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The Jewish Museum in Sidney seeks to preserve and present the true story behind the Jewish holocaust which still stands as one of the darkest specimens of chauvinism in world history. With documents and texts to enlighten the visitors, the museum holds up the experiences of the Jewish community in the tumultuous days of the Second World War. Since its establishment in November 1992, the museum has been standing as a guardian of Jewish history and culture. Aims of the Museum: The prime purpose of the Sidney Jewish Museum is to commemorate the 6 million lives which were massacred in the holocaust. The documents preserved here serve to hold up how ruthlessly the lives had been nipped, and as one recounts the history, his illusions about democracy and free living are violently shaken. The Sidney Jewish Museum stands as a testimony of the birth and survival of the Jewish settlement in Australia. The museum narrates the tales of the ones who managed to escape the devastation. The 30,000 survivors who fleeted to settle in Australia are saluted here for their spirit and their struggle for existence in the alien world. To establish the crisis, the museum even screens interviews of some of the settlers who had experienced the trauma themselves. The museum seeks to make the visitors aware of the treatment meted out to the Jews in Germany. The documents preserved help the new generation trace their roots back in the past, and relive the nightmare that had haunted their previous generation. Illustrating the profuseness of Jewish culture, the museum seeks to make the generation proud of the heritage that their forefathers had strove to preserve. What the museum actually intends is to give them a lesson of racial tolerance, lest the injustice of the past is repeated. Programs Undertaken: The Sidney Jewish is well equipped to demonstrate the details of the holocaust to its visitors. It has 8 exhibition zones; all furnished with powerful audiovisual devices. There are huge sculptures, original prints, and multimedia displays to make presentations more realistic. The library and resource centre are shelved with a large collection of journals, memoirs and texts to substantiate the history narrated. The visitors are guide by experts, many of whom are actual victims of the holocaust. The museum conducts several educational programs to impart the history even to the school children. Special group tours of the museum are conducted for them, introductory films are screened and supporting documents are provided for a better understanding of the holocaust and the resultant Diaspora. Departments of the museum: The Sidney Jewish Museum is a large structure with several departments like – - Permanent exhibition areas
- Temporary exhibition area or gallery
- Well equipped library and resource centre
- A war memorial courtyard
- A chamber to commemorate the victims
- A theatre hall
- Museum shop for books and souvenirs
- Classrooms for educational purposes
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