Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to honour the late Olga Horak OAM, a Holocaust survivor and passionate educator who passed away last week at the age of 98. Olga was a survivor of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. Born in 1926 in Czechoslovakia, Olga's life changed dramatically with the outbreak of World War II. In 1944, when Olga was just 16, she and her family were deported to Auschwitz. Her father and sister were sent directly to the gas chambers, and Olga and her mother were subjected to horrific conditions and forced labour. That bitter winter, Olga and her mother were forced to march for hundreds of kilometres and were then transported to Bergen-Belsen.

Despite suffering from typhus and diphtheria, she survived to see Bergen-Belsen liberated on 15 April 1945. Tragically, her mother died a day later. Olga was the sole survivor of her family. Two years later, Olga met her future husband, John Horak, who was also a survivor. In 1949, Olga and John arrived in Sydney to begin a new life, and they became active members of Australian society.

Olga dedicated her life to educating others about the Holocaust and ensuring the memories of those who perished were never forgotten. Olga's work at the Sydney Jewish Museum, where she volunteered for decades, touched countless lives. Her words are so important. She said:

Do not hate. Respect people. Have dialogue with people from different backgrounds.

These are words that we all need to live by now. I pay my respects to Olga, her family and the enormous contribution she made to the Sydney Jewish Museum and the Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants, of which she was a patron.