Survival and Sanctuary: Testimonies of the Holocaust and Life Beyond

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Translator: Freda Hodge

When Jewish survivors of the Holocaust arrived in Australia after World War II, they were filled with hope that they could build a new life. These survivors found themselves in a country not only blessedly far from the chaos of postwar Europe but also on the periphery of the political changes taking place in the West, such as the stirrings of a Cold War. Australia offered the peace so necessary to those who had been through unspeakable tragedy. With their arrival, Australian Jewish communities would change dramatically. The survivors brought with them Yiddish, the lingua franca of East European Jewry, and their distinct European culture. A new era began as Jewish society developed and Jewish culture flourished in Australia. Yet these survivors continued to live with their searing memories. They appreciated the sanctuary Australia offered, but their nightmares still haunted them. Many carried with them the scars of their traumatic experiences in the camps and in hiding from the Nazis. They were never fully free of the ghosts of their terrible suffering under German occupation. ,

Year first published: 2023