Experience a powerful evening of remembrance and reflection as grandchildren of Holocaust survivors bear witness to their grandparents’ testimonies- stories of courage, loss, and survival.
Hear from the following Futuregen share their grandparents’ stories:
Hear these moving testimonies while viewing the beautiful portraits of their grandparents, painted by artist Anita Lester in her evocative Special Exhibition Portraits of Survival. The series captures the humanity and resilience of those who lived through the Holocaust, offering a visual and emotional connection across generations.
Together, the testimonies and portraits create a profound intergenerational tribute to memory, identity, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
The Warsaw Ghetto Museum is a historical museum in Warsaw currently under construction in the historic complex of the former Bersohn and Bauman Children’s Hospital. Set up in one of the most important surviving buildings of the Warsaw Ghetto, it will focus on the story of Europe’s largest ghetto and its inhabitants’ life and death. In order to tell their complete story, it will reach out to voices which we rarely hear: those of children, women, refugees and deportees, and other groups who were marginalised in the overall history of the ghetto. My lecture will discuss how we plan to achieve this and how the new Museum will fit in the memory landscape of today’s Warsaw.
Dr hab. Katarzyna Person is a historian of the Holocaust and Director of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum. She holds a PhD from the University of London and has received among others fellowships and grants from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Center for Jewish History in NYC, Yad Vashem, Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris, Wiener Wiesenthal Institut für Holocaust-Studien in Vienna. She also held the The Workers Circle/Dr. Emanuel Patt Visiting Professorship in YIVO Institute For Jewish Research in NYC. Katarzyna Person is the author of Assimilated Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto 1940-1943 (Syracuse University Press, 2014), Warsaw Ghetto Police: The Jewish Order Service during the Nazi Occupation (Cornell University Press in association with United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2021), Przemysłowa Concentration Camp. The Camp. The Children. The Trials (with Johannes-Dieter Steinert; Palgrave Macmillan 2023), and Polnische Juden in der amerikanischen und der britischen Besatzungszone Deutschlands, 1945–1948 (Harrassowitz Verlag, 2023). Her most recent book is The Hour of Revenge: Holocaust Survivors and Their Search for Revenge and Retribution (Toronto University Press, 2025) She headed the Full Edition of the Ringelblum Archive publication project at the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw for which she was awarded the 2024 Dan David Prize.
We are honoured to launch a new book by Carol Gordon and Gregoria Boursinos, which recounts the experiences of two sisters who survived the Holocaust under differing circumstances. Maria and Lola Seror were the sole survivors of their family, and their stories – told 70 years after the war – are a testament to their courage and resistance in the face of unendurable hardship. Carol and Gregoria will join Dr Simon Holloway in conversation, as they discuss the circumstances of Maria and Lola’s survival, and the Holocaust in Thessaloniki.
Carol Gordon is a Melbourne-based writer, filmmaker, and Holocaust educator.
Training as a film editor in South Africa and working in the film and television industry there for many years, Carol moved to Australia with her family in 1995. With a Degree in Teaching and an Honours Degree in Communication (Media Studies), Carol has completed several courses through the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Devoting more than twenty five years to the research of the history of Greece’s Jewish communities and their near-destruction during the Holocaust, Carol continues on her mission to present The Shira’s Journey Project to local and international audiences of all ages, and sharing the all too unknown history of these once vibrant and dynamic communities.
Carol has written a screenplay which has been self-published as a book. The book, Shira’s Journey, is fiction but based on fact and real events.
Another element of The Shira’s Journey Project is a photographic exhibition for which Carol has written all the accompanying text. Working as a volunteer guide and Holocaust educator at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, Carol has also helped to transcribe Survivor testimonies for the museum.
Gregoria Boursinos is a Greek Australian and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Diploma in Education from La Trobe University. Boursinos majored in World War II History and has always had a strong interest in Holocaust studies. She has completed a Holocaust course at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum and at the Yad Vashem School in Jerusalem. Gregoria met Maria and Lola at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum and knew immediately that she wanted to record their stories. Gregoria spent countless hours with the sisters, interviewing them, documenting their stories and doing research. When that was all done, Gregoria approached Carol Gordon to co-author the book with her.
