1954 - present

Bondi resident Velvel Lederman, also known as Uncle Velvel, is a Jewish-studies educator and children’s entertainer. He was born in 1954, the son of Polish Holocaust survivors who arrived in Sydney in May 1949. Per capita, Australia has been a refuge for more Holocaust survivors, than any other country, apart from Israel. After World War 2, under the Close Relatives Reunion Scheme, Holocaust survivors were enabled to emigrate to Australia if they had one or more family members who’d settled here. A total of 27,000 Holocaust survivors arrived in Australia between 1945 and 1961. With the passage of time, only a few are still with us, but their children and grandchildren are continuing their elders’ legacy.

Velvel recalls that his parents were more traditional than most, and suggests that compared with other refugees, they found integration more difficult. The Jewish faith remains a big part of his life, and so much so that he attends synagogue to pray several times a day and has made 10 recordings for children and adults, two of which are musical recordings: My Father’s Favourite Songs, in celebration of the music of Jewish festivals, and Shabbat World, a selection of iconic Shabbat words set to contemporary melodies. These recordings are found on Spotify as "Good Tom Tov Uncle Velvel".