April 2011 Jewish Holocaust Centre Preserving our precious collection The magazine of the Jewish Holocaust Centre, Melbourne, Australia 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 OAM murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Vice President: Adam Kreuzer Immediate Past President: We consider the finest memorial to all victims of racist policies to be an educational Shmuel Rosenkranz program which aims to combat antisemitism, racism and prejudice in the Secretary: Elly Brooks community and fosters understanding between people. Treasurer: David Cohen Public Officer: Helen Mahemoff Members: Allen Brostek, Alex Dafner, Abram Goldberg, Sue Hampel, Paul Kegan, Henri Korn, Willy Lermer, Ruth Mushin JHC Foundation: Chairperson: CONTENTS Helen Mahemoff FROM THE PRESIDENT 3 Trustees: Nina Bassat AM EDITOR’S LETTER 3 Joey Borensztajn Allen Brostek DIRECTOR’S CUT 4 Silvana Layton Jeffrey Mahemoff AO EDUCATION 5 Patrons: ON HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE 6 Professor Yehuda Bauer Mrs Eva Besen AO USING THE JEWISH HOLOCAUST CENTRE MUSEUM Mr Marc Besen AO FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST 9 Sir William Deane AC CBE RESPONDING TO THE CHALLENGE FOR OUR TIMES: Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE Mrs Diane Shteinman AM TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION AT THE JEWISH HOLOCAUST CENTRE 10 Steven Spielberg PRESERVING OUR COLLECTION FOR POSTERITY 11 JHC Staff: THE JEWISH HOLOCAUST CENTRE CELEBRATES 27 YEARS 12 Warren Feinberg, Executive Director Zvi Civins, Director of Education HENRYK SLAWIK – THE POLISH WALLENBERG 13 Jayne Josem, Curator, Head of JHC ACKNOWLEDGES BARONESS VON NEURATH’S Collections SELFLESS ACTS OF COURAGE 16 Michael Cohen, Community Relations’ Coordinator EVENTS 17 Phillip Maisel OAM, Head of Testimonies THE CAREER OF MY ENGLISH LANGUAGE 22 Sabina Josem & Rose Freilich, BOOK REVIEW 23 Librarians Daniel Feldman, A STUDENT REFLECTS ON HIS VISIT TO JHC 24 Project Administrator CLUB JHC 26 Lena Fiszman, Office and IT Manager Tosca Birnbaum, Reception FRIENDS 27 Claude Fromm, Assistant Archivist SEEN AROUND THE CENTRE 28 Rae Silverstein, Volunteer Coordinator STORIES FROM THE COLLECTION 30 Centre News Editorial Commitee: NEW ACQUISITIONS 31 Editor: Ruth Mushin Pauline Rockman OAM POEM: BEYOND 32 Michael Cohen Lena Fiszman OBITUARIES 34 Jayne Josem COMMUNITY NEWS 35 Moshe Ajzenbud (Yiddish) 13–15 Selwyn Street OPENING HOURS 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 ‘Woman of Belsen’ Closed on Saturdays, Artist Alan Moore , e: [email protected] Jewish Holy Days and Australian War Artist 1945 w: www.jhc.org.au some Public Holidays 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 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 the ‘The Ursula Flicker Archival Kitia Altman was the speaker. She Collection’ and the testimonies was to speak for twenty minutes Pauline project as the ‘Phillip Maisel and asked me to stop her when her Rockman OAM Testimonies Project’. allotted time was up. Kitia spoke Together with the Australian Centre for forty minutes and I would not for Jewish Civilisation, Monash have wanted to stop her. What University and the USC Shoah she teaches us is so powerful, and Foundation, the Jewish Holocaust the audience was spellbound. Her Centre is proud to co-sponsor the message is not filled with hate or Second Jan Randa International despair, but rather with hope – hope merging from the success of Aftermath Conference in Holocaust for the future. the launch of our new-look and Genocide Studies Conference. Unlike many of my contemporaries, museum in 2010, the Jewish The conference, to be held in I was blessed with grandparents. EHolocaust Centre is now Melbourne on 5–6 June 2011, will Mama and Papa Hammerman embarking on a special and essential focus on the memory of genocide, arrived in Australia from Nazi project to preserve our collection. and Holocaust memory in particular. Germany on 20 August 1939, The Centre’s curatorial team is We are very excited to have some fortunate to have left when they keenly following up many avenues excellent international presenters, did, and so escaping the fate of to rescue and restore Holocaust including Father Patrick Desbois, my extended family – my great artefacts to save the stories behind Professor Jan Gross, Professor grandfather who was murdered in them and bring them to life. These Dovid Katz, Dr Stephen Smith and Theresienstadt and the 40 family stories give voice to the past and, Professor Laura Levitt. in doing so, have the potential to members who were murdered in shape a better future for succeeding Preparations are well underway for Auschwitz and by Einsatzgruppen in generations. March of the Living 2011. This year what was then Poland, now Ukraine. 