Australia’s most senior Rabbi celebrates 104th birthday

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Well on the way to a’biz hundert un tsvantsik, Rabbi Coleman will celebrate his 104^th birthday with his beloved Perth Jewish community next week,

Rabbi Shalom Coleman

Rabbi Dr Shalom Coleman CBE AM MA PhD Hon LLD (UWA) JP, continues a legacy that spans generations.

The Rabbi, who turns 104 on Monday, is a proud dad and Zeide to three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.  Rabbi Coleman also takes delight in being a great great great uncle twice over, spanning five living generations of extended family.

Reflecting on Rabbi Coleman’s achievements is a difficult task to condense into an article, but can be read in his many published historical and autobiographical works.  The most notable of these is his book “Life is a Corridor”.

With awe, the autobiographical accounts of Rabbi Coleman immerse his readers in modern history.

Rabbi Coleman was born in Liverpool, UK. His personal encounters interface with history itself and connect the reader to great leaders, including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother.  Rabbi Coleman shared personal audiences with many of the great leaders who have shaped our era.

A student activist at a young age, Rabbi Coleman supported the evolution of Zionism.   His dedication to the Zionist movement entails first-hand encounters with some of the great Zionist pioneers such as David Ben Gurion, Menachem Begin, Zeev Jabotinsky, Sir Israel Brodie, Chaim Weizmann, Edmund de Rothschild, Moshe Dayan, and Rabbi General Shlomo Goren.

In short, Rabbi Coleman is a teacher of history, a recorder of history, a commentator of history, a participant in history, and a creator of history.

Rabbi Coleman has influenced the lives of so many congregants and friends.  Professionally, Rabbi Coleman’s career traversed four Rabbinic postings in Potchefstroom and Bloemfontein (South Africa), Sydney and Perth (Australia).

It is his service to the Perth Jewish Community from February 1966 laid the foundation for the religious renaissance and sustained growth of Australia’s third-largest Jewish community.  Rabbi Coleman transformed Perth Jewry by delivering revolutionary educational initiatives and critical infrastructure, including the suburban relocation of the Perth Hebrew Congregation.  After 20 years of service, he has enjoyed the merit of retiring into a flourishing community and continues to witness the success of his efforts for the past 36 years and counting.

In a distinguished military career, Rabbi Coleman provided wartime service to the Royal Air Force.  He served as a wireless operator/air gunner on missions in France and Western Europe, and in 1944 he was recruiting officer in England for the Jewish Brigade Group.  He was decorated with the 1939-1945 Star Medal and War Medal.  He then maintained his service as a military chaplain in both South Africa and the 5^th Military District of the Australian Army. He takes pride of place each year in the ANZAC day veteran’s parade.

Rabbi Shalom Coleman’s civic contribution has also extended far beyond the Rabbinate.  His leadership included tenures as President and District Governor of Rotary, and vice President of the Save the Children fund.   He was a District Secretary of Probus Centre, South Pacific.  Added to this list is a Grand Chaplain to the Freemasons, a Member of the Murdoch University Senate, a Justice of the Peace, Patron to the Family Association of Australia, Chairman of the Perth Dental Hospital Board, and a member of the Karrakatta and Pinarroo Valley Cemetery Boards.  As recently as last week, Rabbi Coleman was awarded of a certificate in the Roll Of Honour of the Royal Australian Justices Association of Western Australia.

As honorary Rabbi and Life Governor to the Maurice Zeffert Home, Rabbi Coleman has taken his indefatigable energy into his very senior years.  The Rabbi remains an active daily attendee at Perth Shules, and continues to exude great cantorial koach.  He imparts his wisdom at weekly Talmud shiurim that have been running unabated for decades.

Our Rabbi is best described in this paraphrased quote by his contemporary, Rabbi Raymond Apple, Emeritus Rabbi of the Great Synagogue, Sydney.  “Small in stature, Rabbi Coleman is a giant in energy, enterprise and enthusiasm and became one of Australia’s best-known Rabbinic figures. Largely thanks to him, Judaism became strong in Perth with the evolution of new synagogues, a Jewish school, kosher certification, and enduring educational activity.  No longer is it a struggle to be Jewish in Western Australia.”

Rabbi Coleman’s community and well-wishers around Australia and the world extend a mazaltov on his birthday celebration and take great admiration for his strength and ongoing contribution.  May he continue in good health to inspire us.

Andrew Blitz is Rabbi Shalom Coleman’s biographer having compiled and published the book Spiritual Treasure in 2013.