MHM’s new program
The program's approach is collaborative, bringing together people from business, the media, education and government.
The Melbourne Holocaust Museum (MHM) is set to launch a new educational initiative addressing the rise of antisemitism in Victoria.
MHM CEO Dr Steven Cooke said the program, which started last week, is called “Critical Thinking is Critical”.
“This is funded through the Victorian state government and over the next two years it really looks to address the rise of antisemitism, vilification and hate speech in Victoria,” Cooke said.
The program’s approach is collaborative, bringing together people from business, the media, education and government.
Cooke said, “[They will] workshop what’s going on at the moment and how we can work collaboratively to develop notions of collective responsibility and behavioural change.”
The initiative comes in the wake of the recent Officeworks incident where a Jewish customer was refused service.
Cooke said, “We’ve had some really good meetings with Officeworks, [we’re] meeting with them again this week and we’re looking at [having a] proactive partnership approach.”
The museum already offers various programs for corporate engagement.
Cooke stressed the museum’s role in preserving survivor stories, saying, “We still have about 25 survivors who come to the museum on a regular basis to share their stories. They speak with the upwards of 30,000 students who come through the museum each year.”
He sees the MHM’s mission extending beyond education.
“It’s very clearly a place of hope, not hate, which focuses on the resilience of the survivors who came to Melbourne and who have been very courageous in sharing their stories without shying away from the darkness,” Cooke said.
“One of the things I’m really keen on is that the museum should not just be a one-visit experience. We need to make sure that people visit throughout their life.”
Looking to the future, he envisions ongoing engagement with society.
“I would love, and this is the goal, to have every student visit once in their primary school years, once at secondary level and then again as an adult. We need to continually learn about the dangers of the Holocaust and its ongoing relevance,” Cooke said.
He sees his role as helping ensure the MHM has more capacity, to help not only the Jewish community, but very importantly, the non-Jewish community understand the lessons of the Holocaust.
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