Jewish Holocaust Centre


The Jewish Holocaust 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.
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 organization.
Since 2008 Austrian volunteers from the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service are able to work for 10–12 months in the Jewish Holocaust Center alternatively to compulsory military service or civilian service in Austria. Their work includes, among other things, the translation of documents, the preparation of exhibitions, working in the library and cataloguing of photographs.