September 2009 Jewish Holocaust Centre Continuing the survivors’ vision Registered by Australia Post. Publication No. VBH 7236 JHC Board: The Jewish Holocaust Centre is dedicated to the memory of the six million Jews President: Pauline Rockman murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Vice President: Alex Dafner Immediate Past President: We consider the finest memorial to all victims of racist policies to be an educational Shmuel Rosenkranz programme which aims to combat anti-Semitism, racism and prejudice in the Secretary: Elly Brooks community and fosters understanding between people. Treasurer: David Cohen Public Officer: Adam Kreuzer Members: Allen Brostek, Abram Goldberg, Sue Hampel, Henri Korn, Willy Lermer, Helen Mahemoff Executive Director: Bernard Korbman JHC Foundation: Chairperson: Helen Mahemoff Trustees: CONTENTS Nina Bassat AM Joey Borensztajn Allen Brostek FROM THE PRESIDENT 3 Silvana Layton Jeffrey Mahemoff AO EDITOR’S LETTER 3 Patrons: DIRECTOR’S POINT OF VIEW 4 Professor Yehuda Bauer Mrs Eva Besen AO REMEMBERING THE CENTRE’S FOUNDERS 5 Mr Marc Besen AO Sir William Deane AC CBE FABRIC OF THE FUTURE: ACKNOWLEDGING OUR SPONSORS 8 Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE O, YE SUMMER OF ‘39 9 Mrs Diane Shteinman AM Steven Spielberg JHC – A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY 10 : JHC Staff SPOTS OF LIGHT: TO BE A WOMAN IN THE HOLOCAUST 11 Bernard Korbman, Executive Director Zvi Civins, Director of Education OUT OF THE DARK: THE EMOTIONAL LEGACY OF THE HOLOCUAST 12 Jayne Josem,Curator, Head of ABHIJIT CHATTARAJ – BRINGING A NEW VISION TO THE CENTRE 13 Collections Phillip Maisel OAM, Head of Testimonies MUSEUM UPGRADE STATE OF PLAY 14 Ursula Flicker OAM, Head of Archives EDUCATION 16 Sabina Josem & Rosa Freilich, Librarians MARCH OF THE LIVING 18 Nicole Brittain, Development Manager EVENTS 20 Frankie Pinch, PR and Communications Manager VOLUNTEERS 25 Robyn Fetter, Finance Manager A WIN-WIN FOR AJAX FOOTBALL CLUB AND JHC 26 Lena Fiszman, Office and IT Manager Tosca Birnbaum, Reception BEQUESTS 27 Claude Fromm, Assistant Archivist FRIENDS 28 Rae Silverstein, Volunteer Co-Ordinator Centre News Editorial Commitee: SEEN AROUND THE CENTRE 30 Editor: Ruth Mushin COLLECTIONS 32 Pauline Rockman OBITUARY 35 Bernard Korbman Lena Fiszman THANKS 35 Jayne Josem Frankie Pinch Nicole Brittain 13–15 Selwyn Street, OPENING HOURS Moshe Ajzenbud (Yiddish) Elsternwick, Vic 3185, Mon–Thu: 10am–4pm Australia Fri: 10am–2pm On the cover: t: (03) 9528 1985 Sun & Public Hols: 12pm–4pm f: (03) 9528 3758 Three generations at JHC: Closed on Saturdays, (l–r) Jayne Josem, Curator, Head e: [email protected] Jewish Holy Days and of Collections; Saba Feniger, the w: www.jhc.org.au some Public Holidays Museum’s first Curator; Lior Hadar, volunteer. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in Centre News are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those This publication has been designed and produced of the magazine editor or editorial committee. While the Centre News welcomes ideas, articles, photos, poetry and by Izigraphics Pty Ltd www.izigraphics.com.au letters, it reserves the right to accept or reject material. There is no automatic acceptance of submissions. 2 JHC Centre NewsNews FROM THE PRESIDENT Success such as this doesn’t his boss from a company called just happen but is the result of Philology for a chat. Serendipity! Pauline painstaking, exacting planning and This meeting lead to the beginning Rockman very hard work. I want to thank all of a pilot project that Abhijit named the JHC family – our survivors, all StoryPod – and in June we launched our volunteers, staff and Board for the pilot version, created with working so well together to produce the idea of combining the Jewish it all, and the community for tradition of storytelling with the supporting our Centre. technology of the iPod generation. The celebratory activities will The first contains seven survivor often talk about the buzz I culminate in the launch of our new- stories, but we hope to be able to encounter when I enter the look museum early in 2010. The honour all our survivor guides in the Jewish Holocaust Centre. It new permanent museum display future by preserving their stories in seems that buzz has developed I is being developed by the Centre’s these StoryPods. into a roar; the excitement at the Curator, Jayne Josem, who is As you read this edition I will have Centre is palpable and has taken on working closely with the Education a life of its own. One of the volunteer returned from a special journey. Director, Zvi Civins, and a team of guides said to me: ‘I always love Together with my sister and all my staff and volunteers. The museum coming to work at the Centre but at will incorporate innovative and first cousins on my father’s side, we the moment it is so exciting I can’t interactive technology, together with