Lodz Ghetto Commemoration 2024
Join the Melbourne Holocaust Museum and the Lodz Committee in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Lodz Ghetto.
The Landsmanshaftn were societies of Jewish immigrants who came from the same town or region in Eastern Europe. They were named for the members’ original birthplaces. They were formed to assist their fellow ‘townspeople’ in settling into their new lives in Australia. This assistance – material, emotional, cultural, and social – helped many new arrivals to begin their acclimatisation to life in their new country.
By 1949, numerous attempts had been made to form a Lodzer Landsmanshaft. In 1953 an initiating committee was formed with the aim of calling a general meeting of Melbourne Jews from the Polish city of Lodz and organising an evening to commemorate the memory of their annihilated community.
Today’s Lodz Committee consists of second and third generation descendants. As the years pass by and we have fewer of our precious survivors with us, we realise the importance of involving the younger generations in helping us remember the Lodzers who called Melbourne their home. Today we remember and honour Jewish Lodz, and its inhabitants, the last embers of a once glorious and vibrant community.
This year’s program includes Honouring six of our Lodz Ghetto survivors with a special candle lighting ceremony. Reflections of 80 years since the Lodz Ghetto Liquidation by Lodz Ghetto Survivors, Mrs Guta Goldstein and Mr Abe Goldberg OAM. Music by Sholem Aleichem Students.
Light refreshments will be provided after the commemoration.
‘The Dressmakers of Auschwitz’ Book talk
Please join us in partnership with The Shrine of Remembrance and Melbourne Jewish Book Week for an in conversation with author and historian Lucy Adlington and MHM Head of Exhibitions and Programming Dr Breann Fallon.
At the height of the Holocaust, 25 young inmates of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp – mainly Jewish women and girls – were selected to design, cut, and sew beautiful fashions for elite Nazi women in a dedicated salon. It was work that they hoped would spare them from the gas chambers. Drawing on diverse sources including interviews with the last surviving seamstress, The Dressmakers of Auschwitz follows the fates of these brave women.
In this captivating event, author and historian Lucy Adlington will join us virtually from the United Kingdom to uncover these stories. In conversation with the Melbourne Holocaust Museum’s Dr Breann Fallon, Lucy will reveal the bonds of family and friendship that helped these women endure persecution.
Guests will have an opportunity to explore the Shrine’s exhibition Trenches to Runway: Military Influences on Modern Fashion before the talk commences. While the exhibition does not explore the themes in The Dressmakers of Auschwitz, it draws important parallels between the impact of military clothing design and wartime conditions on popular fashion, tracing these influences from the 1870s to the present day.
(viewings of Trenches to Runway from 5pm to 5.50pm)
Please note: The entry to this event is via the Shrine’s Education Foyer.
Image | Courtesy of shalom.edu.au
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Lucy Adlington
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Dr Breann Fallon
On Moral Complexities and the Holocaust – Jayne Josem Annual ‘In Conversation’ Series
Nearly 80 years after the Holocaust we still face many unanswered and perhaps unanswerable questions: what were the dilemmas faced by Jews who sought to leave Europe? How do we understand the role of ‘bystanders’ and notions of complicity? When atrocities are occurring in the fog of war, how can moral evaluation and imperatives to act be hampered? What questions are raised by the renewed focus on the perpetrators, through representations in film and theatre? How might these complexities be represented in Holocaust museums?
In this event, moderator Jayne Josem will facilitate a conversation exploring the complexities of such moral questions between Deakin University philosopher Associate Professor Patrick Stokes and Associate Professor of Ethics and Impact and Resident Ethicist at the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership, Leslie Cannold.
Please join us for the inaugural event of a new annual series featuring conversations between experts on themes related to Holocaust history and memory. The event honours the contribution made by Jayne Josem to the Melbourne Holocaust Museum over two decades.
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A/Prof Patrick Stokes
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A/Prof Leslie Cannold
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Jayne Josem
Hear a Witness: Abram Goldberg OAM
Join us at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum for the rare opportunity to hear first-hand from Holocaust survivor Abram Goldberg OAM.
Abe was born in Lodz, Poland in 1924.
Following the Nazi invasion his family was sent to a camp near Krakow; Abe’s older sister fled east.
Abe’s and his parents escaped and return to Lodz, but two of his sisters remained in the camp.
Abe and his parents were imprisoned in Lodz Ghetto and forced to work as labourers. Abe’s father was deported in 1942 and murdered at Chelmno. In 1944 Abe and his mother were sent to Auschwitz, where his mother was gassed upon arrival.
Abe was sent to a series of camps before being liberated in 1945 in Wobbelin.
Only Abe’s older sister survived.
Abe arrived in Australia in 1951.
Join us on the 11th of August to meet Abe and learn about his experiences.
