Melbourne Holocaust Museum — Attraction in Melbourne

The Jewish Holocaust Centre is an institution dedicated to the memory of the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945.

The Jewish Holocaust Centre was the fulfilment of a vision by Melbourne Holocaust survivors to create a memorial to the millions of Jews who were murdered between 1933 and 1945. The Centre was established under the patronage of Yad Vashem, Jerusalem and, from its humble beginnings in 1984, has grown to become an active and internationally-recognised institution dedicated to combating racism, hatred and prejudice by fostering tolerance and understanding. front-of-the-centre-currentThe Centre was founded without large government or other grants, relying on the generous donation of time, materials and money from Holocaust survivors, their families and other supporters. Following a generous donation from the late Mina Fink in memory of her late husband, Leo Fink, an old double-story building (a former dance school) was purchased and subsequently turned into a space suitable for housing exhibitions and a library.

In 1990 the downstairs museum was remodelled and the upstairs Smorgon Family Auditorium was created, doubling the size of the museum area as well as providing larger facilities for hosting educational programs and seminars. A support group, Friends of the Holocaust Centre Inc, was established in 1997. Its committee members have been actively involved in promoting the Centre’s activities and raising funds. The continuing support of the community enabled further extensions to the museum in 1999 with the opening of the Hadassa and Szymon Rosenbaum Research Centre, by the then Governor-General of Australia, Sir William Deane.

Over the years, volunteers and the Centre itself have gained many distinguished honours, including the Westpac Museum of the Year and the Victorian State Government’s Multicultural Award. The work and achievement of individual volunteers has been recognised in Australia Day and Queen’s birthday honours as well as local government and B'nai Brith community service awards. The Museum achieved accreditation by Museums Australia in 2001.

The Jewish Holocaust Centre Foundation was established in June 2003, to ensure the continued existence of the Centre and the availability of appropriate levels of funding and resources to fulfil its important mission. Foundation patrons include the internationally acclaimed film director, Steven Spielberg, Marc Besen AO and Eva Besen, the former Governor General, Sir William Deane AC KBE, Professor Yehuda Bauer, Professor Gustav Nossal AC CBE and Diane Shteinman AM

In recent times, the Museum has been able to extend its facilities and stage temporary exhibitions with the assistance of local, state and federal grants and contributions from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against...

The Jewish Holocaust Centre (JHC) (formerly known as the Jewish Holocaust Museum and Research Centre) was founded in Elsternwick, Melbourne, Australia, in 1984 by Holocaust survivors. Its mission is to commemorate the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945.

The centre was founded without significant public or private funds and thus has always had to rely on support from Holocaust survivors, their relatives, volunteers and philanthropists. It is thanks to the unique contribution of Melbourne's Holocaust survivors that the JHC has become a vibrant institution. The Centre contains a specialist Holocaust library, a collection of over 1300 survivor video testimonials as well as thousands of original documents, photos, artworks and objects from the Holocaust period.

Jewish Holocaust Centre The purpose of the JHC is to fight racism and to encourage harmony within the community. It attempts to reach these goals by providing information about the Holocaust through its permanent exhibition and periodic temporary exhibitions. The main focus lies on the younger generation, and over 21,000 students visit the museum every year and participate in a powerful education program. In 2011 the museum was the recipient of the MAGNA Best Small Museum award by Museums Australia, following a redesign of the permanent exhibition.

Apart from guided tours through the museum, which are often led by Holocaust survivors, the JHC offers adult education programs, teacher training and also hosts lectures which are open to the public. Furthermore, the JHC provides assistance for Holocaust Survivors in cooperation with JewishCare, a Jewish welfare...

It was absolutely wonderful and very harrowing. We met one of the survivors and she was absolutely sweet and beautiful. I will forever treasure the time we spent together. 💖 If you're in Melbourne this is a MUST to visit and their testimonies must never be forgotten which is why it's so important to keep the Jewish Holocaust Centre alive and beating! If you're also looking for or have an interest in your own family tree or believe any of your family members went through this horrific experience the staff is warm, welcoming and very much happy to help you out as much as they can as they did for me. 💗 It was a visit I wanted to make for my 40th birthday and I'm so happy I did and that my sweet husband helped set up for me. A gift I will forever treasure I'm...