Defending future of Holocaust education
The museum does an amazing job of educating thousands of school students and visitors every year.
As the granddaughter of survivors of Nazi Germany, I am on the board of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum (MHM) representing the third generation.
My grandmother survived the horrors of the Kovno Ghetto and Stutthof concentration camp. My grandfather survived occupied Poland hidden in a tiny underground bunker. My mother-in-law is one of a rare number of child Holocaust survivors.
While I have been shaped by these family connections and have been a long-time financial supporter of the museum, my personal affiliation began after I attended one of the museum’s Holocaust education courses several years ago. It renewed my interest in the importance of Holocaust education and a commitment to ensure the museum continues to thrive.
The decision to leave a gift in my will to MHM was an easy one. It’s important to me to honour my family history and the victims of the Holocaust through the preservation of their legacy. The MHM is not only a museum but also a memorial site and it gives me great comfort to know their names will be eternalised for future generations.
Built by the survivor community, the MHM is now a world-class Holocaust museum (the largest of its type in Australia) and depends on donations for ongoing viability and stability. I feel a responsibility to leave a bequest to help fortify the future of this important place in a significant way.
I feel resolute to keep telling the stories of the Holocaust, to honour the memory of the six million victims who perished and to amplify the voices of those who survived. These stories are our truth-telling.
I believe it’s important to educate future generations about the dangers of discrimination, prejudice and intolerance. By learning about past atrocities and reflecting upon our own responsibility in the world, we can be inspired to embrace kindness and humanity over hate.
Holocaust education is important now more than ever, with the huge uptick in antisemitism we are currently seeing around the world and with the threat of a regime that not only denies the very existence of the Holocaust but is advocating for another Jewish genocide.
The museum does an amazing job of educating thousands of school students and visitors every year. The newly renovated spaces are incredible, the exhibitions are world-class and I urge everyone to please come and support this very special community asset.
Dr Natalie bassat
To learn more about leaving a gift in your will for MHM, visit: mhm.org.au/leave-a-gift-in-your-will
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