Dave Sharma (Wentworth, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is easy for people to feel disconnected from major historical events as time passes and that is why firsthand testimony is so important. It provides proximity to realities that we cannot easily grasp ourselves. Last month I visited the Sydney Jewish Museum with the New South Wales Treasurer, Dominic Perrottet, where survivors have been doing the important work of educating thousands on the horrors of the Holocaust, for over 28 years, ensuring that we never forget.

As many grow older the museum is now using cutting-edge technology to immortalise the stories in hologram form. The Dimensions in Testimony project is creating interactive biographies with six holocaust survivors. Each survivor is asked literally 1,000 questions and their interviews are filmed in 360 degrees by 23 cameras. The result will be a 3D interactive image, like a hologram, where visitors can ask questions and the virtual survivor will respond in real time.

During our visit the Treasurer and I had the privilege of meeting survivors Eddie Jaku and Jack Meister, and I would like to thank them. I would like to thank Olga Horak, Kuba Enoch, Yvonne Engelman, Paul Drexler and Francine Lazarus for sharing their stories of survival and giving their time to ensure that we never forget the Holocaust and we always remember the tragedy and the horror. I commend the Sydney Jewish Museum for this innovative program, which will continue to give a voice to survivors and inspire change. I want to thank Gus Lehrer, the president of the board; Norman Seligman, the CEO; and Greg and Cathy Shand, both board members.