Our Collection

The Sydney Jewish Museum collection consists of over 15,000 artefacts and over 1,000 oral histories and testimonies.

The collection began when the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors approached their members in the late 1980s for Holocaust-related memorabilia to found a museum. When the Sydney Jewish Museum opened in 1992, these objects found a permanent home.

Since its inception, the collection has expanded to include Judaica and artefacts relating to Australian Jewish history and military history. As our repository grows, so too does our understanding of the dynamic and multifaceted nature of the history and contemporary nature of Australia’s Holocaust and the Jewish community.

The Museum’s curators are continuously refining and improving data entry. Information has been collected from a variety of sources over time and there may be errors and omissions. Records may not have been checked or edited since their creation. Nevertheless, we have taken the decision to share our collection with you.

Researchers are encouraged to share their knowledge and help us improve our records. Please contact us at collections@sjm.com.au.

We invite you to explore our collection online.

Access Online Collection 

The Sydney Jewish Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) and the German Federal Ministry of Finance for this archival project. This project is dedicated to the cataloguing, digitisation, conservation and online accessibility of newly acquired collection material as part of the Museum’s proactive effort to preserve the “last remnants” of the Holocaust. By improving both preservation and access, the project helps grow and strengthen the distinctive historical archive of Australia’s Holocaust survivors. The Claims Conference is the single largest organisation in the world dedicated to securing compensation, restitution and assistance for survivors of the Holocaust and restitution for the heirs of victims.

With Assistance from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. Supported by the German Federal Ministry of Finance.

Donate an object to our collection

The Museum collects original artefacts, memorabilia, documents, letters, photographs, film and testimony related to the Holocaust, Judaism and Australian Jewish history.

If you have something suitable for the collection, please contact one of our curators on telephone 02 9360 7999 or email collections@sjm.com.au, or complete this form and one of the curators will get in touch with you.