Sydney Jewish Museum is closed to the general public for redevelopment. We remain open for school excursions and corporate groups.

Blog

March 1, 2016

In the beginning…

IMG_1351 IMG_1378 IMG_1506

Much has changed since the Museum’s Holocaust exhibition was conceived, constructed and opened on the 18th November, 1992.

The Holocaust Survivor founders have aged, many have passed away, and societies’ understanding of the period has been deepened by the work of dedicated academics and scholars. Tragically, national, ethnic, racial and religious groups have continued to be the victims of targeted violence, underscoring the urgent need for further and more effective education.

At a time of intergenerational change, it was necessary that the Museum find a way to find a way to ensure that the Survivor voices remained at the forefront of this space, retaining the deeply personal narrative at the heart of the Museum experience.

In 2012, the Museum launched its Capital Appeal, appealing to the generosity of business leaders and wider Jewish Community. The resulting generosity of these parties allowed the Museum to embark on an ambitious project, resulting in the development of a major new Holocaust exhibition.

The exhibition will form a bridge between past and present, preserving Survivor voices and enhancing our immediate and physical connection to the past through the display of over one hundred new objects and images.

A custom curated App titled ‘Voices’ will deepen the Holocaust narrative, bringing the voices of Holocaust Survivors, witnesses, perpetrators and experts into the Museum space. Installations and interactives containing hundreds of images and footage will also reveal both the extent of Nazi persecution and the heroism of those who defied the regime.

The exhibition will be the result of extensive assessments by the curatorial teams of the artefacts and testimonies housed in the Sydney Jewish Museum collection. As part of the process, consultation was also undertaken with the education team, who offered input as to which portions of the development proposal would support the SJM’s educational goals.

During the next few months, you will be hearing the ‘voices’ of those involved in this project, offering  a behind the scenes glimpse at the research,  hours and ‘angst’ that contribute to the development of a major new exhibition.

We invite you to embark on this journey with us and make this project yours as much as it is ours.

Authors Avril Alba, Project Director & Natalia Thomas, Marketing Manager.