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Anne Frank memorial unveiled in Ellice Park, Wellington
On a cold, windy Wellington day about 200 people gathered in a park – a former quarry – to see the Deputy Prime Minister unveil a challenging new Anne Frank memorial.
The creation of university design lecturer Matthijs Siljee consists of three chairs – two facing each other, the third facing away, excluded.
Wording on the chairs and plaque, in te reo Māori and English, explains how depicting prejudice and exclusion links to Anne Frank and the Holocaust. Siljee spoke of the frightening speed with which Anne Frank was overtaken by Nazi Germany’s genocide of the Jews: “Within 15 years she was born into democracy and died in barbarity.”
He also commented that, as the chairs are made of not only steel, but a tough recycled plastic, “You have all contributed by handing in your soft plastic bags.”
Unveiling the memorial, Deputy PM Grant Robertson told the audience that the Holocaust was the worst example in our times of discrimination and hatred. “Yet we see examples of that around us every single day. So every single day it’s our job to call that out, to say it’s unacceptable. We have to stand up for the values that Anne Frank wrote about – a world of hope, courage, respect and inclusion.”
Attendees included five Members of Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps, three local mayors, Holocaust survivors and their descendants, and two human rights commissioners.
Netherlands ambassador Mira Woldberg spoke of the importance of having such a memorial, not to forget. “Anne Frank gave us a message of hope and action that we must teach our children – to speak out, not remain bystanders.”
Two young children of Netherlands Embassy staff members read a poem, in Dutch and English, about the chestnut tree that Anne Frank saw through her attic hideout window.
The man who developed the memorial project, 94-year-old Dutch New Zealander Boudewijn (Boyd) Klap, explained how 15 kōwhai trees were planted at the quarry-park two years ago, representing her age when she died in Bergen-Belsen death camp, plus another 75 trees, on the day that would have been her 90th birthday.
When the trees mature and flower, the new memorial will be circled by glorious colour.
In honour of Mr Klap’s dedication to bringing the memorial into being, as well as two Anne Frank touring exhibitions, and the publication of her diary translated into te reo Māori, the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand presented him with a JNF Holland certificate for trees planted in his name in the Anne Frank Forest in Israel, and a special JNF Holland chestnut sculpture.
Holocaust Centre chairperson Deborah Hart said that the memorial fulfilled the organisation’s aims – to witness and remember the Holocaust, educate, and inspire action against hatred, prejudice and antisemitism.
The ceremony closed with beautiful singing of a Māori song by the choir of Wellington East Girls’ College, which adjoins the quarry-park. The school’s principal, Gael Ashworth, spoke of the power of Anne Frank’s message for present-day school pupils, and said the college will have a neighbourly relationship of care with the memorial.
By David Zwartz ONZM
New Zealand's first Anne Frank memorial unveiled in Wellington
Located in Ellice Park in Mt Victoria, the memorial is the first of its kind in New Zealand, commemorating Anne Frank and the 1.5 million children who were killed during the Holocaust.
Boyd Klap CNZM QSO - Chairman Anne Frank New Zealand, Deputy Prime Minister Hon Grant Robertson, memorial designer Matthijs Siljee, Massey University.
[Woolf Photography]
[Woolf Photography]
Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. On the eve of the launch of the Anne Frank Memorial in Wellington, the DomPost pays tribute to one of our wonderful volunteers, Boyd Klap and the astounding work he has done to fight antisemitism and discrimination. HCNZ is honoured to be associated with him.
Man on a mission against discrimination
Bess Mason. Stuff.co.nz .12 June 2021
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF
North & South Magazine - June edition out now.
Well-researched & well-written cover feature article on former Waffen-SS soldier, and one of the founders of Mount Hutt Ski Field, Willi Huber, by Andrew Macdonald and Naomi Arnold. To read the article, and more, pick up a copy from your nearest retail outlet.
Cover artwork by Ross Murray Art
Well-researched & well-written cover feature article on former Waffen-SS soldier, and one of the founders of Mount Hutt Ski Field, Willi Huber, by Andrew Macdonald and Naomi Arnold. To read the article, and more, pick up a copy from your nearest retail outlet.
Cover artwork by Ross Murray Art
Meaningful Holocaust Work Sees Film From PhD Study [Victoria University of Wellington press release 28 April 2021
Lucy Liu and her supervisor have made a documentary telling the story of composer Boris Pigovat, his Holocaust Requiem, and the massacre that spurred it.
A memorial on the site of the 1941 Babi Yar massacre in Ukraine.
When violist Xi (Lucy) Liu came to Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington as a PhD candidate after studying music in China and Russia, she didn’t expect to end up co-producing a film based on ‘Requiem – the Holocaust’ by composer Boris Pigovat.
Lacrimosa Dies Illa, which she produced alongside her supervisor Emeritus Professor Donald Maurice, tells Pigovat’s story while exploring the music of the Holocaust Requiem in relation to the event that spurred it, the 1941 Babi Yar massacre in Ukraine. The film will premiere at the Penthouse Cinema in Wellington on Thursday 6 May at an event co-hosted by the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand.
Lacrimosa Dies Illa, which she produced alongside her supervisor Emeritus Professor Donald Maurice, tells Pigovat’s story while exploring the music of the Holocaust Requiem in relation to the event that spurred it, the 1941 Babi Yar massacre in Ukraine. The film will premiere at the Penthouse Cinema in Wellington on Thursday 6 May at an event co-hosted by the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand.
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Event details:
Lacrimosa Dies Illa, featuring ‘Requiem – the Holocaust’ 6–7.30 pm, Thursday 6 May Penthouse Cinema & Cafe, Brooklyn, Wellington Book here |
Mountain steps out from Nazi shadow, mostly
David Williams reports
After months of pressure, a ski run and restaurant at Canterbury’s Mt Hutt are being renamed.
