| July 2003 - Community Collecting [in progress] There is a proliferation of Holocaust and Jewish museums in cities around the world. In Australia, there is a Jewish museum in Melbourne and Sydney, and a Jewish Centre in Perth. Adelaide has also identified a need for a Jewish museum.
Ideally we would hope to establish an institution where items reflecting the heritage of Adelaide's Jewish community can be gathered, displayed and preserved for the future. However, for the present, it has been determined that a virtual museum documenting Jewish Adelaide would not only create a focus for the community, but obviate the necessity to obtain the substantial funding necessary to maintain all the activities associated with running a museum. While acquisitions of Judaica are occasionally made, and donations of objects are always welcome, this is not actively encouraged.
Australia, where freedom of religious expression is guaranteed, represents a refuge for Jews escaping religious persecution or political upheaval. There are a great many stories of Jewish life that should be recorded, from the extraordinary to the ordinary, and many people have already made public their remarkable life stories in the collection of narratives in the Book of Life section of the website.
While the Museum focuses on contemporary life, it has also started the process of documenting the history of Jewish Adelaide, beginning with the establishment of the Jewish community in the 1840s. Through the State Premiership of Mr Vaiben Solomon in the late 1890s and the period of Jewish Lord Mayoralty in the 20th century, ours is a significant contribution to South Australia?s history.
With the creation of the virtual museum we hope to enhance the knowledge base, and engender appreciation and understanding of Jewish life and culture in a wider audience.
Leanda Altman, curator 2005
Roslyn Sugarman, the first curator of the Adelaide Jewish Museum, was commissioned by Allen Bolaffi to establish a virtual museum for the Adelaide Jewish community. Her years of museum and gallery experience as Curator of the Standard Bank Gallery in Johannesburg, and her higher diploma in Museum Studies from the University of Pretoria were invaluable in giving the Adelaide Jewish Museum a credible and professional start. She is currently the Curator at the Sydney Jewish Museum.
Allen Bolaffi has an enduring and all encompassing passion for Judaism and Israel. He is involved with various community organizations in South Australia and is committed to promoting Jewish community life in Adelaide. By establishing the Adelaide Jewish Museum he confirms an ongoing commitment to advancing and documenting the social, historical and cultural life of the community.
Allen is the managing Partner of the Adelaide firm Haines Norton. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accountancy from the University of South Australia. He is a director of several public and large private companies. He is a Justice of the Peace, and chairs the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce.
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