In 1986, Australian journalist Mark Aarons produced an explosive radio documentary series that drew attention to the number of former Nazi war criminals living in Australia. This led to a parliamentary enquiry that resulted in the formation of Australia’s first Special Investigations Unit, directed by Graham Blewitt from 1991-1992. Professor Konrad Kwiet served as the chief historian for this unit as they excavated killing fields in Ukraine, and sought to prosecute war criminals here in Australia.
On November 19, Mark Aarons, Graham Blewitt and Konrad Kwiet will be in conversation at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, speaking about the history of the Special Investigations Unit and their experience investigating Nazis in Australia.
This is in promotion of their new book, Nazis in Australia, which we will be selling on the night.
Mark is a former ABC investigative reporter. He is also the author of the definitive history War Criminals Welcome: Australia, a Sanctuary for War Criminals Since 1945.
Graham was the Special Investigations Unit’s deputy director (1988–1991) and director (1991–1992), and head of the War Crimes Prosecutions Support Unit (1992–1994). He was the deputy prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague (1994–2004).
Konrad is an historian of the Holocaust, currently serving as resident historian at the Sydney Jewish Museum. He was chief historical consultant to the Special Investigations Unit from 1988-1994.
Betty & Shmuel Rosenkranz Oration: Keeping Memory Alive – The Power of Music.
This year we are pleased to announce our Oration will be presented by Simon Tedeschi followed by a special performance of ‘Sarenka’ by Elena Kats-Chernin.
The MSO (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) held the world premiere of Elena Kats-Chernin’s Sarenka Concerto on October 27 2023, at Hamer Hall in Melbourne. The concerto, a commission from the Weis Family, features solo violin and solo cello and explores the story of Sara Weis, also known as Sarenka.
Simon is one of Australia’s leading classical pianists, acclaimed for his performances across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. He has played for world leaders including President George W. Bush and the Dalai Lama, and won major awards such as Symphony Australia’s Young Performer of the Year, the Calibre Prize for essay writing, and the Centenary of Federation Medal.
A published author, his debut book Fugitive (2023) was shortlisted for prestigious literary awards. He has written for outlets like the Sydney Morning Herald, Seizure Magazine, and SBS Feast.
Tedeschi debuted at the Sydney Opera House at age nine and has performed at Carnegie Hall and with major orchestras in the US and Australia. He collaborates widely in chamber music and jazz, including with Andrew Haveron, Sally Walker, and Kevin Hunt, and holds a Master’s in Writing and Literature from Deakin University.
Elena is One of Australia’s foremost contemporary composers, Elena Kats-Chernin’s vibrant and distinctive music across all genres has reached millions worldwide, featuring at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, 2003 Rugby World Cup and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, she has received numerous prizes including Helpmann, Limelight, Sounds Australian and Sydney
Theatre Awards, the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award and the 2022 Australian Women in Music Award (AWMA) for ‘Artistic Excellence’. Elena Kats-Chernin composed the music soundtrack to Oscar-winning director Adam Elliott’s multi-award-winning full length claymation film “Memoir of a Snail”, which won the top Cristal award for ‘Best Feature Film’ at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, ‘Best film’ at the BFI London Film Festival, and was an official nomination in the 97th Academy Awards, the 82nd Annual Golden Globes, among many others. ‘Eliza Aria’ from ballet Wild Swans (choreographer Meryl Tankard) was made famous by British bank Lloyds TSB; Kats-Chernin’s ‘Sarenka’ double concerto premiered by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was nominated for ‘Work of the Year’ in the 2024 APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards, and Elena was the highest voted Australian composer in the ABC’s Classic100 countdowns in both 2024 and 2025, as well as the most popular female composer.