Searching and Researching: Holocaust and Jewish Family Tracing
Ever wanted to research your family history and the fate of relatives during the Holocaust but unsure where to begin? Our panel of experts will help you navigate Australian and international Holocaust and genealogical resources. Elise Bath, from the Weiner Library, London, will guide you through the International Tracing Service Archives, Max Wald OAM will open the portal of Jewish Geography through his work with Jewish Gen and other open access sources, and MHM’s Julia Reichstein, Information Manager and Librarian, will present numerous Australian and international resources to assist your research. Hosted by Dr Anna Hirsh, MHM Manager of Collections and Research, this evening is designed to empower and inform.
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Elise Bath
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Max Wald OAM
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Julia Reichstein
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Dr Anna Hirsh
Deportation from Rhodes
Please join us for a lecture by Vic Alhadeff OAM.
July 2024 marks 80 years since the destruction of the Jewish communities of Rhodes and the other Dodecanese islands.
The Jews of Greece experienced the best and the worst of humanity. The majority of the community of Salonika was murdered, while the entire community of Zakynthos was saved. The community of Rhodes Island – where Vic Alhadeff’s family originated – was decimated, while a Muslim diplomat rescued some of them. Vic will discuss the Holocaust in Greece, including his father’s remarkable story.
The Star on the Grave Book launch
Please join Linda Royal for the book launch of The Star on the Grave at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum.
In 1940, as the Nazis sweep toward Lithuania, Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara defies his government and secretly issues visas to fleeing Jewish refugees. After the war, Sugihara is dismissed and disappears into obscurity.
Three decades later, in Australia, Rachel Margol is shocked when her engagement reveals a long-held family secret: she is Jewish. As she grapples with this deception and the dysfunction it has caused, unspoken tragedies from the past begin to come to light. When an opportunity arrives to visit Chiune Sugihara, the man who risked his life to save the Margols during World War II, Rachel becomes determined to meet him. But will a journey to Japan, and the secrets it uncovers, heal the family or fracture them for good?
The Star on the Grave is a powerful and moving novel inspired by the true story of Chiune Sugihara, and the thousands of people – including the author – who owe him their lives.
The Star on the Grave is Linda’s first novel and will be available for purchase at the event.
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From Victim to Survivor: The Origin of Holocaust Testimony
Please join us at Melbourne Holocaust Museum for an evening lecture by Dr Margaret Taft.
The last thirty years has seen an explosion in Holocaust survivor testimony, oral history projects and Holocaust museums and memorials. This contemporary memory boom has led to a false consensus – that victims and survivors never spoke nor wrote of their horrific experiences either during or immediately after the Holocaust, and that this trend was only reversed by the Eichmann trial in 1961. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jewish witnesses to the Holocaust began speaking and writing of their experiences even during the war itself and later in its immediate aftermath. This not only produced a prodigious body of testimonies but led to the development of a new genre of Holocaust memoir. In this lecture, Dr Margaret Taft will speak of the evolution of Holocaust survivor testimony and will consider the ways in which survivor testimony and survivor identity have changed over time.
Image | Courtesy of University Archives & Special Collections, Paul V. Galvin Library, Illinois Institute of Technology.
Hear a Witness : Andy Factor OAM
Join us at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum for the rare opportunity to hear first-hand from Holocaust survivor Andy Factor OAM
Andy was born in Plauen, Germany in 1924. He was nine year old when the Nazis came to power in Germany.
After the antisemitic laws were introduced in Germany, Andy experienced isolation and humiliation.
Andy and his father were arrested the day after Kristallnacht. He was released after a week, but his father was sent to Buchenwald concentration camp for six weeks.
Thanks to Andy’s relatives in America, his family has received visas to France where they lived for several months during which time the war broke out.
Andy and his family arrived in Australia in 1940.
Join us on the 7th of July to meet Andy and learn about his experiences.
Image | photographed by Simon Shiff
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Fragments & Memories: A Re-Imagining of the Czestochowa Synagogue
The Melbourne Holocaust Museum invites you to a lecture by Dr Anna Hirsh, Manager of Collections and Research.
How can Jewish cultural and religious heritage and life before the Holocaust be understood now, after so much was destroyed?
The MHM’s new permanent exhibition, Everybody had a Name features an artistic reimagining of Perec Willenberg’s elaborate ceiling mural from the Old Czestochowa Synagogue.
Dr Anna Hirsh, MHM’s Manager of Collections & Research, created a reconstruction of the elaborate mural guided by a handful of photographs of the ceiling, Willenberg’s surviving artworks, and other historical and artistic references.
As part of the museum’s Czestochowa Room, this recreation is a tribute to the beauty and meaning of Europe’s destroyed synagogues, inspiring a visual understanding of pre-war Jewish religion and culture to Australian audiences. In this lecture, Anna will describe the design processes of the recreation, and explore the symbolic imagery embedded in Willenberg’s intricate artwork. Merging the historical, religious and artistic, the ceiling project encapsulates the role of art and heritage in the preservation of memory and Jewish culture.
Mark Ashkanasy, eminent art and architectural photographer and digital artist, will join Anna to describe his contributions to this ceiling project: photographing the work, and his methodologies and philosophies of the digital post production in preparation for its installation.
