‘From the depths’: Melbourne community gathers for Yom Hashoah commemoration
Holocaust survivors and younger generations gathered side by side on Monday night as Victoria’s Jewish community marked Yom Hashoah with a powerful call to remember and reflect.
About 1000 people filled Robert Blackwood Hall at Monash University for the annual commemoration.
Melbourne Yom Hashoah commemoration (photo: Peter Haskin)
The ceremony honoured the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust while recognising the resilience of survivors who rebuilt their lives. Held 81 years after the Shoah’s end, the event also took place against a backdrop of rising antisemitism, a context organisers say underscores the continued relevance of its message.
Hosted by journalist and author Rachelle Unreich, the evening drew on both personal and collective memory. The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Unreich framed the commemoration as an act of remembrance and resistance, reflecting on the suffering endured during the Shoah and the determination to rebuild Jewish life.
Rachelle Unreich (photo: Peter Haskin)
JCCV president Philip Zajac said the event remained a powerful expression of communal responsibility.
“This commemoration is where our community comes together to honour the six million Jewish lives cut short, and to bear witness to the courage and resilience of survivors who rebuilt their lives and made it possible for us to be here together tonight,” he said.
Zajac reaffirmed a commitment to ensuring the lessons of the Holocaust endure.
“I want to make a personal pledge to survivors and their families that ‘never again’ has not been forgotten,” he said.
This year’s theme, “From the Depths,”, reflected both the scale of suffering during the Holocaust and the point from which renewal began, highlighting the endurance and determination of survivors.
Holocaust survivor Josh Pila delivered testimony recounting his childhood in Nazi-occupied Poland. Five years old when the war began, he described months spent hiding in a dark bunker with his infant sister, periods surviving alone on the streets during a brutal winter, and the loss of close family members. Liberated by the Russian army on 28 January 1945, he later migrated to Israel before settling in Australia in 1957.
A central moment of the ceremony saw six memorial candles lit in memory of the six million victims. The candlelighters were Pila, Andre Dubrowin, Ceila Grant, Netty Tepe-Schoemaker, Jiří Švenger and Diana Zelig, each joined by a family member who shared their story.
Pauline Rockman lit an additional candle in honour of Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor who was murdered in the Bondi attack.
Lighting the candles in memory of the six million victims. (photo: Peter Haskin)
Young people played a prominent role, presenting “Stories of Resistance”, a key segment highlighting acts of courage during the Holocaust and their relevance today. Participants included the Australasian Union of Jewish Students and youth movements.
Students from Jewish schools also shared reflections on how the experiences of survivors have shaped their understanding of identity and responsibility, while collaborative performances including “Nivneh” highlighted the role of younger generations in carrying forward that legacy.
Music formed a key part of the commemoration, with performances by a multi-school choir and the Combined Jewish Schools Klezmer Orchestra. Pieces included “Mir Yidn Zaynen Nisht Fun Ot Der Velt” and “Eli Eli”, performed by Layla Carmeli-Wolski, Husky Gawenda, Anita Lester, Gideon Preiss and Yoni Ringelblum.
The ceremony also featured “El Maleh Rachamim” and Kaddish, sung by Greg Hurvitz, and concluded with “Zog Nit Keyn Mol” and “Hatikvah”.
The event was organised by the JCCV Yom Hashoah Committee, led by community figures including Nina Bassat and Pauline Rockman, supported by a large team of volunteers.
