was born in Milan, Italy, in 1937. As a baby, Mimi moved with her family to France.
Shoes: a matter of life or death
November 21, 2019
A small shoe that once belonged to a young child tells a much larger story. Shoes, in many cases, were a matter of life and death for inmates at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
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 …
Survivor Portraits – George Sternfeld
November 1, 2019
George Sternfeld was born in 1939 in Warsaw, Poland, and fled with his family to Siberia in 1940.
The beginnings of the Museum building
October 25, 2019
The beginnings of the Museum building Did you know that the building in which the Sydney Jewish Museum is housed has an interesting history of its own before it became …
The origins of the ‘scapegoat’
October 8, 2019
The origins of the ‘scapegoat’ Did you know the word ‘scapegoat’ is a word coined in the 16th century to describe the ritual animals that the Jewish community placed their …
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 …
Survivor Portraits – Kitty Lowinger
October 2, 2019
Kitty Lowinger was born in 1941 in Budapest, Hungary. Kitty was three years old when Germany invaded Hungary.
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? In this monthly blog series, Learn the History, our Resident Historian Emeritus Professor Konrad …
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 …
Survivor Portraits – Litzi Lemberg
September 2, 2019
Litzi Lemberg was born in 1939 in Vienna, Austria. She was a baby when World War II began.
The Two of Us: Joe Symon and Juliane Michaels
August 29, 2019
The Two of Us: Joe Symon and Juliane Michaels In time for Father’s Day, we sat down with father and daughter Joe Symon and Juliane Michaels, who both give their time …
Bring success through empathy
August 12, 2019
Bring success through empathy Businesses that champion empathy and emotional intelligence outperform those businesses that do not by 20%, according to the Harvard Business Review. However, in times of rapid …
Survivor Portraits – Olga Horak
August 1, 2019
Olga Horak was born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia in 1926. She was 14 when the war broke out in 1939.
Introducing students to the Holocaust sensitively
July 15, 2019
Introducing students to the Holocaust sensitively With the duty of teaching young student visitors about the Holocaust comes the responsibility of our Museum Educators to convey a complex history of …
Survivor Portraits – Yvonne Halas
July 2, 2019
Yvonne Halas’ life began in war time, as she was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1942.
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 …
Fifty five years of Fiddler on stage
June 12, 2019
Fifty five years of Fiddler on stage Fifty five years ago, in 1964, the catchy, wise musings of Tevye the Dairyman burst onto the Broadway stage. The lyrics and script …
Survivor Portraits – Magda Forbath
May 31, 2019
Magda Forbath was born in 1943 in Budapest, Hungary. When Magda was six months old the Germans entered Hungary.
Music personalities: Q&A with Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences’ Curator
May 24, 2019
Music personalities: Q&A with Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences’ Curator This blog piece is the second of the series of conversations between our Curator of Collections Shannon Biederman and …
Music technologies: Q&A with Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences’ Curator
May 23, 2019
Music technologies: Q&A with Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences’ Curator Our Curator of Collections Shannon Biederman sat down with Assistant Curator at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, …
Survivor Portraits – Peter Halas
May 1, 2019
Peter Halas was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1939. He and his mother went into hiding when Germany invaded Hungary.
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 …
“This year in Jerusalem”
April 9, 2019
This green-glazed ceramic Pesach Seder plate on display in the Sydney Jewish Museum’s Holocaust exhibition was given to Samuel Steif whilst he was in the Föhrenwald Displaced Persons Camp in …
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