Helen’s speech at the opening of The Light Years tribute exhibition, 3 February 2010 follows:

3rd February 2010

Speaking at the opening of an exhibition about oneself is very humbling and overwhelming. However I am reminded of two stories.

Firstly , some many years ago, when the Jewish Museum of Australia was still situated in the Toorak Road synagogue, two backpackers came to visit, spent a considerable time looking around and then said to   the guide on duty that they had very much enjoyed the Museum but wanted to know where the dinosaurs were. They had apparently asked on the tram where the Museum was and were told to look out for the building with the big green dome. Well today, looking at this exhibition we have found the dinosaurs at the Jewish Museum and I indeed am one!

Secondly , I am reminded of a sketch by a Dunera Boy, Fritz Schőnbach, which we used on the front of the exhibition catalogue that accompanied our Dunera exhibition in September 1990. Drawn while in internment, Schőnbach depicted a museum exhibition about the Dunera. He, together with many of his fellow ‘Dunera Boys’, was well aware that he was living through an historical moment and an historical event, and that the memories of this episode were worth preserving and the stories worth telling in the future. Furthermore, he depicted an internee as a museum exhibit. Maybe it was he, himself.  

So today I am a museum exhibit and my story is indeed part of an important history that is worth preserving and worth telling. That story is of course about the birth and growth of a wonderful cultural institution – the Jewish Museum of Australia.

The history of the Museum stretches back to 1977 when the late and beloved Rabbi Lubofsky fired the imagination of B’nai B’rith members, among whom was my father, with his vision for a Jewish museum here in Melbourne. The next major milestone was its formal opening at Toorak shule in October 1982.

Then the Board of the Museum advertised for its first employee, an administrative assistant part time.
This is the position for which I applied 27 odd years ago, and the story of my appointment deserves retelling today.

My family has a very strong tradition of involvement and commitment in the Jewish community, so when my father told me that he had found the perfect job for me in the Jewish News, as a rebellious reaction I recoiled. However having read the ad, I went with a friend to check out the very new museum, determined that if indeed I sought the position it would be on my own merits and not that of my family. We walked up the stairs to be greeted by the guide on duty – the late and wonderful scholar and teacher Henry Shaw. He immediately identified me as a Lippmann and asked if I was the classicist. When I said “yes”, he said that there was a position going at the Museum that would much better use my skills and I must apply for it. I did and Henry was one of my referees.

The interview itself was a classic . Rabbi Lubofsky, Zelda Rosenbaum and the late Naomi Gross all took me into the synagogue and we sat in the women’s balcony. Each took it in turns to ask me a question and each took it in turns to answer the questions on my behalf. “Can you type?” asked Rabbi. “Of course she can. She typed her application letter,” replied Zelda or Naomi. “What do you know of Jewish history?”   asked Zelda. “She’s a scholar so she will learn quickly,” replied Rabbi Lubofsky.

Afterwards, while I was waiting interminably to hear if my application was successful, I heard a rumour in our small community that the Museum had interviewed someone who had a PhD and so was overqualified but also that she was very quiet and didn’t open her mouth!

Anyway, as one says, the rest is history. Luckily, I got the job. I have been privileged to be part of the Jewish Museum’s story for 27 years. I have participated in every milestone event since then –

the development of the Collection of our Australian material heritage;

temporary exhibitions – varied, challenging, informative and some beautiful;

educating hundreds of thousands of school kids and adults;

endless stimulating public programs and successful events;

developing and opening in our own handsome premises – the Gandel Centre of Judaica with four state-of-the-art permanent exhibitions and world class facilities;
the reception of many important awards of recognition for the professionalism of our Museum and its activities;
the nurturing of a variety of productive partnerships with other Jewish and or cultural bodies –

27 years that have seen the blossoming of a vibrant, contemporary, educational and engaging Jewish museum that fulfils its mission in celebrating the blessing of being Jewish and being Jewish in a generally open-minded, decent, respectful, culturally diverse country, sharing and preserving the story of being Jewish in Australia.

The particular and unique brief of this Museum is that it is about the Australian Jewish experience. This is a history that is very special. Jews arrived over 200 years ago with the First Fleet, to be among the first Europeans to settle this wide and distant land. Ever since, in this country, we Jews have enjoyed freedom, citizenship and acceptance almost unparalleled in our tumultuous 4000-year history.

Five years ago there was a discussion in the press seeking an image to reflect the distinctive Australian personality.   The respected philosopher Raymond Gaita was debunking Brendan Nelson’s use of the iconic tale of Simpson and his donkey as the best example of ‘Australian values’. The example Gaita provided as much more closely encapsulating Australian decency is found in the experience of the Dunera Boys, an incident recalled forcefully by a Dunera Boy himself in a letter of response to Gaita’s article.

Eric Eckstein wrote:
“I still recall the incident cited by Professor Gaita that has become part of Dunera folklore.