Kats-Chernin writes for ballet, opera, theatre, television and the concert hall, with her music performed by all major orchestras in Australia, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Brandenburg Orchestra and Australian World Orchestra; London Philharmonic Orchestra,
Deutsche Kammerorchester Berlin, City of London Sinfonia, BBC Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, the North Carolina
Symphony and Luxembourg Philharmonie, as well as the opera houses of Antwerp, Stuttgart, and Berlin, and in festivals across the
USA, Europe, and Australasia. She has been a resident composer with Magdeburg and Bremerhaven theatres recently. She has collaborated with well-known artists such as Marin Alsop, Avi Avital, Michael Collins, Mahan Esfahani, Shobana Jeyasingh, Richard Tognetti, William Barton, Simone Young, and many more, with 2025 premieres in Australia, Luxembourg and Austria. Elena
collaborated for the first time with William Yang on his 2012 Sydney Festival project, ‘I am a camera’, joining forces once more for
the world premiere of ‘Milestone’ for Sydney Festival in 2025, AsiaTOPA, Brisbane and OzAsia Festivals. Elena Kats-Chernin’s music is published exclusively by Boosey & Hawkes, and recorded by Deutsche Grammophon and ABC Classics, and more.
Please join us for an intimate guided tour of our permanent exhibition, Everybody Had a Name.
When:
Everybody Had a Name will take you on a journey from life before the Holocaust, to the rise of Nazism and the outbreak of World War Two through to liberation and its aftermath. Throughout the exhibition the visitor will encounter incredible personal stories from those who survived and migrated to Melbourne, told through unique artefacts and engaging multimedia.
In partnership with Melbourne Jewish Book Week and The Jewish Quarterly we invite you to a compelling conversation with award-winning UK journalist Tanya Gold and Dr Daniel Haumschild, Manager of Exhibitions and Storytelling at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum.
In novels, film and popular culture, the Holocaust genre is booming. As Tanya Gold shows in this crucial Jewish Quarterly essay, however, the creators of these works all too often put the success of their product above the integrity of the story. Unfortunately, when creators engage in crass and self-serving exercises of exploitation, the results are shameful fictions that desecrate the past and misrepresent the Jewish people of today.
Tanya will join us virtually from the United Kingdom.
Please note this event may be recorded for our institutional archive, and photos may be used for marketing purposes.
Tanya Gold is an award-winning British freelance journalist. She writes for Harper’s magazine, The Spectator, the Jewish Chronicle and the New York Times. She won best feature writer at the British Press awards in 2010 and a Foreign Press Association award in 2015.
Dr. Dan Haumschild is the Manager of Exhibitions and Storytelling at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum and a Visiting Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Yeshiva University. After 20 years of teaching, museum work, and consulting, Dan’s favourite professional challenge revolves around creating meaningful experiences that invite people into a stronger relationship with the past, with one another, and with themselves. His ongoing research focuses on the relationship between public history, education, and political agency in communities recovering from mass atrocity.
In partnership with Melbourne Jewish Book Week and The Jewish Quarterly we invite you to a compelling conversation with award-winning UK journalist Tanya Gold and Dr Daniel Haumschild, Manager of Exhibitions and Storytelling at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum.
In novels, film and popular culture, the Holocaust genre is booming. As Tanya Gold shows in this crucial Jewish Quarterly essay, however, the creators of these works all too often put the success of their product above the integrity of the story. Unfortunately, when creators engage in crass and self-serving exercises of exploitation, the results are shameful fictions that desecrate the past and misrepresent the Jewish people of today.
Tanya will join us virtually from the United Kingdom.
Please note this event may be recorded for our institutional archive, and photos may be used for marketing purposes.
Tanya Gold is an award-winning British freelance journalist. She writes for Harper’s magazine, The Spectator, the Jewish Chronicle and the New York Times. She won best feature writer at the British Press awards in 2010 and a Foreign Press Association award in 2015.
Dr. Dan Haumschild is the Manager of Exhibitions and Storytelling at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum and a Visiting Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Yeshiva University. After 20 years of teaching, museum work, and consulting, Dan’s favourite professional challenge revolves around creating meaningful experiences that invite people into a stronger relationship with the past, with one another, and with themselves. His ongoing research focuses on the relationship between public history, education, and political agency in communities recovering from mass atrocity.
Join us for a powerful and moving evening with acclaimed performer, digital creator, and Holocaust education advocate Montana Tucker, as she shares her personal journey of discovering her family’s Holocaust history and using her platform to combat rising antisemitism around the world.
