Unforgotten: The Shoah and ancestors lost

Australia has had the largest influx of Holocaust survivors post war outside of Israel. Those survivors are now few in number leaving second and third generations to piece together their family's stories. Rachelle Unreich has captured her mother's story in A Brilliant Life. Tess Schofield -Peters's book, Dear Mutzi tells of her grandfather's experience fleeing Nazi Germany and Louise Helfgott explores her Polish family's Holocaust past. This trio of authors discuss why they have detailed these dark family stories and what they learned by doing so.

Speakers:

Rachelle Unreich: Journalist for 38 years, contributing to The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, and Harper’s Bazaar. Author of A Brilliant Life, recounting her mother Mira's story as a Holocaust survivor, published internationally. Shortlisted for The Age Book of the Year and ABIA New Writer of the Year awards.

Louise Helfgott: award-winning writer with a PhD in Creative Writing from Edith Cowan University, known for her book Thistledown Seed, and her works like Potchnagoola and Light of her Eye, which have been recognized and staged in various prestigious platforms.

Tess Scholfield-Peters: Sydney–Eora based writer and academic at the University of Technology Sydney, teaching creative writing. Her debut book Dear Mutzi (NLA Publishing) explores her grandfather's migration from Nazi Germany to rural Australia. Tess's writing appears in various journals, and she is working on a historical fiction about female journalists in Sydney during WWII.

Dr. Steven Cooke (moderator): CEO of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, with 30+ years’ experience in cultural heritage, focusing on museums and academia. He's a published expert on Holocaust museums, memorials, and survivor testimony, representing Australia on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

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