Sydney embraces a new way of commemorating the Shoah
Zikaron BaSalon (Hebrew for “Remembrances in the Living Room”) is a grassroots initiative based in Israel that since 2011 has brought together more than 2 million people in more than 65 countries to talk with survivors or their descendants in intimate, home-based gatherings, in person and online.
Telling her story
Hosts are provided kits to create a meaningful experience through discussion prompts and opportunities for artistic expression. The salons have proved to be an effective and impactful way of bringing survivors’ experiences into homes and hearts.
In Australia, Zikaron BaSalon was introduced by Shalom in 2019. With the advent of Covid, Shalom could no longer support the initiative. Following an approach by Shalom Director Alon Meltzer, Danny Hochberg-the previous Chair of the Shoah Commemoration Committee of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, took on the project.
“I really liked the idea of commemoration and conversation in a more intimate environment”, said Hochberg. “With so few survivors left, Zikaron BaSalon gives us the opportunity to get up close and inter-act with them in an intimate environment. “
Hochberg brought the concept to the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants. “The organisation has strong contacts with survivors and is well placed to match them with potential hosts”, says President Dr George Foster.
This year there will be more than 20 Zikaron BaSalon events, with an average of 20 participants. This will mean 400 people will have had the opportunity to meet a survivor and talk directly to them. The concept has been embraced by communal organisations keen to commemorate and educate around the Holocaust. BJE has been a involved for a number of years, as have the Zionist Youth Movements and Emanuel Synagogue.
Descendant Johnny Weiss, who has hosted several Zikaron BaSalon functions says: “Our dear mother, Lotte Weiss, was an active participant in Holocaust education. She is no longer with us, but I know she would be pleased to know that we have continued her legacy through Zikaron BaSalon. In fact, my children, third generation survivors, are holding their own event this year!”
In the future, Foster hopes that the second and third generations will step-up to tell their parents stories: “This year due to the large number of events, we struggled to find survivors to participate. In the future, given the rise in interest in Holocaust commemoration, we will need to recruit and train them to tell their stories.”
Hochberg adds, “Their stories inspire people to live more engaged lives and to take an active role in the responsibility to remember. The time has come for those of us that can, to step-up to the challenge”.
