IHRD 2022 Event - Melbourne Holocaust Museum

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We look forward to seeing you on Thursday 27 January at 7.30pm AEDT for the Australia-wide online commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD) and the liberation of Auschwitz.

The members of the Australian Holocaust Museum Alliance unite for this event to inspire Australians to keep the memories of survivors and those murdered in the Holocaust alive.

At a time when the number of living survivors continues to dwindle, IHRD illuminates the stories of survivors, alongside the voices of leaders within the wider community, to combat racism and discrimination and to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust continue to be passed on to future generations.

About the event:

Listen to moving speeches by Holocaust survivors alongside other notable speakers listed below. Witness survivors participate in a moving candle lighting ceremony to ensure we never forget the memory of the 6 million Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust.

In addition to the ceremony, hear about the key findings and recommendations from a landmark piece of research, the Gandel Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness in Australia Survey, conducted by Deakin University and Gandel Foundation.

Deng Adut - 2017 Australian of the Year (NSW)

Deng’s life journey has taken him from being forced to become a child soldier in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army to a criminal lawyer making a difference in Western Sydney. His remarkable story has spread around the world, and inspired millions of people. Deng co-founded AC Law Group and fights for members of the Sudanese community from his home in Blacktown.

Nina Bassat AM - Holocaust survivor

Nina is a former lawyer appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2004 Australia Day Honours List. She was the first woman to be president of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, and the first Holocaust survivor and first woman lawyer to serve as president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

Yvonne Engelman OAM - Holocaust survivor

Yvonne received the Medal of the Order of Australia for her dedication to the Jewish community – she has served with the Sydney Jewish Museum since inception, as well as with the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants, and Board of Jewish Education. Yvonne was the sole survivor of her family upon liberation in 1945.

Daniela Gavshon - Program Director of Public Interest Advocacy Centre’s Truth and Accountability program

Since 2013, Daniela has designed and led PIAC’s transitional justice work. Prior to joining the organisation, Daniela ran the International Center for Transitional Justice’s program in the Solomon Islands. Following this she was a consultant for UN Women. Daniela has a BA and LLB (Hons) from the University of Sydney and an LLM in International Humanitarian Law from Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights.

António Guterres - UN Secretary-General and Former Prime Minister of Portugal

Fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish, Mr. Guterres has spent more than 20 years in government and public service. He was elected to the Portuguese Parliament in 1976, where he served for 17 years. Mr. Guterres was Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015. He began his tenure as UN Secretary-General in January 2017.

Sue Hampel OAM - International chair of the Education Working Group for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

Sue is a well-known public speaker and lecturer. She holds a Masters degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and serves as Co-President of the MHM. Sue is currently an academic mentor to Indigenous students and a teaching associate in the History faculty at Monash University. In 2020, Sue joined the State Government’s Holocaust Education Working Group, to assist with development and implementation of mandatory Holocaust Studies for Years 9 and 10 across Victoria.

Scott Morrison MP - Prime Minister of Australia

Since entering Federal politics as the Member for Cook in New South Wales, Mr Morrison has held a number of parliamentary positions. Most recently, Mr Morrison was the Treasurer from 21 September 2015 to 24 August 2018. The Hon Scott Morrison MP was sworn in as the 30th Prime Minister of Australia on 24 August 2018.

Dr Lois Peeler AM - 2017 Australian of the Year (VIC)

Lois is a member of the Sapphires, political activist, passionate educator and principal at Australia’s only Aboriginal girls’ boarding school. Lois has worked in a range of roles in Indigenous affairs and currently chairs the Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee. Lois is also an Elder of the Yorta Yorta people, with the abiding responsibility of nurturing Aboriginal culture, history and identity in an education framework.

Edward Santow - Former Human Rights Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission

Edward was Human Rights Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission from August 2016 to 28 July 2021. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, a Visiting Professorial Fellow at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Human Rights and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and serves on a number of boards and committees.

Sydney Children's Choir

The Sydney Children’s Choir proudly represents Sydney as the most prestigious and well-known vocal program for young singers of school age. It is one of the world’s leading treble vocal ensembles, having forged a reputation for artistic innovation and spell-binding performance over 30 years.

Sam Weiss - 2020-21 Composer Fellow for the Sydney Children's Choir

Sam is a screen music composer, saxophonist, conductor and musical director with feature film, short film and television (ABC, SBS) composer credits spanning drama, comedy, documentary, thriller and animation. He holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce degree at UNSW and is currently studying a Master of Arts Screen: Music Degree at AFTRS.

This event is proudly supported by Gandel Foundation and the Victorian Government Multicultural Festivals & Events Program.

The Australian Holocaust Museum Alliance (AHMA) has been founded by Canberra Holocaust Museum, Adelaide Holocaust Museum, Holocaust Institute of Western Australia, Melbourne Holocaust Museum (Melbourne), Queensland Holocaust Museum and Education Centre and Sydney Jewish Museum.