A ski field has quietly wiped a Nazi officer’s name from its slopes – but not from the entire mountain.
A ski field has quietly wiped a Nazi officer’s name from its slopes – but not from the entire mountain.
Anne Frank Exhibition opens in Napier, March 2021
Hawke's Bay Today article ' Examining horrors of war at Anne Frank exhibition' by Thomas Airey. Photo Paul Taylor. (click image to read article)
Hawke's Bay Today article ' Examining horrors of war at Anne Frank exhibition' by Thomas Airey. Photo Paul Taylor. (click image to read article)
Inge Woolf QSO z"l
It is with great sadness that we, at the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand (HCNZ), inform you of the passing of our Founding Director, Inge Woolf z"l.
Her memory is a blessing unto us all.
Her memory is a blessing unto us all.
Inge Woolf: a life dedicated to tolerance and diversity
May 18, 1934 - February 26, 2021
"One of the last things she did before her death was approving the cover of a book to be published later this year on her life. Fittingly, it is called Resilience."
Nicholas Boyack Mar 06 2021
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori - Maori Language Week: Te Rātaka a Tētahi Kōhine gifted to high schools
The Legacy of a Former Nazi Soldier, Given Refuge in NZ, is Not Simply a Ski Field
Nazi symbols graffitied at Wellington Jewish Place of Worship (22 January 2020)
Photo: Wellington City Council
Staff announcement - New Education Director for the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand
Welcome Kristopher Clancy
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand is pleased to announce our new Education Director, Kristopher Clancy. Kris joins us all the way from Houston, Texas, where he was an educator for many years. Kris majored in Political Science and Religious Studies at the University of Houston, having a diverse background in community engagement and involvement. He brings with him a passion for educating teens and young adults in human rights and the lessons from history that are very much applicable today. Upon starting his new position, Kris said "The lessons of the Holocaust are still just as important today as they were 75 years ago and the mission and vision of HCNZ are very important. We must reach out to the next generation and impart to them the values that can make this world a more peaceful, equitable place for all to live and thrive." Kris is looking forward to using his knowledge from his studies and his experience teaching European History and partnering with New Zealand schools and tertiary institutions to continue the vital work in educating students and adults in the Holocaust. Op Ed - Dom Post, 7 Nov 2019: Anniversary of Kristallnacht shows why hateful words matter
When 18th-century Anglo-Irish statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke said that "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing", he could not have imagined what the future would hold, and how his words would resonate for the world we live in today.
The Boemestrasse Synagogue in Frankfurt, Germany, burning on November 10, 1938. Photo credit: Yad Vashem
New Chair for The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand has elected its board naming Deborah Hart at its new Chair.
Is poor awareness of the Holocaust just the tip of the iceberg? (20 August 2019)
Giacomo Lichtner, associate professor of History at Victoria University of Wellington's opinion piece on the recent Auckland Holocaust Memorial Trust/Curia Market Research poll on popular awareness of the Holocaust in New Zealand.
"This poll should encourage us to take on a more demanding conversation, which is partly about Holocaust remembrance and partly about how we relate to and teach the past in this country....... History is the conversation that gives us the ability to recognise the signs the next time around, and hopefully the collective resilience to stand up." Also included in this article is an interview with HCNZ Founding Director on the Children's Holocaust Memorial (now on display in Auckland Central City Library) and one of our Yad Vashem NZ Teachers Seminar Grads, St Oran's College teacher Liz Wright, reflecting on aspects of this Professional Development and its impact on her teaching. Are we forgetting the Holocaust?
A new poll shows that a nearly a third of New Zealanders know little or nothing about the Holocaust and less than half know that six million Jews were killed by the Nazis. Mark Jennings reports.
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One and a Half Million Buttons - Book Launch
Photo: Alex MacLeod being presented her raffle winning copy from Dame Joy Cowley.
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11 May 2019 - At special Q&A and reading sessions, for children, with Joy Cowley, at the Featherston Booktown 2019 festival, now in its 5th year – Joy shared her newest children’s book ‘One and a Half Million Buttons’.
This book was written inspired by the ‘Button Project’ of the Moriah School, and encapsulates the project’s development from inception, button collection to finally the Children’s Holocaust Memorial being launched November 2018. Whilst the book is suitable for reading ages 7 – 9 it has already been embraced by young and old. With the message firmly embedded, to remember the children killed during the Holocaust and to accept and embrace diversity, Joy Cowley reaches young readers through visuals and text. Thank you to Joy for your work and your wisdom. Dame Joy Cowley is the Patron of the Children’s Holocaust Memorial. One and a Half Million Buttons ISBN: 9780995115552 Publisher: The Copy Press Format: Paperback Dimensions: Width: 297mm, Height: 210mm RRP: $20 with proceeds going towards the project enabling the memorial to be transported around Aotearoa New Zealand and towards future printing of the book. To purchase: You may purchase at the Holocaust Centre by cash or EFTPOS or via online banking of $20 plus $5.50 postage & handling, to HCNZ account 03-0515-0507281-00 ref Buttons & your name. Send an Email with your name and address for postage to officeadmin@holocaustcentre.org.nz |
Anne Frank's Diary translated into te reo Māori
VIP Visits
Over the past few months we have been fortunate to have the pleasure of visits from Ambassador Georgii Zuev from the Embassy of the Russian Federation, British High Commissioner Ms Laura Clarke and Ambassador Mira Woldberg from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
We are grateful to you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to see our work and to discuss the importance of Holocaust education and remembrance.
We are grateful to you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to see our work and to discuss the importance of Holocaust education and remembrance.
