Queensland welcomes its first museum dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust, following a nine-year project driven by QUT alumnus Jason Steinberg.
The Queensland Holocaust Museum and Education Centre opens to the public in the heart of Brisbane tomorrow, with Mr Steinberg overseeing the centre as Chair.
At the end of World War II, 27,000 Jewish Holocaust survivors moved to Australia from Europe, with around 10 per cent settling in Queensland.
The new museum is dedicated to the Holocaust and the memory of those murdered: six million Jews, including 1.5 million children and five million members of marginalised communities such as people with disabilities, members of the Roma and Sinti communities, gay men, Polish people, Soviet prisoners of war, Nazi political opponents and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Mr Steinberg said while there were established Holocaust museums in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia, this was the first for Queensland.
“It’s a project driven by the rise in antisemitism and racial hatred across our society,” he said.
“We all have a huge responsibility to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive so that the atrocities are never forgotten, and the next generation learns about tolerance and ways to stand up against hate of any kind.”
Mr Steinberg said the museum is in an historic building owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane and offers an immersive experience.
“Visitors will hear first-hand filmed testimonies from Queensland survivors who tell their stories about life before, during and after the Holocaust.
“The museum also pays tribute to those who saved Jewish lives.”
Mr Steinberg said the centre would soon be launching the world’s first purpose-built online Holocaust museum experience that would transport visitors into pre-WWII Europe.
He said in coming months the centre would also launch Australia’s first self-contained travelling Holocaust museum exhibition, which will travel to schools and regional centres in Queensland.
“The museum would not have been possible without the support of the Queensland Government and the Brisbane City Council, the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane and a large team of designers, architects, builders and volunteers,” Mr Steinberg said.
The museum is at 168 Charlotte Street, Brisbane, on the lower ground floor of the Penola Place and the Old Archive Building, and is open for two-hour booked visits on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays between 9am and 4pm.
Admission is $10/$8/$5 (adult/concession/child).
Mr Steinberg graduated from QUT with a Bachelor of Business in Communication (Journalism and Public Relations) in 1991.
Main Image: Jason Steinberg shows the museum display to the Premier, Ministers and official guests at the museum opening.
Media contact:
Sally Dillon, QUT Media, 07 3138 8666, s.dillon@qut.edu.au
After hours: media@qut.edu.au
