Marianne Dacy began work in the Rare Books Library on July 4, 1983. The Australian Research Grants' Committee had awarded Prof Alan Crown, Dr Neil Radford, the University Librarian and Dr Jennifer Alison (Gifts and Exchange Librarian) an initial grant pf $10,000 to establish an Archive of Australian Judaica at the Library of the University of Sydney. This was housed initially as a special collection within the Rare Books Library and then moved to the former newspaper library annexe of Rare Books. Later the collection will be moved to possibly the 9th floor due to re assignment of library space.
The Archive was established as there was an urgent need to prevent further deterioration of records, and the discarding of papers, causing the loss of primary source material. Again, there was also the urgent need for a central repository of these records in an environment that allows for sustained academic research.
The first collection obtained was from Karen Angell, the daughter of Dr Max Joseph, a refugee from Nazi German and a doughty fighter for justice. This material has been microfilmed and sent to the Washington Holocaust Museum. One of the first large organisational archives received was the records of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, dating from 1938. Other large archives include the records of the Australian Zionist Federation.
The ARGS grant was given for a further three years, and then the Mandelbaum Trust undertook to pay for the salary of the archivist for three days a week. This arrangement has continued to this day.
In essence, the Archive is a collection of source materials relating to Jewish Life in Australia from the origin of the Australian Jewish community in 1788 with the first fleet, up to the present day. The greater portion of the holdings date from the period of the Second World War. However, the research which is supported from this material is broad based. It covers demography, history, economics, international relations, law and politics, and includes any research field where there is a legitimate concern about minority reactions and roles in the community. Users include students, authors, museums and film makers, not only from Australia, but globally. Today the collection is comprehensive, and supports a wide spectrum of research.
Prof Crown, who initiated the project continues in his role as project director.