Description

---

During the darkest days of the Holocaust, Europe’s Jews faced annihilation. In faraway Melbourne, immigrants Leo and Mina Fink rallied to rescue the survivors. It was a massive task. Undaunted, they battled bureaucrats, public opinion, and at times the Minister for Immigration Arthur Calwell. Marshalling the might of local and international agencies, they spearheaded the urgent relief and resettlement of thousands of displaced Holocaust survivors desperate to leave a shattered Europe, a graveyard continent of dust and ashes. By 1954, 17,000 survivors called Australia home. Following the chaos of war, Leo and Mina remained at the forefront of communal life. They initiated expansive welfare programs, while personally helping countless individuals. Mina’s devotion to a group of war orphans known as the ‘Buchenwald boys’ was testament to her and Leo’s relentless efforts to improve the lives of others. Leo and Mina Fink’s remarkable story is skillfully told through the turbulent, rapidly changing times in which they lived. This is a compelling account of how and why two individuals set out to change the world for the greater good.

About the Author

---

Dr. Margaret Taft is a research associate at the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash University. For the past twelve years her research has focused on the reconstruction of Jewish immigrant life in pre-war and post-war 20th-century Australia. Her particular interest lies with the Yiddish speakers from Eastern Europe whose personal agency, leadership, and cultural identity transformed what had been a predominately Anglo Jewish community. Margaret is an experienced author, teacher, lecturer, and public speaker.