Rebbetzin Jana Gottshall Memorial Library event Nov2026

Daniela Torsh: Crying in the Archives Join us for the next Rebbetzin Jana Gottshall Memorial Library event, featuring author Daniela Torsh in conversation about her memoir, Crying in the Archives. Daniela grew up in Sydney, the daughter of Holocaust survivors Mimi and Pavel. What she did not know as a child was that her parents had met and fallen in love in a Nazi concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Born in Prague soon after the war, Daniela came to Australia with her family after the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1948. It was not until she was 11, in the year her father died, that she discovered she was Jewish. As an adult, Daniela set out to uncover the family history that had remained largely hidden from her. Through years of archival research, she pieced together the experiences of her parents and other family members before, during and after the Holocaust. Crying in the Archives is a story of family secrets, loss and survival, migration and rebuilding, and one daughter's determination to understand the past that shaped her family. Come and hear Daniela share the story behind the book and her journey of discovery. Thursday 12 November 2026 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm Rebbetzin Jana Gottshall Memorial Library NCJWA NSW Council House, Boardroom $10 | Afternoon tea provided About the Library The Rebbetzin Jana Gottshall Memorial Library was gifted to NCJWA NSW in memory of Jana Gottshall, affectionately known as our Council Rebbetzin. The Library holds an extensive collection, with a particular focus on books by and about Jewish women. NCJWA NSW members are welcome to borrow from the collection whenever Council House is open. The Library Committee invites members, friends and the wider community to join us for this special afternoon. Please book ahead.