Kristallnacht 70 Years on 9-10 November 1938
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September 2008 Jewish Holocaust Centre Kristallnacht 70 years on 9-10 November 1938 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: Eric Herz Public Officer: Adam Kreuzer Members: Allen Brostek, Harry Bryce, Peter Gaspar, Abram Goldberg, Henri Korn, Willy Lermer, Helen Mahemoff, Sophie Maj Executive Director: Bernard Korbman JHC Foundation: Chairperson: Helen Mahemoff Trustees: Nina Bassat AM Joey Borensztajn CONTENTS Allen Brostek Silvana Layton Jeffrey Mahemoff AO Patrons: Professor Yehuda Bauer FROM THE PRESIDENT 3 Mrs Eva Besen AO Mr Marc Besen AO DIRECTOR’S POINT OF VIEW 4 Sir William Deane AC CBE Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE FEATURE: KRISTALLNACHT 5 Mrs Diane Shteinman AM Steven Spielberg NEWS 10 MUSEUM 14 JHC Staff: EDUCATION 16 Bernard Korbman, Executive Director Zvi Civins, Director of Education EVENTS 19 Jayne Josem, Curator MARCH OF THE LIVING 23 Phillip Maisel OAM, Head of Testimonies Ursula Flicker OAM, Head of Archives VOLUNTEERS 26 Sabina Josem & Rosa Freilich, FRIENDS 28 Head Librarians Debra Stiebel, Development Manager SEEN AT THE CENTRE 30 Frankie Pinch, PR and Communications COLLECTIONS 32 Manager Robyn Fetter, Finance Manager THANKS 35 Lena Fiszman, Office and IT Manager Claude Fromm, Assistant Archivist Rae Silverstein, Volunteer Co-Ordinator Centre News Editorial Commitee: Editor: Ruth Mushin Pauline Rockman Alex Dafner Bernard Korbman Lena Fiszman Jayne Josem 13–15 Selwyn Street, OPENING HOURS Frankie Pinch Elsternwick, Vic 3185, Mon–Thu: 10am–4pm Australia Fri: 10am–2pm t: (03) 9528 1985 Sun & Public Hols: 12pm–4pm f: (03) 9528 3758 On the cover: Closed on Saturdays, Devastation of a Jewish-owned e: [email protected] Jewish Holy Days and shop during Kristallnacht, w: www.jhc.org.au some Public Holidays November 1938. [JHC 521.1] Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in Centre News are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the magazine editor or editorial committee. While the Centre News welcomes ideas, articles, photos, poetry and letters, it reserves the right to accept or reject material. There is no automatic acceptance of submissions. 2 JHC Centre NewsNews FROM THE PRESIDENT have much pleasure in educationalists and scholars. At involvement before embarking on a introducing you to our new the Jewish Holocaust Centre (JHC) guided tour of the museum. I then editor, Ruth Mushin. Many will we are examining the notion as we asked if the group members could Ibe familiar with her work as an plan for our future. Read about the introduce themselves and what editor working with aspiring authors planned upgrade of our museum, I thought would be a ten minute in the Makor Library’s ‘Write Your our hopes and aspirations. discussion went on for nearly one Story’ programme. Welcome to the and a half hours. Centre family, we look forward to a Earlier this year I spent a week long and productive association. travelling in Cataluña, in Spain, As it turned out, the group was a in an area not more than 120 German conversation group rather The theme for this edition is kilometres out of Barcelona. I than consular wives, although one ‘Kristallnacht, 70 years on’. was amazed and intrigued to find of the members happens to be the Kristallnacht, an event that occurred that the Spanish are celebrating wife of the German consul. The on 9–10 November 1938 in the contribution the Jews made level of information sharing was Germany and Austria; an event that in Spain, alongside that of the deep and most poignant. The group changed the nature of persecution Muslims and Christians. They is composed of German women from economic, political, and social are reclaiming the Sephardic part married to Australians and vice to the physical, with beatings, of their cultural identity and it versa. Abe talked from a survivor’s incarceration and murder; the appears to be a serious business, perspective, we shared stories and event often referred to as the this memorialising and owning talked about our backgrounds. We beginning of the Holocaust. Many their Jewish past. It struck me that heard from a woman whose father decades later, the association with memorialisation in its very nature is was a Dunera boy, not Jewish, and the Kristallnacht anniversary was changing, and Spain is encouraging all the implications for the family cited as the main reason against people to come and tread the growing up in Australia, labelled choosing 9 November, the day the landscape, just as many now do in ‘enemy alien’. We also heard about Berlin Wall came down in 1989, as Poland. There