The Morrison Government is providing $10 million to Melbourne’s Jewish Holocaust Centre (JHC), helping expand the size of the museum as it increases its educational activities to reach even more Victorians and people from around Australia and the world.
Established by Melbourne Holocaust survivors in 1984, the JHC is Australia’s first Holocaust museum.
The museum houses more than 1300 local survivor testimonies and approximately 20,000 precious artefacts. It prides itself on its dedicated volunteer body, ranging from Holocaust survivors to tertiary students, working alongside a small but passionate group of employees.
The JHC receives thousands of local and international visitors each year, providing education programs to around 23,000 Victorian school students annually as well as a variety of other groups. One third of Victorian high schools visit the JHC each year and over 100 events are held at the museum annually.
The funding, delivered by the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities via the Community Development Grants Programme, will allow the award-winning museum to double capacity and cater for more educational groups.
The JHC’s priorities for the museum redevelopment include:
- an enhanced and enlarged permanent exhibition on the Holocaust;
- a dedicated children’s museum;
- flexible learning spaces to allow for greater use of new technologies and to facilitate different learning styles;
- increased contemplation and memorial spaces;
- a dedicated special exhibitions gallery; and
- an expanded library and resource facility.
Through projects such as this, the Morrison Government is supporting local communities to proper and grow.