The ex-World War I veteran who was our guard on the train that took us from Sydney to internment in the Riverina asked one of us to ‘just hold me rifle while I roll myself a smoke’. He later sat down with us in our carriage to chat, making it clear that he considered us human beings entitled to a fair go. I shall always remember that fair-dinkum Aussie. It was a heart-warming introduction to Australia.”

I refer now to this incident because I am in agreement with Raymond Gaita, and also I think it appropriate one last time to articulate   what I think is important about the Jewish Museum of Australia, what its vision and responsibility has been and why. So I beg the indulgence of the many who have heard me talk about this before, but it has been my passion and what has driven me.

Australia is a blessed land and generally a decent one. The experience of the Dunera Boys in Australia mirrors that of most Jews and most, albeit sadly not all, migrants. They came here as refugees or adventurers, seeking a home in a free country. The majority found acceptance and opportunities to settle and flourish – untrammelled by the constrictions of prejudice, racism, class structure and suspicion that had plagued them in their countries of origin.

When the Jewish Museum of Australia was founded, its primary mission was to preserve the remnants of Jewish life in Australia after the Holocaust. In 1977, Rabbi Ronald Lubofsky said (and I quote) “We are the generation of the Holocaust,” he said. “We have a moral obligation to conserve and perpetuate for following generations what is still left of Jewish culture and civilisation through the ages. At present we have precious little. ”

However, almost immediately the role of the Museum broadened, and its mission today encompasses a wider responsibility: The Jewish Museum of Australia is a community museum committed to sharing and enriching the Australian Jewish experience and benefiting Australia’s diverse society .

I was many times blessed to have become involved with the Jewish Museum of Australia when I did, for many reasons.

Firstly , the Museum was launched at a particularly auspicious time in Australian and indeed world history: after WWII and the Shoah. The Jewish Museum of Australia was born of a world in which pride in and knowledge of one’s background, origins and culture was regarded as important; when it was universally recognised that it was necessary to understand and appreciate one’s heritage and history, as a foundation on which to build a future.

Indeed, the Museum has been well positioned to nurture and foster Australian and Jewish identity, through our historical, social-history, and religious exhibitions, our Collection, our education programs, and particularly through our encouragement of the development of contemporary Australian Jewish art and artefacts. When we started, artists were loath to identify as Jewish. Today, this is no longer the case.

Secondly , the Museum was established at a significant juncture in the evolution of the institution of museums in themselves, a time when the role of museums themselves changed and became more outward looking, more socially responsible institutions. Since the early 1970s the role of museums has slowly changed from being treasuries, housing valuable objects and objective truths, to being ‘forums’ , spaces for ‘confrontation, experimentation and debate’, and for the discussion of new ideas and practices. Further, the scholarly frameworks of the museum are now supplemented by interpretations based on the experiences and understandings of museum visitors, and related to contemporary life and society. There is no longer a debate about the value and role of museums. Museums matter, because they can make a difference to individuals, communities and societies. Community museums strengthen community identity by encouraging a diversity of views, by being inclusive of marginalised groups within the community.

The concept of tikkun olam – repairing the world – is a core concept in Judaism, and one that manifests itself
in a commitment to social justice, ethics, humanitarian values and human rights.

Therefore the Jewish Museum of Australia was well positioned to adopt a socially and culturally active brief.
I was energised by this opportunity to make a difference through the potential the Museum offered.

The Jewish Museum of Australia has had, simply put, two major responsibilities, two constituencies and two audiences: the Jewish community and the wider Australian community.

Our Museum’s commitment to our primary constituency, the Jewish community of Australia, is to foster pride in and knowledge of Jewish identity, and to encourage Jewish continuity into future generations. The main challenge facing the contemporary Jewish world is the issue of continuity in an increasingly secular, globalised, materialist world; post-Holocaust, post-Zionist.

The Jewish Museum of Australia is predicated on the belief that it is a blessing to be Jewish and to be Jewish in Australia, and that our identity, be it religious, cultural or historical, is worth preserving. To this end we have adopted a pluralist, inclusive approach, inviting all kinds of Jews to find their voices within our space, hoping to inculcate a sense of pride and belonging .

We, together with other organs of the Jewish community, work actively and positively to stave off assimilation.
We educate Jews about their history, their culture and their identity. We encourage them to explore and shape their own Jewish identity through contemporary artistic expression, through learning, questioning and debate.

The Jewish Museum’s other constituency and audience is the wider Australian community . To this audience we speak about the value of freedom, of respect for difference, about the inherent richness in a culturally diverse society.  

The Jewish Museum of Australia is committed to developing openness and understanding among different cultural groups, promoting mutual respect for difference, and appreciation of commonalities.

We do so through the example of our own community, by illustrating what a minority culture can contribute to a country, given all the opportunities that equal citizenship offers. We strive to break down barriers of ignorance,
to promote the respect and understanding of a minority culture so necessary to the preservation of our pluralist society. We do so through cross-cultural and interfaith dialogue, through active partnerships with organisations from other cultural or religious groups. We celebrate difference, and membership of what in Australia is a minority culture.

