Songbook compiled in Nazi camps finds new life
'Some of these songs were almost lost to history and now they can be heard again'
A Holocaust-era songbook preserved for decades by a Sydney survivor has been translated into English and published for the first time, following more than a decade of research by University of Sydney academics.
Mima’amakim (Out of the Depths) is a collection of songs from Nazi camps and ghettos, originally printed in a limited run of 500 copies.
One of only five surviving copies globally was held by a Holocaust survivor in Sydney, where it remained until its rediscovery in 2013, when it was shared with the researchers behind the new publication. The Sydney family who preserved the book are credited with playing a crucial role in ensuring the survival of what is believed to be one of the most complete surviving copies.
The project was led by migration academic associate professor Anna Boucher and ethnomusicologist Dr Joseph Toltz from the University of Sydney, who spent more than a decade tracing the post-war journeys of survivors connected to the songbook, including those who migrated to Australia to build new lives after the war.
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