At a time when hate and misinformation are spreading with alarming speed, this event is a call to remembrance, education, and action.
Montana will be in conversation with Dr Breann Fallon, Head of Experience and Learning at MHM.
We will also hear firsthand testimony from a Holocaust survivor, Guta Goldstein.
Please note this event may be recorded for our institutional archive, and photos may be used for marketing purposes.
This event is proudly sponsored by:
Montana Tucker is an award-winning singer, actress, and social media activist with nearly 14 million followers, known for using her platform to combat antisemitism and promote Holocaust education, especially among Gen Z. A granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, she created the viral docuseries “How To: Never Forget”, documenting her emotional journey to Auschwitz. Her advocacy has earned recognition from major institutions including the National Holocaust Museum and ADL.
Guta was born in Lodz, Poland in 1930. She was nine years old when the Germans invaded Poland.
Guta, her sister, and father were forced into the Lodz Ghetto. Both her sister and father died of illness.
on 14 August 1944 Guta was transported to Auschwitz, where her aunt and cousin were sent to the gas chambers on arrival.
In September Guta and her remaining cousins were transferred to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
Guta was eventually sent to the labour camp of Mehltheuer and was liberated by the US army in April 1945.
Guta arrived to Australia in 1949.
Dr Breann Fallon is the Head of Experience and Learning and acting Co-CEO at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. Working across the museums, education and human rights sectors Dr Fallon is also the president of the National Education Network for the Australian Museums and Galleries Association and served as an expert on the 2023 federal senate inquiry into the national ban on Nazi symbols, which was ultimately successful. Breann taught in the Studies in Religion department at the University of Sydney; her research interests include religion and violence, genocide, human rights, cinema, material religion, and gender, having published on all of these topics. A regular in the media, Breann is the host of the documentary ‘Trafficked to Australia’, was co-editor of the podcast ‘The Religious Studies Project,’ and has hosted ABC Radio National programs for the Religions and Ethics Unit.
Please join us at Melbourne Holocaust Museum for an in conversation.
Jayne Josem will host a conversation with Dr Breann Fallon (Melbourne Holocaust Museum), Sidra Moshinsky (Jewish Museum of Australia) and Nina Sanadze (Goldstone Gallery) as they explore the role museums and galleries play in promoting social cohesion in an increasingly divided society. Given the recent rise in antisemitism and ongoing issues with racism, what are these museums and galleries doing to counter these disturbing phenomena? Can an exhibition change people’s perception and behaviour?
Please note this event may be recorded for our institutional archive, and photos may be used for marketing purposes.
Jayne Josem is CEO of the Cranbourne Foundation, whose purpose is to advance and strengthen the Victorian Jewish community for generations to come.
Former CEO of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, and long-time Curator and Head of Collections, Jayne was the recipient of the AMaGA Victoria Award for Excellence in 2022. Jayne spear-headed a substantial museum redevelopment project, was lead curator of the permanent exhibition Everybody Had a Name and executive producer of the powerful VR survivor testimony film Walk with Me.
Her work focussed on amplifying the voices of Holocaust survivors and sharing the MHM Collections widely through the physical and digital space, for the purpose of broader civic education.
Nina Sanadze is a Soviet-born, Jewish Australian artist, curator, and writer. Her multidisciplinary practice interrogates historical trauma, collective memory, and political narratives, with a strong focus on Jewish themes and the rise of antisemitism over the past three years. Her career includes a major retrospective at the National Gallery of Victoria (2024), international and local exhibitions, significant public commissions, and numerous awards and residencies. In 2023, she created and served as Artistic Director of Collective Polyphony, a festival of artist collectives.
In the wake of 7 October, and following sustained harassment, doxxing, and professional exclusion as an outspoken Jewish artist, Sanadze co-founded Goldstone Gallery in February 2025. Located in Collingwood’s northern cultural district, next to Miznon, the gallery quickly became a vital cultural institution, a safe space for Jewish creatives and other marginalised voices, with a bold, evolving artistic program.
Sidra Kranz Moshinsky is a writer, researcher, educational leader and museum professional, serving as the Director and CEO at the Jewish Museum of Australia. Sidra taught and led in Jewish education for fifteen years and is a founder of the Jewish Educators’ Network of Australia. Sidra is also a freelance contributor to The Jewish Independent and celebrates Jewish life through many avenues, including by being a board member of Kehilat Kolenu.
