Sydney Jewish Museum

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, 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.

Prior usage of the site
The museum is housed in the historic Maccabean Hall, and was originally built to commemorate the contributions of the Jewish community from New South Wales who served in World War I. 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 served as a hub for Jewish life in Sydney.

Establishment
The Sydney Jewish Museum was established in 1992 by Holocaust survivors who came to Australia and was officially opened by Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair, the Governor of New South Wales, 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.

Resource Centre and Library
The museum library was created from the entire collection of books donated by the 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, the holocaust in art and literature, and Australian Jewish history.