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.