are going to Magdeburg, Germany, wait to get here each week.’ traditional exhibits. to take part in a ceremony created From the outset our 25th year has by the Magdeburg City Council. As A highlight of the new museum will been an outstanding success, from in some large cities in Germany, be the interactive StoryPods which the Chazanut concert in February to like Berlin, there is a program of will enable visitors to discover the the 25th anniversary dinner in March identifying and acknowledging stories of our survivor guides in that launched it all. There have been former Jewish residents and telling a highly innovative presentation. many highlights throughout this their story in a very public way. The As I contemplate these amazing time. We witnessed the passing of Magdeburg Council has inaugurated StoryPods, I wonder what led the baton at the tribute dinner as a commemoration program Abhijat Chattaraj, their creator, to survivor Abe Goldberg handed over our door. What prompted him to of erecting name tiles. On 11 to third generation Adam Kreuzer, create and deliver this outstanding September, a plaque will be unveiled representing the future of our outside the former residence of my Centre. facility, these StoryPods? Dare we say serendipitous? I think so! great grandfather, Mechel Herz (who There was the survivors’ Seder, was murdered in Theresienstadt) the Open Day at the Centre, Rachel You will read about the amazing and his son and three children (who story of Abhijit’s involvement in the Berger’s fantastic one-woman show were murdered at Auschwitz). and HOLAGIF, the Holocaust And Centre in this Centre News. Abhijit On behalf of myself and the JHC Genocide International Film event. first came to the JHC to photograph Board, I want to extend to you all And in October we will be launching survivors and at the time, he Spots of Light: To Be a Woman in suggested to us that our museum L’shana Tova, wishing you and the the Holocaust exhibition. could benefit from the introduction whole world a happy and peaceful of technology, so he brought in New Year. EDITOR’S LETTER are involved as guides, volunteers, us some insight into life as the Ruth Mushin Board members and as mentors to children of survivors, while Mark the staff, and the second and third Regev, grandson of Mina Fink, generations, who include paid staff, salutes his grandmother’s role in Board members and volunteers. establishing the Centre. This edition covers a time span of To reflect the increasing seventy years, from the outbreak involvement of the younger of World War II to the present, and generation, we feature the stories highlights the involvement of the of Eileen Wright and Abhijit three generations in the Centre. Chattaraj, two people who in isitors to the Jewish Kitia Altman writes a moving different ways have made a Holocaust Centre often account of the impact on her of the remarkable contribution to the use words like ‘energy’, outbreak of war on 1 September Centre as volunteers. The story V‘drive’ and ‘passion’ to 1939, while Moshe Ajzenbud of the AJAX Football Club’s describe it. These reactions are the reflects on the establishment of the involvement is another example of result of many things, but for me, JHC in 1984. a special relationship between the one of the very special things is the Mooky Bialylew and Nuritt Borsky, Centre and the younger generation. involvement of people of all ages, children of Aron Sokolowicz, spanning three generations: the talk about their father’s role in first generation of survivors who establishing the Centre and give JHC Centre News 3 DIRECTOR’S POINT OF VIEW agent’ for those who hold anti- the brutality suffered by the Jewish social views such as racism and people during the Holocaust is Bernard anti-Semitism. More often than not, a call to action for all peoples of Korbman these views are based purely on our multicultural and multi-faith ignorance and often derived from community to actively participate centuries old myths now being with one voice to combat anti- disseminated through modern Semitism, racism and prejudice technology by hate mongers and wherever and whenever it occurs. bigots. After twenty-five years we remain Our sages said that a single life is a proudly Jewish organisation n this our twenty-sixth year it is like a universe, therefore save a life with a message of relevance for all important to reflect and to ask and you save a world. Like them, Australians. ourselves the question – after we believe that if we can change * * * I a generation of service to the just one life, we begin to change Australian community, how have the world. Our notion of tikkun This year, two greatly admired we evolved? olam was born in the despair of the Jewish men in Australia passed killing fields of Western Ukraine, away: the late Richard Pratt and It is my view that through in hiding in towns and forests, in the late Victor Smorgon.