are parallels too with growing up in Germany, losing a the new German national holiday. the many Australians who annually sister to starvation during the war. (3 October, the date the reunification make the journey to Gallipoli. On some level it was the children of of Germany was formally concluded, was chosen instead.) In April I was co-leader for the 20th the perpetrators and the children of March of the Living, the 5th adult the survivors and our conversation group from Australia. Our group was deep and heartfelt. numbered 93, including participants It was a privilege to be part of this Pauline from South Africa, USA, Canada, session and I am in awe of the Israel, Venezuela and Mexico, as role of our Centre in enabling such Rockman well as Australians from Melbourne experiences to occur. A return visit and Sydney. It was a diverse group, is being planned. with a South African journalist from Soweto as well as a radio We are pleased to introduce our broadcaster from Johannesburg. new logo and hope you like the new You can read articles by Henry look of Centre News. These are the Buch, child survivor, whose results of much collaboration with poignant tale deeply touched the the Centre and the creative minds of In this Centre News you can read hearts of us all, and from Eve Recht, our wonderful Izi and Eti Marmur. eyewitness testimonies from three daughter of our survivor guide, As a non-profit organisation, the of the Centre’s survivors who were Pearl, who together with her two Jewish Holocaust Centre exists there: Shmuel Rosenkranz (Vienna), sons undertook the journey. George Ginzburg (Berlin) and Henri through the incredible support we Korn (Wuppertal-Elberfeld). We I experience a huge sense of pride receive from the community. We also have stories about Wilhelm when I walk through the doors of extend our deep appreciation to all Krützfeld, the German policeman the Centre. On any day, the place is and wish to publicly acknowledge who courageously saved Berlin’s buzzing with many visitors, much their generosity. New Synagogue, and William movement, people going from The Centre opened its doors in Cooper, a Victorian Aboriginal man place to place. One day it was a March 1984. Next year marks our school group from Shepparton and I who led a deputation to the German 25th anniversary and there will be overheard one of the accompanying Consulate in Melbourne to present celebration and commemoration parents say to Zvi Civins, our a resolution ‘condemning the throughout the year. Please watch Education Director, ‘I have never persecution of Jews and Christians out for a series of wondrous heard such a balanced presentation in Germany’. It is also fitting that we events to mark this momentous are launching our new temporary of the Holocaust, thank you.’ achievement. exhibition on Nazi Medicine on the That day I was meeting a group 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht. On behalf of myself and the Board of women who were visiting the of the JHC I take this opportunity How will the Shoah be Centre, consular wives I was told, to wish you and your families a remembered? How will we so we sat together, nine women and Shanna Tova u Metuka, a happy and memorialise? How will the rest of Abe Goldberg, our survivor guide. I sweet year. the world memorialise? This is a introduced myself, introduced Abe major issue confronting museums, and talked about the JHC and my Pauline JHC Centre News 3 DIRECTOR’S POINT OF VIEW s we approach our 25th to my home’, and certainly one of orderlies to nurses, radiotherapists birthday, three adjectives mutual respect. It is in the students’ and so on and they mentioned the seem to me to describe ability to recognise the dignity of names of survivor guides such Aappropriately the essence their hosts, and their hosts’ ability as Thea, Ben, Adele, Maly, Zosia of the Jewish Holocaust Centre to treat their guests with warmth and Arnold with a great deal of (JHC): resilient, vibrant and dynamic. and understanding that the visit fondness. When I advised these becomes a powerful educational young people that those guides experience. had all passed away, the reaction was one of genuine sorrow, usually To maintain the spirit and legacy with an added sentiment like, ‘I will Bernard of those who served the JHC for never forget …’ Korbman twenty-five years, and to establish the Centre as the major museum Of course many of our current and Holocaust education facility survivor guides were also for schools and community mentioned and I was asked to pass groups throughout Australia in on best wishes and a thank-you for the twenty-first century, all our a life changing experience.