Dr Breann Fallon is the Head of Experience and Learning and acting Co-CEO at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. Working across the museums, education and human rights sectors Dr Fallon is also the president of the National Education Network for the Australian Museums and Galleries Association and served as an expert on the 2023 federal senate inquiry into the national ban on Nazi symbols, which was ultimately successful. Breann taught in the Studies in Religion department at the University of Sydney; her research interests include religion and violence, genocide, human rights, cinema, material religion, and gender, having published on all of these topics. A regular in the media, Breann is the host of the documentary ‘Trafficked to Australia’, was co-editor of the podcast ‘The Religious Studies Project,’ and has hosted ABC Radio National programs for the Religions and Ethics Unit.
Please join the Melbourne Holocaust Museum and the Bialystok Committee in commemoration to mark the 82nd year of the uprising and liquidation of the Bialystok Ghetto.
Memorial service and celebration of the culturally rich tapestry of the Jewish Community that lived in and around Bialystok.
Survivors, families and friends invited.
Inquiries: call or text Debbie at 0417 020 856
Please join us for our nine-week Holocaust Education Course.
This course, running over a series of nine consecutive Monday evenings, spans the history of the Holocaust from the 19th century through to the liberation of the camps and return to life. Each evening will run from 7-9pm with coffee and tea provided.
The course will be facilitated by MHM Manager of Adult Education Dr Simon Holloway, Co-President Sue Hampel OAM with each evening dedicated to a particular theme.
If you have any further questions about the course, please contact simon.holloway@mhm.org.au for further information.
Please register in advance and secure a place.
Week 1: The World that Was.
Week 2: From the Cross to the Swastika.
Week 3: The Rise and Fall of German Jewry and Austrian Jewry.
Week 4: Death and Life in the Nazi Ghettos.
Week 5: Life Unworthy of Life: The Origins of the Final Solution.
Week 6: The Concentration Camp Universe.
Week 7: By Any Means Available: Jewish Resistance.
Week 8: Survey of Non-Jewish Responses.
Week 9: Liberation and Return to Life.
Image | Prisoners head south on a Death March from Dachau concentration camp; Gruenwald, Germany, 29 April, 1945. Courtesy of Yad Vashem.
Please join us at Melbourne Holocaust Museum for a panel discussion on how to speak to your children about the Holocaust, we welcome Morris Gleitzman, Dr Justin Olstein and MHM Educator Grace Powell in conversation moderated by MHM Head of Experience and Learning Dr Breann Fallon.
Morris Gleitzman is a bestselling Australian children’s author. His books explore serious and sometimes confronting subjects in humourous and unexpected ways. His titles include Two Weeks With The Queen, Grace, Doubting Thomas, Bumface, Give Peas A Chance, Extra Time, Loyal Creatures, Digging Up Dad, and the series Once, Then, After, Soon, Maybe, Now and Always. His latest book is Tweet. Morris lives in Brisbane, and his books are published in more than twenty countries.
Grace Powell is an educator at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, joining the institution in 2024. During her 31 years of teaching, predominantly in Victoria schools, Grace has held a number of positions of responsibility including Deputy Principal.
Dr Justin Olstein is a psychologist working in private practice in Melbourne. His doctoral research explored intergenerational family dynamics influenced by the spectre of the Holocaust, as perceived by grandchildren and great-grandchildren of survivors. His research paper focusing on great-grandchildren of survivors was the first of its kind known to be published. He has a wealth of experience working in public mental health settings, as well as in private practice, and also supervises student researchers at Monash University. Justin has an extensive background in the creative industries (film and TV), and lives in Melbourne with his husband and two small children.
