Our Stories
The Sephardi Association of Victoria. Voices from Egypt, India, North Africa and the Middle East that shaped our community in Melbourne.
Lives Carried Across Oceans
These are the personal stories of Sephardi Jews who made Victoria their home. Each person carried with them centuries of culture, memory and faith, from Alexandria, Cairo, Bombay and beyond, to build a new life in Australia.
Their journeys reflect the wider Sephardi diaspora of the twentieth century: communities scattered by history, yet united by a shared heritage of language, prayer, food and tradition.
Click on any portrait below to read their full story.
Our Heritage
The Sephardi Association of Victoria has preserved and celebrated the traditions of Sephardi Jews since the community first settled in Melbourne. These stories are a vital part of that living heritage, told in the voices of those who lived them.
Objects
Objects can tell us much about the past; about ways of life, culture, values and about ourselves. They can take on vastly different meanings from one person to another. The adage 'one man's trash is another man's treasure' comes to mind. But if you were forced to pack up your life into one small suitcase, what objects would you choose to keep? For many of the people in this project, that was a choice they faced at one time in their lives.
No single object can fully represent a person's life. However, objects can provide a talking point and a catalyst for remembering particular times and events. That is what we have set out to capture with this project.
Melbourne's Sephardi community is a small but thriving one, made up of Jewish men and women from Egypt, Iraq, India, Morocco, Turkey, Algeria and Singapore. The stories of their individual journeys to Australia are both similar and unique. Each one of these stories contributes a thread to the fabric of Sephardi life in Melbourne. On this website you will discover but a small sample of the wealth of experience, culture and heritage in this rich community.
Acknowledgements
A very special thank you to the Sephardi Association of Victoria and all the members of the Sephardi community for sharing their stories and their precious objects with us.
We wish to thank Julian Silverman for all his support and acknowledge the support of RMIT University and the Besen Family Foundation.
All photography by Catherine Forge.
Way Back When Consulting Historians, 2014
Heritage
Our Stories is part of a broader effort by the Sephardi Association of Victoria to document, preserve and celebrate the rich heritage of our community members.
Community
These stories connect generations, from those who arrived in the 1950s to the vibrant Sephardi community in Melbourne today. Community is at the heart of everything we do.
Share Your Story
Are you a member of the Sephardi community with a story to tell? We would love to hear from you. Contact us at info@sephardivic.com.au