A young woman, Jana Vytrhlik fled Communist Prague and, as a political refugee and via Austria and New Zealand, made her way to Sydney. She had taught herself English by watching daily soaps on TV while caring for her infant son. She was one of the original staff members at the Powerhouse Museum, where her four languages were invaluable. She began to be curious about the history of Jewish Australia – after seeing the “rimmonim” – the silver finials that top the Torah in the Great Synagogue – where did they come from. She tracked down their provenance as part of a doctorate undertaken at the University of Sydney and it is amazing, with Portugal, the Netherlands and stories of diaspora and settlement bringing it to Sydney. Dr Vytrhlik is a compelling storyteller and historian of an element of modern Australia that everyone should know and be proud of. Go see those finials and buy the book!