Survivor eternalised at MHM

HOLOCAUST survivors and their families – and the wider Jewish community – are mourning the loss of centenarian Joe de Haan, a stalwart of Australia’s survivor community and a veteran survivor guide at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum (MHM).

Joe died on January 28, after spending his 101st year immersed in supporting MHM. In October, MHM held a celebration of Joe’s 100th birthday at which he received a rousing greeting from family and friends.

For years, Joe was a survivor guide at MHM, leading student visits and explaining the horrors of the Shoah, while imparting a message of hope and determination – and that tolerance and respect are the only way forward.

Born in the Netherlands in 1922, Joe and his family faced the Nazis in Amsterdam in 1940. They immediately imposed anti-Jewish measures. In September 1942, police took Joe’s father and stepmother. He never saw them again. He went into hiding, arranged by friends and the Jewish underground, seeking out spaces such as a barn and the eaves of a roof.

At a Gandel Holocaust Museum conference in 2019, Joe was among 11 survivors recounting their experiences. Describing a warning by Friesland villagers of a Nazi raid, he recalled escaping into a canal.

“I fell to my hands and knees and I crawled down to the water. Then I ran, and ran.”

A false identity card he carried is displayed among items in a permanent exhibition at the new MHM premises.

In April 1945, Joe saw hundreds of German soldiers surrender to the Allies. Returning to Amsterdam after liberation, he was shattered to discover he was the only member of his family to survive.

Emigrating to Australia from South Africa in 1990 with his wife Cecilia, whom he married in 1947, he began speaking to students at MHM over a decade ago. Even in his final weeks, he continued to explain racism and prejudice to students.

Expressing condolences to Joe’s children Judy and Michael and the MHM team, CEO Jayne Josem reflected, “As we grieve the loss of a great man, I hope we can take the time to celebrate and acknowledge the amazing, long life he has shared with his loved ones.

“Joe’s voice has been eternalised through the programs and initiatives he has dedicated himself to at the museum.”

Volunteer welfare officer Rae Silverstein, who spoke regularly to Joe, recounted that two days after his 100th birthday, he was baking his favourite orange cake.

“He was never one to slow down and take it easy. His larger-than-life presence will be missed dearly around the museum.”