Survivor, icon mourned
Tributes have been paid to prominent Holocaust survivor Eva Marianna Weinberger who died on Monday evening.
Weinberger, better known as Marika, was a president of the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants, one of the founders of the Sydney Jewish Museum (SJM), an honorary life member of the SJM and the SJM board, a guide at the SJM, told her personal story on many occasions and in 2001 was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to the Jewish community, particularly through promoting awareness of Holocaust issues.
Weinberger was only 16 years old when, in 1944, her family was transported to Auschwitz.
SJM chief executive Norman Seligman said that Weinberger was regarded in the highest of esteem and will be missed.
“She was a remarkable woman and her advice and guidance has been invaluable to me personally and all of the staff and board members.”
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff described her as “the epitome of dignity”.
“Whenever she spoke, it was with depth, poignancy, erudition and a remarkable command of the English language,” Alhadeff said.
“She was an icon of the community and we are all the poorer for her passing.”
Weinberger’s message will continue to be spread through the remaining Holocaust survivors because she always said: “The voice of the survivor is the voice of all who perished. It is the voice of the living and the voice of the dead.”
JOSHUA LEVI
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