40 Australian adults will participate. My beloved grandmother dedicated Our collection has been acquired They will join participants from herself to seeking out the family largely through the extraordinary the USA, South Africa, England, after the Shoah, sadly with minimal contributions of Ursula Flicker France and Costa Rica to form success. OAM and Phillip Maisel OAM, an international group. They will working with a team of dedicated be led by Trevor Roth and Tony In 1959 one of her nephews, with volunteers. They have created a Schneewiess, who will be joined his wife and two children, arrived most comprehensive resource of by educators from the United in Australia from Poland, having Holocaust evidence, Ursula in the States and South Africa. They are survived by fleeing to Azerbaijan in Archives Department and Philip by privileged to have two survivors 1941. Last December I attended the collecting eyewitness testimonies. – Henry Buch and Paul Fryberg – wedding of their granddaughter. Today the Archives and Testimonies accompanying them. The bride was from the family who Departments make up ‘Collections’, originated in Kalusz, now in the under the skilful guidance of Jayne Sometimes I take for granted the Ukraine, and the groom came from Josem, the Centre’s Curator and extraordinary gift with which I have Kiev, also in the Ukraine. I think Head of Collections. Phillip and been presented – the privilege of my grandmother would have been Ursula were honoured in March, hearing Holocaust survivors tell pleased. when the Centre’s Archives their stories. Recently I attended a Department became known as function at which Holocaust survivor Chag Sameach! EDITOR’S LETTER this term – and its relevance for what – people who at great risk to is happening in the world today – themselves and their families defied Ruth Mushin both challenging and illuminating. the authorities to save Jews and other victims of the Nazi regime. Now that the upgraded Jewish Many of us are familiar with the Holocaust Centre museum has names of Raoul Wallenberg, Oskar been open for just over a year, we Shindler and Chiune Sugihara, but thought it appropriate to invite there are many others who are less two academics to reflect on the well known. How many of us had changes. We are privileged to heard of Henryk Slawik, the Pole have the distinguished overseas who saved thousands of Polish Jews Holocaust scholar, Dr Gideon Greif, and others in Hungary, and who ow do you describe present his thoughts on what makes the indescribable? The was tortured and murdered by the a successful Holocaust museum. Germans? And what about Baroness renowned Holocaust His discussion is complemented by scholar Yehuda von Neurath and Jan Kostanski who H that of local academic and Centre may not have saved as many people Bauer has coined the term volunteer, Dr Adam Brown, who as Henryk Slawik, but whose deeds ‘unprecedentedness’ to analyse and focuses on the new technology try to make sense of the Holocaust. were no less heroic? You will learn that has been incorporated into the more about them and their inspiring We are privileged that Professor museum. Bauer has contributed to Centre stories in this edition of Centre News and I trust that you will find In the darkness of the Holocaust, News. his discussion of why he has coined there were many shining lights JHC Centre News 3 DIRECTOR’S CUT To honour our commitment to of the Holocaust is incorporated care for these special items we in the national secondary school Warren are now undertaking a program history curriculum, but called on Fineberg of preservation. ‘Preserving our the government to take action to Collection’ was launched at the accord formal recognition to this celebratory Founders’ Day dinner day of remembrance as many held at Lincoln of Toorak on 3 other countries have already done. March this year. Fundraising in The Jewish Holocaust Centre support of the work will follow strongly endorses the call by Mark throughout the year. You can read Dreyfus. We call on politicians of more about this program in this all political persuasions to support he Jewish Holocaust edition of Centre News. the formalisation of this important Centre’s theme for The Centre commemorated United day of commemoration, and 2011 is ‘Preserving our Nations International Holocaust urge the Australian Government T Collection’. The Centre Memorial Day on 27 January by to apply for membership of has, since its inception, collected coordinating a memorial program the Task Force for International artefacts associated with the at the City of Glen Eira Town Hall. Cooperation on Holocaust Holocaust including postcards, This was an inclusive program Education, Remembrance and diaries, passports, items of with many representatives from Research, and by doing so commit clothing, letters, illustrations, Jewish and non-Jewish groups to education and memorialisation photographs and memorabilia.