Austrian volunteers at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum
Four young non-Jewish Austrian men have recently completed their volunteer assignments at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, having worked there for the past ten months.
Eva Zeleznikow (Visitor Experience Officer) Gregor Czepl, Ellis Otte, Julian Gabriel, Tim Kainz, Jessica Mansfield (Volunteer Coordinator) and Charlotte Hooper (Senior Visitor Experience Officer).
Choosing an alternative to military service in Austria, Gregor Czepl, Ellis Otte, Julian Gabriel and Tim Kainz decided to come to the MHM through Austrian Service Abroad. They made the thoughtful decision to travel across the world to support Holocaust survivors, guide and inform Australian students, and immerse themselves in Holocaust education.
Austrian Service Abroad is a non-profit organisation funded by the Austrian government. It sends young Austrians to work in partner institutions around the world, providing Holocaust commemoration at the Austrian Memorial Service, supporting vulnerable social groups and sustainability initiatives and being involved in projects of peace within the framework of the Austrian Peace Service.
The organisation has its origin in the acknowledgement by the Austrian government in 1991 of the Austrian people’s share of responsibility for the Holocaust. Austrian Service Abroad was founded in 1998.
The program provides young male Austrians an alternative to compulsory military service by sending them to Holocaust commemoration institutions around the world, as well as social service or peace promotion work for at least ten months. It also provides volunteers of all genders a platform to work in its partner institutions for six to twelve months.
Before being sent out as Austrian Servants Abroad, the volunteers undergo a development program for about 18 months, during which they are educated in professional skills and subject matter relevant to their assigned organisation abroad.
Some of the participating partner organisations include the Auschwitz Jewish Centre in Poland, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles, the World Jewish Congress in New York, and the Melbourne Holocaust Museum in Australia.
Over their time with the MHM, they contributed by helping deliver education programs for thousands of Australian schoolchildren, supporting their social media and communications, and translating artefacts in the collections, to assisting with the accessibility of Holocaust survivor testimonies and delivering impactful visitor experiences for the public.
Volunteer Gregor Czepl said, “The Austrian Service Abroad program allows us to go abroad and serve in institutions that remember the Holocaust and work on Holocaust remembrance.”
The MHM farewelled the young volunteers as they return home to begin the next chapter in their lives. The MHM said, “We thank them sincerely for their meaningful contributions to the Melbourne Holocaust Museum and the broader Jewish community in Melbourne. We will miss you!”
