Steph Hachey is the Senior Manager, Collections & Volunteers at the Toronto Holocaust Museum. She manages 90 volunteers who help in the museum and at programs and events and recently managed the installation of the new artifacts in the museum. We caught up with her to learn more about the new additions to the museum display, the challenges in working with archival materials, and Ottawa shawarma.
Kultura Collective: Hi Steph! Can you please tell us a bit about you and your work at the Toronto Holocaust Museum (THM)?
Steph Hachey: I started working at the THM in late 2021 as a Young Canada Works contractor to help prepare the artifacts for the new museum. This opportunity has been both professionally rewarding and deeply meaningful. I was fortunate to be part of the team involved in the museum’s opening and assist in the decision-making process, a unique experience I am incredibly grateful for!
Nearly 3 years later, I am now the Senior Manager, Collections & Volunteers. I manage our group of 90 volunteers who help in the museum and at programs and events. Alongside this, I am part of the curatorial team. Together we curate the permanent galleries as well as temporary exhibits and make decisions on artifact donations. I manage all incoming loans, assess artifact conditions, and work closely with a group of contract conservators. The highlight of my role this year was managing the installation of the new artifacts in the museum – in addition to THM staff, I worked closely with two amazing museum preparators who are a joy to work with!
Nearly all my work at the THM is collaborative, I am lucky to work with such an amazing team of people.
KC: What type of objects does the THM typically collect and why?
SH: As a non-collection institution, we work closely with the Ontario Jewish Archives (OJA), Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre. Items offered to the THM are redirected to the OJA where decisions are made jointly between our institutions. When acquired, the materials become part of the holdings of the OJA and are loaned to the THM for display.
We are particularly interested in Holocaust-era primary sources. Our curatorial approach is to share the history of the Holocaust and its aftermath through the voices of survivors who made new lives in Toronto, ensuring local relevance and connections. We are most interested in original materials relating to life before and during the Holocaust, and life in Canada.
KC: This fall, you and the curatorial team led a turnover of objects on view in the museum – can you tell us why?
SH: A few reasons. We rotate artifacts to share different stories and voices while ensuring the preservation of these important pieces. By changing displays, we allow visitors to engage with a broader range of experiences and perspectives. Then there is the “science-y” side of it: “resting” artifacts in storage helps us protect them from deterioration caused by things like light exposure and temperature and humidity fluctuations. The work is a careful balance between showcasing history and preserving it for future generations.
We plan to rotate a selection of artifacts every 12-18 months. We changed 50% of our displays during the recent rotation.
KC: What challenges do you encounter with this new display?
SH: Definitely a few! As with any large project, there are a lot of moving pieces. Luckily we have an amazing extended team of experts in mount-making, conservation, and graphic design to help us along the way.
One of my favourite challenges (I say favourite, because who doesn’t like a challenge?) was when we discovered that a mixed media artwork (pastel, marker, tape) we planned on displaying flat in a drawer was double-sided.
As part of this rotation, we decided to display an artwork by outsider artist Nathan Hilu. Nathan created hundreds of works about the Nuremberg trials (he spent time guarding Nazi war criminals). The piece that we have on display includes depictions of key people from the Nazi Party, including Hermann Göring, Rudolf Hess, and Wilhelm Frick. It is on loan to us from Director Elan Gold who created a wonderful documentary about Nathan called Nathan-ism.
When we received this artwork from Elan, we discovered it was double-sided, a surprise that presented an interesting challenge. Because the piece is done in soft pastel, with the powdery pigment loosely sitting on the paper (rather than fixed with a spray), displaying it flat would shift and damage it. This made it tricky to showcase it flat in a drawer as we originally intended with compromising its delicate surface.
To find a solution, we reached out to our paper conservator, who offered great advice for creating a custom mount. Our preparators then built a slim “wall” of matboard that runs along the edges of the work. The piece is, therefore, strategically suspended between two pieces of matboard – so the back of the artwork is not in contact with any surface. The white matboard acts as a subtle frame, stabilizing and protecting the piece without taking away from it.
In addition to this, we also somehow managed to print 3 labels too long so they overhang in their cases. Let’s say, measuring is not our strong suit. We sent them back to the printers.
KC: What new objects are you excited to share with the community in this new display?
SH: I have to say – it is difficult to pick just a few, they are all quite incredible!
Two pieces/stories in particular that stand out to me this rotation are: a violin belonging to survivor Hans Kaufman and a mixed collection of documents and artifacts from liberator Bernard (Bernie) Yudelson.
Hans Kaufman’s violin is on display in our first gallery and is quite striking. Hans was born in Austria on February 25, 1912, he was a gifted musician who trained as a tailor – skills that ended up saving his life. After Germany annexed Austria in March 1938, Hans’ family urged him to leave the country. He secured a British visa to work as a tailor, and on December 23, 1938, left Vienna with only a small suitcase, a violin, and 20 schillings. While on the train, a Gestapo officer interrogated him. Hans claimed he was travelling for a performance and showed his violin and English visa document. The officer, unable to read the document, let Hans go without checking his passport stamped with a “J,” which identified him as Jewish. The violin and his documents saved his life.
