Sydney Jewish Museum

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. 26 years since its inception, the Museum continues to give a voice to the victims of the Holocaust so their stories can start conversations and inspire change. 

The Sydney Jewish Museum collects and conserves original memorabilia related to the Holocaust, Judaica and Australian Jewish history to make these available for display and research for generations to come. The Holocaust collection covers broad aspects ranging from pre-war life to survivors’ migration to Australia and the later War Crime Trials. Objects in the Australian Jewish History collection trace life in Australia from the arrival of the first convicts and free settlers to the present; there is a strong focus on servicemen and women. The *Sydney Jewish Museum’s Resource Centre* has more than 6,000 volumes, audio and videotapes, journals and personal testimonies, including the Shoah Testimonies. The Centre holds over 2,500 testimonies from Holocaust survivors interviewed in Australia. These testimonies are part of a collection of more than 53,000 testimonies gathered by the Shoah Foundation, spearheaded by Steven Spielberg. The individual testimonies have been digitised and are housed at the USC Shoah Foundation (University of Southern California). 

The Sydney Jewish Museum is dedicated to documenting and teaching the history of the Holocaust. The world-class museum challenges visitors’ perceptions of democracy, morality, social justice and human rights and places the Holocaust in its historical and contemporary context.