Join us at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum for a special evening with the author of The Watchmaker’s War — a gripping novel based on the true story of Holocaust survivors, Nazi hunters, and the pursuit of justice in post-war Australia.
The evening will feature an in-conversation Q&A with the author, Danny Ben-Moshe, exploring the real history behind the book, followed by book sales and signing opportunities.
When Yakov Holtzman arrives in Melbourne – about as far away as he can possibly get from the graveyard that is Europe – he puts behind him the years he spent in the forests of Lithuania as a leader of the resistance, fighting the Nazis. He has come to join his brother – his only surviving family member – and start a new life as the watchmaker he once was.
Yakov looks for solace – and love – in the fragile, traumatised community of Jewish refugees taking root in a new land. But when swastikas, threats and, most frightening of all, the faces of old enemies appear on the streets of suburban St Kilda, his new-found peace is shattered.
Fierce instincts are reawakened in Yakov, and he knows he must act. But how can justice – or revenge – best be served? And will Yakov’s drive to destroy his enemies overtake him too, and leave his new life in ruins?
Based on a true story, The Watchmaker’s War is a gripping, high-stakes tale of Nazi hunters in Australia and the war criminals they pursued – killers with links to the highest levels of Australia’s spy agency. It offers profound insights into the lingering trauma of genocide, posing difficult questions about competing desires for peace and vengeance, and how far a victim should go in the pursuit of justice when the authorities fail to act.
Danny Ben-Moshe is a Walkley Award-winning documentary filmmaker, whose films have screened on leading networks around the world, from the BBC to PBS. Prior to becoming a full-time filmmaker Danny spent over a decade as a professor at Deakin and Victoria universities in Melbourne where he researched issues of cultural diversity in general, and Jewish identity in particular.
His first podcast, My Lost Family, featured in Audible’s top 10 podcast in its year of release. His documentary Revenge: Our Dad the Nazi Killer, which inspired The Watchmaker’s War, debuted in 2023.
Danny’s work takes him around the world but when home in Australia, he lives in Caulfield North, Melbourne.
We invite you to join us for the commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on Tuesday 28 January 2025.
This year’s event commemorates 80 years since the end of World War Two.
Please join us to hear three Holocaust survivors share their experiences of liberation and what liberation means to them. This panel discussion will be moderated by Dr Breann Fallon, MHM Head of Programming and Exhibitions.
Image | Simon Shiff
Gilah was born in the Netherlands in 1941. At the time of her birth, the Nazis had already taken control of the Netherlands. Gilah was 16 months old when her parents made the courageous decision to send her to live under an assumed identity with a non-Jewish family for her survival. The Zwanikken family looked after Gilah for two and a half years. Gilah often had to hide when guests came over and remained indoors to avoid suspicion. When she reunited with her biological parents after the war, she found it difficult to part with her foster family. Gilah maintained contact with them, even after her family and Gilah came to Australia in 1953.
Image | Simon Shiff
Peter Gaspar was born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia in 1937. He was four years old when Bratislava was occupied by the Nazis.
In June 1942 Peter was told by his teacher not return to school because he was Jewish. Peter and his parents went into hiding, spending nights anywhere they could find. For several days during the winter of 1944 they slept in dugout the size of a grave.
Peter fell ill and with no other option, the family turned themselves in. Peter and his mother were separated from his father and sent to Terezin concentration camp, where they were imprisoned for five months. They were liberated on 8 May 1945.
Peter arrived in Australia in 1949.
Image | Simon Shiff
Eve was born in 1939 in Czechoslovakia and survived the Holocaust in hiding, as did her parents. After the war ended, the family went to Trebisov but they eventually migrated to Australia in fear that the Communist regime would pose a threat to their safety. Eve and her parents arrived in Melbourne in 1949.
Eve married, had a successful career as a teacher and has a daughter, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
To watch this event online please click here
Please join us for our 2023 oration: Combating hate speech in the digital age.
This year we are pleased to announce our Betty & Shmuel Rosenkranz Oration will be presented by Karel Fracapane – Leader of hate speech issues within the Division for Peace and Sustainable Development arm within the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Karel has dedicated his professional life to combatting antisemitism and racism, Holocaust remembrance and the prevention of genocide, and violent extremism. Currently, he is focused on global citizenship issues, including hate speech, post-Holocaust issues and addressing contemporary forms of antisemitism.
Please register in advance and secure a place.
