“We should talk about it, the more we talk about it the more people will understand not to do things that they shouldn’t do.”

Holocaust survivor Tuvia Lipson speaks about the importance of telling the story of the Holocaust. He fears that if the story is lost then there is a greater chance of similar atrocities occurring, in any part of the world.

A recently erected monument at the Chevra Kaddisha Cemetery in Springvale is dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust who were contained at Lodz Ghetto, Poland. Tuvia Lipson spent four and a half years at Lodz, and was an integral part of establishing the monument as the Head of the Jewish Lodz committee in Melbourne.

The monument itself was designed by sculptor Andrew Rogers. The monument features distinct elements, each representing a different aspect of the Lodz Ghetto and of the Holocaust.

“Six Corten steel columns refer to the six million Jews murdered during the Shoah (Holocaust). The bronze map is of the City of Lodz, Poland. The stainless steel section indicates the borders of the Lodz Ghetto.

The stainless steel bar spanning the columns echoes the bridge crossing Zgierska Street, which connected different parts of the ghetto to each other. The bridge has become a symbol of the Lodz Ghetto. 204,000 men, women and children were crammed into this small area.”
- Direct quote from the monument

The monument is intended to be a permanent reminder of the atrocities that occurred. Stories such as Tuvia’s and that of Lodz need to be continually told to best make people aware.

Awareness of prejudices are the best way to eradicate them; Tuvia fears that similar atrocities occur now and will continue into the future if people are not aware.

It is important that the stories from the Holocaust are not lost so that the legacy is not forgotten.

Tuvia has returned to Poland on a number of occasions to participate in the annual ‘March of the Living’. This commemorative march re-traces the steps of 750,000 people on the ‘death marches’ during the final years of the Second World War.

Each time Tuvia has taken part in the march it has been with a small group of Australian students, providing them the opportunity to best understand the significance of the Holocaust. For Tuvia, the significance is two-fold, as he is also able to return to Lodz and provide the students with a first-hand account of his experience in the Ghetto.

From his own Holocaust experience Tuvia Lipson points to a formidable determination as well as sheer luck as the reasons why he survived.

He spent four and a half years in the Ghetto at Lodz. Despite the inhumane conditions, Tuvia was determined to not let the Nazis have the satisfaction of removing his identity and belief. He survived the selection process at the Auchwitz concentration camp by being forcibly separated from his father by another inmate who knew that Tuvia was within a narrow age window that would give him the best chance of surviving.

Tuvia tells his story frequently as a guide at the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Elsternwick.

He also volunteers for ‘Courage to Care’ an organisation which conducts school visits and exhibitions educating people to stand up to prejudice when it occurs, even when it does not directly affect them. He believes that it is this promotion of tolerance which is an important lesson to learn from the Holocaust.

Tuvia does not believe that the world has properly learnt the lessons from the Holocaust.

He says that conflicts occurring around the world today are a result of intolerance and prejudice, the same factors that contributed to the occurrence of the Holocaust. Education and awareness he believes is the best form of response.