Join us in conversation with Holocaust survivors this summer

This summer, we look forward to resuming our series of conversations with Holocaust survivors in the Museum. Don’t miss this unique chance to hear from each survivor about their childhoods, how they survived the war and rebuilt their lives, as well as their messages to future generations.

We’ll be holding talks with Holocaust survivors on Wednesdays throughout January. Each session will be with a different survivor and will provide an opportunity to hear diverse, moving stories from our survivor community in Sydney.

When are the talks?

Survivor conversations will be held at 12pm in person at the Museum, on the following dates:

This series has now concluded. Previous events in this series were:

Jack Meister, OAM

Jack was born in Kielce, Poland in 1928. When the Nazis invaded, he was just 11. In 1941 Jack and his family were sent to the Kielce ghetto where Jack was ordered into forced labour. He was transferred to Radom labour camp in 1942 and was later incarcerated in Buchenwald, Auschwitz and Buna concentration camps.

Yvonne Engelman, OAM

Yvonne was born in 1927 in Czechoslovakia. In 1944, her family was taken to a ghetto, and later were boarded onto a cattle car and transported to Auschwitz. On the journey, her father made her promise that whatever happened, she would survive. Miraculously Yvonne did survive, although she was the only one in her family to do so.

Lilly Wolf

Lilly Wolf was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1927. She became an orphan 1944 after her mother died of an illness and her father was murdered in Auschwitz.

Lilly acted as a translator in the Budapest Ghetto. Of the 24 people who were interned in her house, only 6 survived.

Paul Drexler

Born in 1938 in Spacince, Slovakia, Paul and his family went into hiding until 1944, when, at the age of just 6, he was deported to Theresienstadt.

In September of that year, Paul’s family was ordered by the Nazis to report to the authorities for resettlement. They were taken to Sered, Slovakia, and it was here, in December, that Paul saw his father for the last time.

What does admission cost?

The cost of these survivor talks is $25 for non-members and $15 for members. Members can use their member access code at checkout to receive their discounted price. To become a Museum member, please click here. 

Please note, that due to the survivors’ ages, we can’t always guarantee in advance which survivor you will hear from on a particular day. If the survivor is no longer able to make it, you will be informed as soon as possible. 

Image: Holocaust survivor Jack Meister’s tattooed arm, holding a photograph of himself taken at Liberation. SJM Collection.