Vale Olga Horak, survivor icon

Unexpectedly and without warning, Olga Horak died last week. After complaining about chest pain, she was taken to emergency at Prince of Wales Hospital in the early hours of August 15, where she died, surrounded by her family. Olga was one of Australia’s most prominent Holocaust survivors and her decades of service as a guide at the Sydney Jewish Museum made her a cherished figure, loved by staff and countless visitors.

She was still sharing her life stories with students at the Sydney Jewish Museum a few days beforehand, having celebrated her 98^th birthday with family and made plans for the months to come. Her mind was sharp and she started working on a second and expanded edition of her memoir. I saw her last week and – like always – left promising to call again soon.

Olga and I first met in the early days of the Sydney Jewish Museum and, instinctively, that’s where my steps also took me on Sunday. Walking around and remembering her presence helped me to say goodbye. I saw her small commemorative artwork on display on the ground floor.

It was only recently that Olga told me that she created the sculpture Son of men keep not silent in 1994, on the 50^th anniversary of her family’s deportation to Auschwitz-Birkenau. She wanted to reinterpret one of the most recognisable symbols of Judaism, the menorah, with a six-light candelabrum to symbolise the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust.