Leo and Mina Fink : for the greater good / Margaret Taft.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Taft, Margaret, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Married people--Australia--Victoria--Biography.

Married people.

Immigrants--Australia--Victoria--Biography.

Immigrants.

Jewish businesspeople--Australia--Victoria--Biography.

Jewish businesspeople.

Jewish philanthropists--Australia--Victoria--Biography.

Jewish philanthropists.

Holocaust survivors--Services for--Australia--History.

Holocaust survivors.

Holocaust survivors' families--Services for--Australia--History.

Holocaust survivors' families.

World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue.

World War, 1939-1945.

Emigration and immigration.

Holocaust survivors--Services for.

Fink, Leo (Itzhak Leib), 1901-1972.

Fink, Leo.

Fink, Mina (Miriam), 1913-1990.

Fink, Mina.

Australia--Emigration and immigration.

Australia.

Victoria.

Genre:

Biographies.

History.

Physical Description:

xiv, 238 pages, 12 unnumbered pages plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Clayton, Victoria. : Monash University Publishing, [2022]

Summary:

"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.But survival of the Jewish world remained paramount. Leo pioneered the first Australian business venture in Israel, in a bid to underpin the young nation's fragile economy. Mina's global outreach and humanitarian vision transformed the National Council of Jewish Women into a proactive force with a clear feminist agenda. When 'Holocaust denial' launched its assault on historical truth and memory, Mina championed the establishment of Melbourne's Holocaust Museum, pushing its mandate beyond remembrance to education, to combat all forms of racism.Leo and Mina Fink's remarkable story is skilfully 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"--Publisher's description.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 Against the Odds

ch. 2 There's Something about Bialystok

ch. 3 Becoming Leo

ch. 4 New Beginnings

ch. 5 On the Brink

ch. 6 `A Matter of Life and Death'

ch. 7 `A Welcome, a Job, a Home and a Future'

ch. 8 The Lucky Fifties'

ch. 9 A Pioneer Once More

ch. 10 Being Mina

ch. 11 Back to the Holocaust.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781922464866

1922464864

OCLC:

1276933768

Publisher Number:

99991364835