With an introduction on the Czestochowa Room by Dr Breann Fallon.
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How to Talk About the Holocaust with Children
Melbourne Holocaust Museum is excited to host a panel discussion: How to Talk About the Holocaust with Children.
We welcome acclaimed author Morris Gleitzman, Dr Shalya Hirschson a child psychologist and MHM Pedagogy Specialist Lisa Phillips, for an informative conversation moderated by MHM Manager of Adult Education Dr Simon Holloway.
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Morris Gleitzman
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Dr Shalya Hirschson
Kraków Ghetto Commemoration 2024
Join the Cracow Memorial Committee for the 81st anniversary commemoration of the liquidation of the Kraków ghetto.
Commemorate the tragic events of March 13th and 14th, 1943, when the Kraków ghetto was liquidated.
Honor the memory of the pre-war Jewish community that perished during the Holocaust.
Celebrate the resilience of life over death—the victory of survival and remembrance.
This solemn event serves as a bridge between generations now living in Melbourne, ensuring that the memory of those lost remains alive and that the lessons of history continue to resonate.
Hope is a Verb – Ben M Freeman
What does it mean to be proud of being Jewish? In a post-October 7th world, when so many aspects of Jewish identity are being put under a microscope, some might feel more comfortable keeping their cultural and religious observance private.
In this timely and important conversation, Ben M. Freeman will discuss the importance of being open about one’s Jewishness, the necessity of maintaining Jewish pride, and techniques for inculcating a love of Judaism in one’s children. With increasing levels of antisemitism in Melbourne and around the world, this conversation will also afford an opportunity to consider tactics for navigating hostile situations.
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Ben M. Freeman
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Dr Simon Holloway
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Holckner Family Bnei Mitzvah Program
The Melbourne Holocaust Museum’s Holckner Family Bnei Mitzvah program is a ninety-minutes workshop designed to connect those undergoing their Bnei Mitzvah to the Holocaust in a meaningful way. The program will allow participants to engage with the experiences of Holocaust survivors, to be inspired by their resilience and the kindness of strangers, as well as to reflect on the significance of their Bnei Mitzvah and what being Jewish means to them.
Parents/guardians do not need to stay for the duration of the program.
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Exploring Contemporary Antisemitism Through a Historical Lens
The Melbourne Holocaust Museum invites you to a lecture run by Prof. Andrew Markus AO FASSA.
Rabbi Ralph Genende wrote in early March that “since October 7, I have keenly realised that history has apparently reverted back to the most primeval of times… I certainly never expected to feel this way in Australia.” The Executive Council of Australian Jewry documented 662 antisemitic incidents during October and November 2023, reflecting a 738% increase compared to the same period the previous year. Among these incidents were death threats directed at Jewish organisations and individuals, frequent anti-Israel demonstrations extolling violence, pervasive acts of intimidation such as the public release of personal information identifying members of a Jewish Australian WhatsApp group, and the proliferation of toxic content on social media platforms. Notable flashpoints included a convoy of vehicles driven from Sydney’s western suburbs through the centre of Jewish community and a violent street protest in Caulfield, prompting the evacuation of a synagogue. This talk will consider historical contexts to evaluate present-day manifestations of antisemitism, with reference to earlier periods of Australian history and pre-war Europe.
Image | Shutterstock
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The 11th Hour: The Holocaust in Hungary
On 16 May, MHM Manager of Adult Education Dr Simon Holloway will present a lecture in collabration with B’nai B’rith, exploring the Holocaust experience for Jewish communities living in Hungary.
In 1944, the Jewish communities of Hungary made up some of the last remaining Jews in all of Axis-controlled Europe. The tragic story of their annihilation is all the more macabre when one considers that it happened under the gaze of the entire world, who knew what deportation meant. In this lecture, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the deportations from Hungary, we will explore the peculiar situation faced by Hungarian Jews in light of their prewar experiences, the means by which they were so rapidly destroyed, and some of the heroic attempts made at the 11th hour to rescue them.
Image | A memorial to the murdered Jews in Hungary, on the Danube river, Hungary.
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Hear a Witness: Guta Goldstein
Join us at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum for the rare opportunity to hear first-hand from Holocaust survivor Guta Goldstein.
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.
Inheriting Memories and Preserving Truth
We invite you to join us for the commemoration of Yom HaShoah on Monday 6 May 2024.
This year we will host a panel discussion moderated by MHM CEO Dr Steven Cooke. We look forward to hearing from our three panellists, Rachelle Unreich, Anita Lester and Adam Butt, who will share their lived and professional experience of taking on the custodianship of memory. The evening will explore how we can all carry the lessons of the Holocaust into the future and will seek to understand how, in a world threatened by increasing misinformation, distortion and denial, we can bring truth to the forefront.
Image | Simon Shiff
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Dr Steven Cooke
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Rachelle Unreich
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Anita Lester
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Adam Butt