Avram Zeleznikow: Partisan Fighter to local restaurant icon
About
John Zeleznikow interviewed by Dr Seumas Spark.Discover the remarkable life of Avram Zeleznikow — Jewish partisan, socialist, Holocaust survivor and co-founder of the legendary Café Scheherazade — in conversation with his son, Professor John Zeleznikow and historian Dr Seumas Spark.
As a young man, Avram risked all as part of the underground resistance in the Vilna Ghetto and later with the Soviet partisans. A committed non-Zionist socialist, he chose to remain in postwar Poland, but rising antisemitism and political repression forced him to flee. Eventually settling in Melbourne, he helped build a new life — not just for himself, but for countless Holocaust survivors — through the café he and wife Masha established in St Kilda.
This conversation will explore Avram’s ideological convictions, wartime bravery and postwar reinvention — and how his journey sheds light on the overlooked legacy of Jewish partisans and the ethical complexities of survival, memory and migration.
Date
Tuesday 16 September 2025 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM (UTC+10)Location
The Lamm Jewish Library of Australia
Contact Form
Avram Zeleznikow: Partisan Fighter to local restaurant icon
Resend recently purchased tickets to our events to your email.
Enter email to start search
You can review the event organiser's terms and conditions here.