Holocaust education and remembrance in Australia

Abstract

In Australia around 35,000 Jewish refugees and Holocaust survivors found a safe haven before and after the war. It was only with the opening of Holocaust museums that the concept of offering Holocaust education to the general public emerged. However, for most survivors, the Holocaust was a unique event; they strongly opposed using it as an example for a broader narrative. This chapter gives a brief overview of the Australian Holocaust survivor community, the concept of “the silence” and the initial memorialization within the survivor community, which at first focused on the unique aspects of the Holocaust. Included in this is the emergence of Holocaust museums and their educational programs. It then examines the major generational changes that have taken place both in terms of trips to the killing sites in Poland and particularly the move to include a broader universal message of human rights and prevention of mass violence, described by Yehuda Bauer as Rethinking the Holocaust (2001). Holocaust Studies have also been introduced into Australian state curricula. It argues that Australia’s recently becoming a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance is evidence of these new approaches and the central role Holocaust education can play in combatting prejudice.