Although the Melbourne Holocaust Museum’s doors have been closed to the public, we were thrilled to host an array of important events both online and in person throughout 2022.

As we turn our attention to 2023, and the imminent reopening of our museum spaces, we thought we would take the opportunity to reflect on the past year and all we have achieved.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD)

For IHRD in January, we were proud to partner with members of the Australian Holocaust Museum Alliance for a special event to inspire Australians to keep the memories of survivors and those murdered in the Holocaust alive. With the generous support of Gandel Foundation and the Victorian Government Multicultural Festivals & Events Program, we were able to provide Australians an online commemoration including testimony from Holocaust survivors Nina Bassat AM and Yvonne Engelman OAM.

The IHRD 2023 commemoration will be held at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum and will include testimony from Holocaust survivor Henry Ekert, and a special live performance from acclaimed music group The Bashevis Singers.

Finding Home and Homeland with Professor Avinoam Patt

In August we partnered with the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation (ACJC) to facilitate a special seminar from Professor Avinoam Patt on the lives of Jews in displaced persons camps after the war.

Professor Patt addressed the circumstances facing the Jewish population immediately following the war and discussed the political, cultural, and social questions that affected the growing population of survivors within the DP camps of postwar Germany, Austria, and Italy.

Holocaust survivor Phillip Maisel OAM 100th birthday celebration

Volunteering at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum for more than 30 years, Phillip Maisel recorded survivor testimonies and preserved their voices through the Phillip Maisel Testimony Project. It was a privilege to celebrate Phillip’s 100th birthday in August of this year.

To celebrate this special achievement, we shared a special screening of Phillip’s 2021 interview with Dr Stephen Smith MBE, former executive director of USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles, whose Visual History Archive holds 53,000 testimonies of eyewitnesses to the Holocaust and other genocides.

Celebrating this amazing milestone became exceptionally important when, a week after turning 100, Phillip sadly passed away. We could not be prouder to have had Phillip as part of the MHM team for over 30 years, and his memory will live on with the Phillip Maisel Testimony Project.

The Power of Truth: Holocaust Education in the 21st Century

In November, we held our first major in-person event in our newly redeveloped building. Our annual Betty & Shmuel Rosenkranz Oration saw Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (UHSHMM) Sara J. Bloomfield address our supporters on Holocaust education in the 21st century.

Sara emphasised the importance of survivor testimony and historical artefacts in the fight against the spread of misinformation. As the director of a leading body of Holocaust education, it was fascinating to hear her insights on how history can be used to inform the future.

The Eye of the Beholder: Photography in the Holocaust

On 24 November, MHM Head of Education Dr Simon Holloway explored photography in the Holocaust to better understand both the power and the limitations of photography as a historical source.

This was an insightful and popular lecture that prompted the establishment of a comprehensive education course, which will launch in 2023. Commencing in February 2023, Holocaust education experts Simon and MHM Co-President Sue Hampel will facilitate a nine-week Holocaust education course, spanning the history of the Holocaust from the rise of Nazism to post-war return to life.

Thank you to everyone who supported us over the past year. We look forward to what 2023 will bring. Keep up to date with future events by subscribing to our email list.