Two Auschwitz survivors given the Order of Australia

SYDNEY (JTA) — Two Auschwitz survivors were among the recipients of the prestigious Order of Australia awards.

Kitia Altman and Abe Goldberg, both of Melbourne, were awarded the medal on Monday.

Altman, who famously confronted David Irving during an attempt to deny the Holocaust on national TV in the 1990s, said, “To receive an honor for raising awareness of the Holocaust in the community at large has great meaning for me.”

Goldberg, 88, a founding member of the Jewish Holocaust Museum, also was cited for promoting Yiddish language and culture.

“I promised with my survival that I would do everything I could to make a contribution to Jewish life, and I am proud that after so many years my work has been recognized,” said Goldberg, a co-founder of Melbourne’s only Yiddish-speaking school.

Dalia Ayalon Sinclair, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, was honored for her contribution across multiple organizations.

An immigrant from Israel, Ayalon Sinclair said, “Charity begins at home and … like at home, I have been guided, supported and encouraged to work untiringly for the benefit of Israel, the Jewish and wider communities in Australia.”

Also on the list was Miriam Suss, a former chief executive of the United Israel Appeal and the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, and Rimna Sverdlin, a co-founder of the organization for Jews from the former Soviet Union.

Harry Procel, a former president of Maccabi Australia and founding member of Maccabi Hong Kong, was among the other Jewish award winners included in the 582 Australian recipients.

The awards are given twice a year.