A memorial to the victims of the Holocaust on our doorstep

SBS accompanied Victorian high school students during their visit to Melbourne's Jewish Holocaust Centre, where they not only got the chance to get a deeper understanding of the historical events but also to speak to eyewitnesses, who still drop in at the Centre frequently.

Das JHC als Ort, an dem Generationen aufeinandertreffen: Schüler erhalten die Möglichkeit, von Überlebenden über den Holocaust zu lernen. Source: Jewish Holocaust Centre

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Selwyn Street, Elsternwick (Vic), 2018.

Far away from where the unthinkable took place in the 1930s and 40s, the Jewish Holocaust Centre Melbourne was founded in 1984 by survivors and their families dedicated to the memory of the six million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust.

The Jewish Holocaust Centre from the outside (SBS) Source: SBS

The museum is opened daily to the general public. It's commonly frequented by school students.

Students get to see numerous original artifacts, but also items made by survivors based on their memories. (Jewish Holocaust Centre) Source: Jewish Holocaust Centre

SBS German walked through the museum, being guided by a young Holocaust Memorial Servant, Julius Sevcik, a 21-year-old Austrian native, who is currently working at the Centre.

To get the best possible understanding of the Holocaust, visitors also get the chance to meet survivors. 12 of them still come to the JHC on a regular basis in order to give talks and guide visitors through the museum.

SBS spoke to Henri Korn, a German born child survivor, as well as Joe Szwarcberg, a Polish native, who was liberated at the age of 14 in Buchenwald.

Source: Jewish Holocaust Centre