New National Holocaust Memorial divides Canberra Jewish community

Canberra’s small Jewish community has voted to allow a new National Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre (NHMEC) to be built partly within the territory’s main synagogue and community centre.

The matter had been dividing the community for months – albeit gently, in a Canberra sort of way. At issue is whether the Holocaust, and its various forms of remembrance, belong at the centre of Jewish life.

The federal government has promised to fund the new Holocaust centre, which will serve the whole of Australia and keep alive memories of the tragic period.

Many members, however, have wondered at the wisdom of integrating Holocaust images and memories into the daily life of the community centre. Some have asked whether kids will need to navigate past images of emaciated children in striped pyjamas en route to their weekly cheder. Others are concerned about security risks – for example, how the physical separation between a public museum and the community centre will function.

The plan that has been accepted will put Holocaust remembrance areas partly adjacent to, but also partly overlapping with, the ACT Jewish Community’s existing buildings, the National Jewish Memorial Centre. A Memorial Hall will be shared in common, available for use either by the community or by visiting school groups.

A vocal minority has opposed this model for some time. Some have barracked for another option that would set Holocaust remembrance areas in a separate building, though still on the same grounds.