Australia is recognised as one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world. It is home to people of hundreds of different cultural backgrounds or religious faiths.   However multiculturalism, as a way of life and a view of the world, is vulnerable and fragile, as we continue to witness even here in Australia through the ill treatment of different minorities by a minority of Australians – currently today the Indian students.

It is essential to us as Jews and as Australians to work tirelessly to foster a healthy, tolerant society respectful
of difference and diversity, for our own sake and also to bring the benefit of our experience of discrimination. Because we are Jews, it is only natural to take up the fight for the recognition of the value of each individual regardless of her or his identity. Moreover it is a rabbinic prescription to value every life.

Only by acting as a conscience for our community, by being socially active, open and brave, can the Jewish Museum of Australia fulfil its social role as a community museum for the long-term benefit of our community, our country, and of humankind.

The Jewish Museum is a community museum par excellence. It is owned by a community, and not responsible to any faction. It is run as a community organisation – open to diverse and divergent opinions, ideas, and visions of Jewish identity. It is a museum of a passionate and dynamic people.

The Museum’s story is the story not of an institution but of the people who built it and maintain it, who are its progenitors, its heart and soul, its arms and its feet. And you are they, and that is why I am so proud to be here today speaking with you all. When you look at this exhibition you see that I am rarely alone. I have been so fortunate to work with a unique group of people who have dedicated themselves selflessly to the Museum.

Looking at all of you here today, again I am overwhelmed with gratitude and with memories. I see a sea of faces, a large and cohesive community who together have worked to produce and support   this marvellous Museum.

 I also see individual faces, and each and every one of you remind me of an experience we have shared, whether it has been carting kilos of sand up two flights of carpeted stairs at Toorak Shule for the archaeology exhibition, or schnorrering for money, or for nights cutting out captions, cleaning wheat, worrying about weevils in the exhibits, face-painting kids, entertaining VIPs, dreaming, planning, plotting and working.

I have always talked about the Museum family and by that I mean that we – the founders, the many Board members, trustees of the Foundation, the Board of Governors, the staff past and present, the wonderful volunteers and the supporters of the Museum – have pulled together and worked together for the good of the Museum.

I have said so several times in the past and must reiterate today, that I have been particularly honoured to represent this Museum and all of you – who are the Museum – in the community, the country and indeed world-wide. In this role I have worked with politicians, local, state and federal; with governors and governors general. I have done so with extreme pride and not a little humility. I have spoken with and had dealings with leaders of other institutions – cultural, multicultural, Jewish, of other ethnicities and religions; educational, philanthropic, corporates, businesses. And in every case, because I represented such a prestigious museum, I have been received with warmth and respect and have garnered generous support for our Museum. I thank each and every one of you with whom I have had contact in this way for this opportunity.

In the Museum’s early years, while researching for an exhibition, I visited a remarkable woman, who at age 90, had just been awarded a PhD. She said to me that one of the best things about my job was meeting interesting people like her. And how right she was!!!!

I have been privileged to lead this institution working with exceptionally talented and skilled staff and office bearers. You, the immediate Museum family, have given me so very much. I have learned so much from each and every one of you, whether you have mentored me, provided me with unlimited opportunities, or whether you have accompanied me on the journey. And I have learned to type!

I have been particularly lucky to be able to share my dreams with all of you and make them a reality and,   even more exciting, to share your dreams and realise them – visions for exhibitions and projects that build bridges, build respect, preserve history, value the stories of individuals.

I have deliberately avoided mentioning any names in particular, as I will take that opportunity personally to thank my fellow journeymen and women. I thank all, and each and every one of you again and again.

Of course, it would be seriously remiss of me if I did not now make one exception and that is to thank those who created this most moving gesture of love and affection – this exhibition and event – Sandy Khazam, Danny Khazam, Judy Turner, Adriana Gomberg, Charla Smith, Anna Epstein, Jessica Rynderman, Susan Faine, Sue Allnutt. I am only aware that you shut the doors in my face out of love as you plotted and planned this enormous tribute to me. I cannot thank you enough, not only of course for this but for everything we have shared.

Finally I would like to say that I leave the Museum extremely sadly and extremely proudly. As I have said, the Jewish Museum of Australia is today a strong, independent and important Jewish, Victorian, and Australian cultural institution that is well positioned to make a difference. However, there is no room to be complacent.
There is much to do to continue to work towards a better, more equitable and decent world; there are more stories to capture, preserve, and tell; there is a global network hungry to learn about being Jewish and
Australian. And there is a precious Jewish heritage and identity that must be promulgated and continued.

I leave the Museum in safe hands and I finish with the quote from Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers 2.2.)

You are not required to complete the work, yet you are not allowed to desist from it.