Giant Abram Goldberg farewelled

The Jewish community is mourning the passing of Holocaust survivor Abram Goldberg on Sunday. He was 100 years old.

Goldberg was a founding member of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum (MHM), where he told his story to thousands. He said his mission was “to not let the world forget what can happen when we as human beings allow it to happen because it’s up to us.”

MHM co-President Sue Hampel told The AJN, “We are deeply grateful for all that Abram has done for Holocaust remembrance and education, and for the countless lives he has touched through his wisdom and compassion.

“We know his legacy will inspire a world where hope shines brighter than hate.”

Born in Poland, Goldberg was 15 when his homeland was invaded by the Nazis. In 1944, after being separated from his father and older sisters, he and his mother Chaja were sent to Auschwitz. Before they were separated, he promised his mother he would survive.

“She turned to me and said, ‘Abram, you should do everything humanly possible to survive and when you survive you will tell people what actually happened,” he recalled.

His mother, father Herszl and two of his three sisters – Frajda and Estera – were murdered during the Shoah.

Following the war, Goldberg met his wife Cesia in Belgium, also a Holocaust survivor, and they moved to Melbourne in 1951. They had two children – Charlie and Helen – and for many years ran the cafe Goldy’s in the CBD. He happily became a grandfather and a great-grandfather.

Goldberg was also dedicated to the Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre and Sholem Aleichem College.

The Kadimah wrote, “As board directors, Abram and [his late wife] Cesia were often the first to volunteer their time and energy, often in sync and even finishing each other’s sentences. His was a very long life – and one lived to the fullest.”

Josh Burns MP wrote, “Everyone who had the privilege of meeting him was touched by his compassion, kindness and love for humanity.

“Last year, I joined Abe and his family for his 100th birthday celebration. He said on that day ‘let us make this world a better place for future generations.’

“And as his beautiful family said at his funeral, Abram turned pain into wisdom, and suffering into compassion. I always looked up to him and his constant fight for humanity, and for peace.”

Goldberg’s life story was published in 2020 titled The Strength of Hope.