Museum wants Holocaust education to create 'a safe Australia for everybody'

The Melbourne Holocaust Museum, dedicated to preserving history and educating the public to prevent future atrocities, is facing distress among its staff due to a surge in hateful comments. Following an antisemitic terror attack last year, museum staff and volunteers received community support, but also an increase in negativity and hate. Museum chief executive Breann Fallon described the constant underlying sense of awareness and the need to be alert at all times, stating, "When you pick up the phone, you don't know what's going to happen on the other end." Dr. Fallon is scheduled to testify before the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, established after Australia's deadliest terror attack at a Hanukkah event. The museum's submission to the commission detailed how a volunteer was so affected by a hateful comment in the guest book that she could not finish her shift. While abuse temporarily declined after antisemitic incidents like the firebombing of a synagogue and the Bondi attack, the museum noted that such incidents resume "often more frequently and with more vitriol than prior to the attack." The museum has received numerous trolling comments on social media, as well as threatening emails and voice messages. Dr. Fallon stated, "Our staff are remarkable and very resilient, and we have a lot of mechanisms in place to look after them, but we are all carrying a burden of what it means." Fear of antisemitic attacks has drastically increased the museum's security budget, from $19,000 in 2020 to $291,000 in 2025. Security enhancements include installing bollards to prevent ram raids, comprehensive CCTV systems, new night patrols, and a crisis support plan for staff. The museum's submission highlighted that this expenditure reflects "the scale and immediacy of the evolving threat environment." The royal commission will examine security at Jewish community sites this week before focusing on education and policy frameworks on antisemitism.

“

When you pick up the phone, you don't know what's going to happen on the other end, and so it's this sort of underlying sense of awareness and having to be alert at all times.