The Sydney Jewish Museum is a history

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

located in the

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

suburb of

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. I ...

. It showcases exhibits relating to 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; a ...

, the history and achievements of Jewish people in Australia, and issues of

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...

and

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

in an Australian context. Emphasis is placed on documenting the lived experiences and individual stories of

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

and Jewish-Australians, through the presentation of personal objects and testimonies. Sydney Jewish Museum interior photograph

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 men and women from

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 ...

who served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. This building was formally opened on

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark Armistice of 11 November 1918, the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I a ...

1923 by Jewish-Australian

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

and

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

commander

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Sir

John Monash General Sir John Monash, (; 27 June 1865 – 8 October 1931) was an Australian civil engineer and military commander of the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the war and then, shortly after its outbreak, became co ...

. Before it was chosen as the location for the Museum, it had served as a hub for Jewish life in Sydney.

Establishment

The Sydney Jewish Museum was established in 1992 by the generation of

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 , the

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the ...

, on 18 November 1992. The museum was founded by the late John Saunders 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 Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Exhibitions

Within three major exhibition spaces, visitors are able to confront historical artefacts, 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 LGBTIQ Community. The place promotes deep, reflective thought, even on topics that might prove irresolvable.The museum also has a program of regularly changin
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. 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. 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.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Holocaust museums Jewish museums Jews and Judaism in Sydney Museums in Sydney 1992 establishments in Australia