Dr Breann Fallon is the Head of Experience and Learning at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. Working across the museums, education and human rights sectors Dr Fallon is also the president of the National Education Network for the Australian Museums and Galleries Association and served as an expert on the 2023 federal senate inquiry into the national ban on Nazi symbols, which was ultimately successful. Breann taught in the Studies in Religion department at the University of Sydney for over three years; her research interests include religion and violence, genocide, human rights, cinema, material religion, and gender, having published on all of these topics. A regular in the media, Breann is the host of the documentary ‘Trafficked to Australia’, was co-editor of the podcast ‘The Religious Studies Project,’ and has hosted ABC Radio National program ‘God Forbid.’
Join us at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum for the rare opportunity to hear first-hand from Holocaust survivor Joe Szwarcberg.
Joe was born in 1930 in Kozienice, Poland, the youngest of six children. The Germans invaded in 1939 when Joe was nine years old and incarcerated the Jewish population in a ghetto.
Joe risked his life by leaving the ghetto to get food, but nonetheless his mother died due to the poor conditions there. He was deported to a harsh labour camp where he witnessed the murder of one of his brothers. In 1944 he was sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp.
After his liberation in 1945 at the age of 15 Joe was reunited with his sisters. His father had died in a death march from Auschwitz and neither of his brothers survived.
Join us on the 27th of July to meet Joe and learn about his experiences.
Image | Simon Shiff
Join us for a conversation between author and journalist Rachelle Unreich and MHM’s Dr Simon Holloway as they delve into the Holocaust history behind our current special exhibition Aftershocks: Nolan and the Holocaust.
Within this powerful exhibition there are multiple layers of history including the trial of Adolf Eichman and the camps Nolan has depicted, Ravensbrück and Auschwitz, in his haunting imagery. Focusing on these historical elements as well as Rachelle’s mother’s story of survival in Ravensbrück and Auschwitz, This evening will deepen our understanding of Nolan’s works.
Exhibition produced by:
Research and Curation: Katharine Cousins with grateful assistance from Roslyn Sugarman, Emeritus Professor Konrad Kwiet & Professor Avril Alba.
This exhibition was made possible with sincere appreciation to our partners:
With additional thanks to our Sydney Jewish Museum donors and lenders:
This exhibition follows the Museum’s 2022 exhibition ‘Shaken to His Core: The Untold Story of Nolan’s Auschwitz’, produced in collaboration with ‘Nolan’s Africa’ author, Andrew Turley. After its success in Sydney and with the acquisition of some 65 artworks from Nolan’s Holocaust series, the Sydney Jewish Museum is proud to present this exhibition featuring new insights and research into our Sidney Nolan Holocaust collection.
Image | Australian artist Sidney Nolan, taken by Albert Tucker. National Library of Victoria.
Please note this event may be recorded for our institutional archive.
Rachelle Unreich has been a journalist for 37 years, including seven years in the United States where she wrote about the entertainment industry. Her work has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Financial Review, Elle, Rolling Stone, Good Weekend, and she has been extensively published in the US, the UK, and Southeast Asia.
A Brilliant Life, the powerful true story of her mother Mira, a Holocaust survivor, is her first book.
PhD, Classical Hebrew and Biblical Studies: MA; Ancient History
Simon has a passion for Holocaust education and believes strongly in helping to preserve the legacy of our survivors. In his role he creates and oversees programs to enhance broader community understanding of the Holocaust and its lessons.
For six years, Simon served as a sessional lecturer at the University of Sydney, and as an Education Officer at the Sydney Jewish Museum. Simon has developed and taught programs relating to Nazi racial science, Jewish resistance and the history of the Holocaust. Simon’s research interests concern the identification of references to the biblical and rabbinic literature in documents produced during the war.
Join us for a FutureGen event: Nolan at Night, an after-hours viewing of Aftershocks: Nolan and the Holocaust an exhibition showcasing the iconic Australian artist Sidney Nolan as he came to terms with the events of the Holocaust. This intimate event offers a unique opportunity to discover his evocative depictions of the human condition, historical narratives and the nature of memory through rare pieces. Engage with curators and immerse yourself in the stories behind each artwork on display in the Alter Family Special Exhibition Gallery. Don’t miss this unforgettable evening to experience Sidney Nolan’s art in a new light at Nolan at Night.
We’re teaming up with our neighbours at Copycat to bring you the ultimate night out. Start your evening with Nolan at Night at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, then head around the block to Copycat for a post exhibition wind down and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine when you spend $15 or more.
