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Sydney Jewish Museum

Coordinates: 33°52′45″S 151°13′12″E / 33.879075°S 151.220017°E / -33.879075; 151.220017
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Sydney Jewish Museum
Sydney Jewish Museum with NSW Jewish Board of Deputies on the left of it
Sydney Jewish Museum is located in Sydney
Sydney Jewish Museum
Location within Sydney
Established18 November 1992; 32 years ago (1992-11-18)
Location148 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates33°52′45″S 151°13′12″E / 33.879075°S 151.220017°E / -33.879075; 151.220017
TypeHolocaust museum
Public transit access
Websitesydneyjewishmuseum.com.au

The Sydney Jewish Museum is a history museum located in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst. It showcases exhibits relating to the Holocaust, the history and achievements of Jewish people in Australia,[1] and issues of social justice, democracy and human rights in an Australian context. Emphasis is placed on documenting the lived experiences and individual stories of Holocaust survivors and Jewish-Australians, through the presentation of personal objects and testimonies.[2]

The Holocaust exhibition

History

Prior usage of the site

The museum is housed in the historic Maccabean Hall, which was originally built to commemorate the contributions of Jewish community from New South Wales who served in World War I.[3] This building was formally opened on Armistice Day 1923 by Jewish-Australian civil engineer and Australian Army commander General Sir John Monash. Before it was chosen as the location for the Museum, it had served as a hub for Jewish life in Sydney.[1][4]

Establishment

The Sydney Jewish Museum was established in 1992 by the generation of Holocaust survivors who came to Australia. They envisioned the Museum as a place which could hold their stories and personal objects, memorialise those who were murdered during the Holocaust, and within which the lessons from the past would be taught.

The museum was officially opened by Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair AC, the Governor of New South Wales, on 18 November 1992.[1] The museum was founded by the late John Saunders AO and members of the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors. Australia has a higher proportion of Holocaust survivors (per capita) than any country except Israel.[5][6][7]

Exhibitions

Within three major exhibition spaces, visitors are able to confront historical artifacts, video footage, new digital technologies and personal stories. The permanent exhibitions include:

Culture and Continuity: Journey through Judaism

This exhibition on the Museum's Ground Floor explores Jewish history from Biblical origin in the Ancient Near East to the thriving Jewish community in Australia.

Serving Australia: The Jewish Involvement in Australian Military History

Serving Australia portrays the stories of Jewish servicemen and women in the Australian defence forces from its inception to the present.

Reflecting the dedication, valour and patriotism of the greater Australian community, this exhibition features the social-military history of Jewish men and women in time of war.

The Holocaust

Located over three levels, this exhibition traces the persecution and murder of European Jewry from 1933 to 1945 and explores the contemporary and ongoing resonance of these unprecedented events.

The exhibition also recounts the new lives forged by survivors following their arrival in Australia and their contribution to the rich, multicultural fabric of contemporary Australian life.

The Holocaust and Human Rights

A capstone to the Holocaust exhibition, The Holocaust and Human Rights Exhibition outlines human rights achievements and challenges, and focuses on the key human rights issues facing Australia today.

The exhibition uses interactive media and new digital technologies to explore local issues pertaining to the rights of Refugees and Asylum Seekers; People with Disabilities; First Australians; and the LGBTQ+ Community.

The place promotes deep, reflective thought, even on topics that might prove irresolvable.

The museum also has a program of regularly changing feature exhibitions.

Resource Centre and Library

The museum library was created from the entire collection of books donated by Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors.[8] Since then, the Resource Centre and Library has grown to over 6000 volumes, journals, audio and videotapes, including over 2,500 personal testimonies of Holocaust survivors in Australia.[3] The centre is open to the public during museum hours and staffed by a librarian. The collection provides material for the exhibitions and covers a wide range of themes including antisemitism, war crimes, holocaust in art and literature, and Australian Jewish history.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Sydney Jewish Museum : a museum of Australian Jewish history and the Holocaust ; a publication to mark the opening of the Museum on 18 November, 1992 by His Excellency Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair AC, Governor of New South Wales". Catalogue. State Library of NSW. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  2. ^ sjmadmin. "Our Story". Sydney Jewish Museum. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Sydney Jewish Museum". Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  4. ^ "Australian Jewish community and culture". Discover collections. State Library of NSW. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Obituaries: John Saunders, AO". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 December 1997.
  6. ^ Joffe, Charmaine; Brodaty, Henry; Luscombe, Georgina; Ehrlich, Frederick (February 2003). "The Sydney holocaust study: posttraumatic stress disorder and other psychosocial morbidity in an aged community sample". Journal of Traumatic Stress. 16 (1): 39–47. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.486.4640. doi:10.1023/a:1022059311147. PMID 12602651. S2CID 26736396.
  7. ^ Paratz, Elizabeth D; Katz, Benny (21 February 2011). "Ageing holocaust survivors in Australia". The Medical Journal of Australia. 194 (4): 194–197. doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2011.tb03771.x. PMID 21401461. S2CID 12959503. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  8. ^ Jacobs, Alan (August 1993). "From the Director's desk". The Sydney Jewish Museum Newsletter (2): 2.

Further reading

  • Sydney Jewish Museum : a museum of Australian Jewish history and the Holocaust ; a publication to mark the opening of the Museum on 18 November, 1992 by His Excellency Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair AC, Governor of New South Wales. The Museum. 1994.
  • "The Sydney Jewish Museum newsletter". The Museum (1993-2015). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • "Yearbook Sydney Jewish Museum". The Museum (2010-2015). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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