Ernie Friedlander (born 1935) is a

Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally accep ...

, and is a notable Australian-Jewish activist working in the area of anti-racism and prejudice prevention, and runs the Moving Forward Together Association. Friedlander is also closely associated with

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peo ...

organisation in Sydney, Australia.

Biography

Ernie Friedlander was born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in 1935, however, he and his family were forced to leave the country in 1938 due to the Nazi efforts of the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

, the annexation of Austria. Friedlander's family re-settled in Hungary, which was his father's birthplace. Once

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

began, Friedlander's family face Nazi persecution and by the war's end, only Friedlander and his mother survived. Friedlander has attributed his survival to the kindness and humanity of an individual German soldier, who allowed he and his mother to escape from a transport to a concentration camp. Following the war, Friedlander arrived in Australia in 1950 where he began a career in the textile industry.

Activism

In the area of community activism, Friedlander serves as the chairman of the Moving Forward Together Association, a group that promotes social harmony in Australia, commonly in conjunction with the Australian Government's annual

Harmony Day Harmony Day is celebrated annually on 21 March in Australia. It is a government-declared observance day that began in 1999, coinciding with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Overview Harmony Da ...

. In 2007, Ernie Friedlander received the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gov ...

(OAM) for his contributions to Australian society. Related causes supported by Friedlander includes participation in the

organisation, the prevention of antisemitism in Australia, and participation in the Courage to Care exhibition programs. In 2017, Friedlander's work promoting social harmony was recognised by the

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

premier,

Gladys Berejiklian Gladys Berejiklian (born 22 September 1970) is an Australian former politician who served as the 45th premier of New South Wales and the leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party from 2017 to 2021. Berejiklian became a member ...

. In 2021, Friedlander's
Stop Racism Now AU
campaign was recognised by Australian parliamentarians from both major parties and was launched by the Governor of New South Wales,

Margaret Beazley Margaret Joan Beazley, , (born 23 July 1951) is an Australian Judge, jurist who is the 39th and current governor of New South Wales, serving since 2 May 2019. She was the president of the New South Wales Court of Appeal, the List of the first wo ...

.Friedlander, E. (2021). "The Stop Racism Now campaign." ''Australasian Muslim Times'', Issue 190. (September 2021). Page 10.

B'nai B'rith

In his involvement with the Australian B'nai B'rith, Friedlander serves as President of the B'nai B'rith Alfred Dreyfus Unit in Sydney. Previously, he has served as President of B'nai B'rith New South Wales (1997–2001) and as President of the B'nai B'rith Aviv Lodge (1992–1993).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedlander, Ernie 1935 births Living people Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia People from Vienna Australian Jews Jewish Austrian anti-racism activists Austrian anti-racism activists Austrian Jews B'nai B'rith

Biography

Activism

B'nai B'rith

See also

References