Please collect your voucher on the night before attending the exhibition. The offer is valid for house wine only. Please note, Copycat’s kitchen closes at 9pm.
Exhibition produced by:
Research and Curation: Katharine Cousins with grateful assistance from Roslyn Sugarman, Emeritus Professor Konrad Kwiet & Professor Avril Alba.
This exhibition was made possible with sincere appreciation to our partners:
With additional thanks to our Sydney Jewish Museum donors and lenders:
This exhibition follows the Museum’s 2022 exhibition ‘Shaken to His Core: The Untold Story of Nolan’s Auschwitz’, produced in collaboration with ‘Nolan’s Africa’ author, Andrew Turley. After its success in Sydney and with the acquisition of some 65 artworks from Nolan’s Holocaust series, the Sydney Jewish Museum is proud to present this exhibition featuring new insights and research into our Sidney Nolan Holocaust collection.
Image | Australian artist Sidney Nolan, taken by Albert Tucker. National Library of Victoria.
Join us at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum for the rare opportunity to hear first-hand from Holocaust survivor Judy Kolt.
Judy was born in Lodz, Poland in September 1936. She was 3 years old when the Nazis marched into town in 1939. They came to arrest her father, but luckily, he was not home. Judy’s father then decided it was time for the family to leave. They went to Warsaw with the hope of not being recognised, but were forced into ghetto when arrived before being moved to the Otwock ghetto. Judy’s father managed to smuggle her sister and Judy out of the ghetto and spent the remainder of the war hiding in a convent, a school for the blind and many other places. At the end of the war Judy and her sister were reunited with their mother, but Judy’s father who had helped save many by placing them in hiding, never returned.
Judy, her mother, and sister arrived in Australia in 1952, the day before her 16th birthday.
Join us on the 29th of June to meet Judy and learn about her experiences.
Image | Judy, Father Ussas and Tosia at the convent on Kazimierzowska Street, Warsaw Poland. June 1943
Photo taken from Judy’s memoir “Tell it to the Squirrels”
Sir Sidney Nolan OM AC CBE RA is an artist who has always inspired strong feelings among his admirers and detractors. In this lecture Jaynie Anderson AM OSI FAHA will challenge the conventional cliches of the biographies written about Nolan to date with reference to previously unknown archival evidence. Nolan’s relations to Jewish survivors of the Holocaust will be discussed. New documentary evidence about his admiration for Leonhard Adam and Yosl Bergner will be revealed from the time he lived in St Kilda as a child, and in Parkville in the 1940s. Adam and Bergner inspired Nolan to create works of art about Indigenous subjects which remained a lifelong preoccupation for him. The early Jewish legacy to Nolan was of continual significance and resurfaces in his preoccupation with Auschwitz.
The exhibition will be open to the public for viewing prior to the event.
Exhibition produced by:
Research and Curation: Katharine Cousins with grateful assistance from Roslyn Sugarman, Emeritus Professor Konrad Kwiet & Professor Avril Alba.
This exhibition was made possible with sincere appreciation to our partners:
With additional thanks to our Sydney Jewish Museum donors and lenders:
This exhibition follows the Museum’s 2022 exhibition ‘Shaken to His Core: The Untold Story of Nolan’s Auschwitz’, produced in collaboration with ‘Nolan’s Africa’ author, Andrew Turley. After its success in Sydney and with the acquisition of some 65 artworks from Nolan’s Holocaust series, the Sydney Jewish Museum is proud to present this exhibition featuring new insights and research into our Sidney Nolan Holocaust collection.
Image | Australian artist Sidney Nolan, taken by Albert Tucker. National Library of Victoria.
Please note this event may be recorded for our institutional archive.
Jaynie Anderson AM OSI FAHA is an art historian, biographer and curator. She was the Foundation Director of the Australian Institute of Art History at the University of Melbourne from 2009-2015 and Herald Chair of Fine Arts from 1997 to 2014. She is a fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and was president of the International Committee of Art History from to 2008 to 2012. In 2015 she became a star of Italy, a knighthood from the President of Italy. She is currently writing a book on Nolan with research that began in 1966.