Hans reached England safely and worked as a tailor and violin instructor. However, in 1940 the British rounded up Austrian and German refugees living in England, as they were considered “enemy aliens.” The British sent Hans to Canada, where he was interned in Sherbrooke, Quebec. In June 1942, he was released and joined the Canadian Army as a violinist.
Following the war, Hans was discharged and began working at the King Edward Hotel as a musician. He formed his concert trio and performed at the St. Regis Hotel for around 10 years. He later worked as a teacher at the Etobicoke School Board and continued taking music gigs around Toronto. He played at weddings and house parties and even dressed up as a clown to sing happy birthday to people. He married his wife Else Katz in 1951, and they lived a full and creative life together. Hans passed away in 2007.
Bernard (Bernie) Yudelson was born in 1918 in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. At the age of 22, Bernie decided to volunteer with the RCAF. After completing training in AFM (Air Frame Mechanics) he joined the City of Montreal Wildcats 438 Squadron, 143 Wing. Bernie received the rank LAC (Leading Aircraftman) and served oversees from 1942 to 1945. He and his squadron were stationed in England, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany. A prolific amateur artist and photographer, Bernie captured hundreds of photos of their missions.
On April 15, 1945, the British Army liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Shortly after, Canadian forces arrived to provide logistical and medical support. Bernie’s squadron was among them. He took numerous photos, preserving a stark record of the atrocities committed there.
We have three photos on display from Bernie’s collection on display in our Liberation Galleries. These are reproductions, in order to safely preserve the originals. Two of the photographs depict images of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, one shows people exiting a building. The man in the front row, centre is Holocaust survivor Leo Roshstein. Leo gave Bernie a yellow star and signed it as a thank-you for liberating him. The second, depicts two soldiers standing over a mass grave.
We felt that what was missing from our previous artifact rotation, were artifacts from Jewish Canadian liberators. Bernie’s photos help to share and illustrate this important experience.
KC: If you could point out one object in the museum that visitors should take a closer look at the next time they visit, what would that object be?
SH: I think visitors should take a closer look at the Polish certificate with a Sugihara Visa that we have on display in our Atrocity & Devastation Gallery.
Between July and August 1940, Chiune (Sempo) Sugihara, Japanese diplomat and acting consul at the Japanese Consulate in Kaunas, Lithuania, issued at least 2,139 transit visas. These visas allowed Jewish refugees to escape Europe through Japan to a third country. In some cases, an entire family travelled on one visa – it is estimated that Sugihara saved upwards of 6,000 lives.
The certificate we have on display belonged to Daniel Zultek. The document confirmed that he was a Polish citizen and entitled to travel abroad. Following the invasion of Poland by Germany in 1939, thousands of Jewish people and Polish citizens fled eastward, and many found temporary safety in Lithuania. Daniel was one of these refugees, and he was able to have this certificate stamped and signed by Sugihara on August 1, 1940. It allowed him to escape Lithuania and eventually immigrate to Canada.
This is an incredible document – few originals remain, and we are lucky to have one on display. I like to encourage people to take a closer look at it because it is covered in travel visas from various consulates. They illustrate each step in Daniel’s journey to escape and eventually reach Canada, showing his resilience and determination. It is quite miraculous.
KC: What else are you working on right now at the museum?
SH: Right now, a few of us are working on developing our accessibility programming in the museum. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience for our visitors and continue to work on enhancing this.
In the Summer, we launched our Sensory Kits that provide auditory and tactile resources for visitors who may benefit from sensory support during their visit. In December we are hosting a program to celebrate Internation Day of Disabilities. We plan on developing “sensory hours” at the museum in the coming months.
I look forward to continuing this important work!
Lightning round question!
- Hummus vs baba ghanoush? Baba ghanoush – a favourite since I was a kid.
- Shawarma vs falafel? Shawarma of course! Ottawa shawarma specifically – I swear by it. A staple meal anytime I visit family.
- Fiddler on the Roof vs Joseph? Joseph – nothing beats that Technicolor Dreamcoat!
Steph Hachey has worked in the GLAM sector for 10 years in museums, art galleries, and archives in Ontario and Scotland. A graduate from the MSc Museum Studies program from the University of Glasgow, Steph’s work and interests centre around collections management, curation, outreach, and accessibility.
The Toronto Holocaust Museum is a space for education and dialogue about this vital history and its ongoing relevance. The Museum serves as a powerful and growing force against antisemitism, bigotry and hatred in all its forms. Our state-of-the-art facility is the premier destination for Holocaust education in the city showcasing cutting edge technology, including interactive Holocaust survivor testimony stations at the core of each exhibit space and augmented reality tablet tours. The Museum deepens the public’s knowledge and understanding while, inspiring visitors to think critically about the tragedies of the Holocaust and to make connections between the Holocaust, world events, and contemporary Canadian life. Learn more at torontoholocaustmuseum.org
