Perspective on refugees: the Jewish and Darfur experience

survivor and JHC guide, shared his experiences as a refugee after the Holocaust. The audience then heard from Alpha Lisimba about his experience as a contemporary refugee, a survivor of genocide in Darfur and a recently arrived refugee in Australia. Dr Paul Bartrop, Head of History at Bialik College, spoke about Australia’s policies regarding refugees pre- and post- Holocaust, while Melanie Landau spoke about the Jewish roots of compassion for refugees.

This was a sombre but valuable opportunity to reflect upon the refugee experience within the Jewish context as compared to the Darfur experience. It left the audience with a deeper understanding of the trauma associated with being a refugee, whether from Europe’s DP camps in 1948 or from Darfur today.

In October 2010, a panel discussion organised by Jewish Aid Australia and the Jewish Holocaust Centre (JHC) on ‘Perspectives on Refugees’ was held at the Jewish Holocaust Centre. Moshe Fiszman, Holocaust