Celebrating Israel
The Annual Celebrating Israel 2023 was held at Sydney’s Central Synagogue recently and has been produced by Dalia Ayalon Sinclair since 2005.
It marked the 76th anniversary of The Vote by the UN General Assembly on 29 November 1947, calling for the establishment of a Jewish State alongside an Arab State.
”In the chronology of our people and our State, the date of 29 November 1947 was more than a small step – it was a giant leap. It was the pivotal moment when the international community gave its endorsement to the burning hope we had carried in our hearts for millennia – that the Jewish people are entitled to security and self-determination, within the borders of our own sovereign state, in the land of our ancestors” wrote His Excellency Amir Maimon, Ambassador of Israel to Australia, ”We are also grateful and proud of the friends that walk with us – and Australia is foremost among these friends”.
Dr Marjorie O’Neill MP, Member for Coogee and Co-Chair of NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel stated: “Australia and Israel are bound together by the Unique history we share. We have remained strongly connected since that time through our shared democratic values of all those heroes who fought for our countries’ freedom.”
In the wake of the war against Hamas, O’Neill added: “Please know that I walk beside you every step of the way and do so with the vast majority of Australians…There is only one Israel and it is worth fighting for.”
Celebrating Israel event was supported and co-hosted by The Embassy of Israel in Australia, ECAJ, ZFA, ZCNSW, The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, UIA, HaMoadon and The Jewish Agency. Guest speaker Dr Ron Weiser AM, Life President of ZCNSW, presented an in-depth address focusing on the acts of heroism by our Jewish and Australian well-known during WWI and WWII, whether Gallipoli or Beer Sheba.
The event was attended by the Christian Friends of Israel, including the Sisters of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary and Pastors Norman and Barbara Miller, founders of the Centre for International Reconciliation and Peace in 1995 who dedicated their lives to Jewish-Gentile reconciliation activities Australia-wide and Israel.
Norman Miller said: “In 2017, we founded Indigenous Friends of Israel to counter the false assertions that Israel is a colonial settler apartheid state. We declare Jews are Indigenous to Israel and have been there 4000 years since the time of Avraham. Tonight, we celebrate the UN Resolution 181 that gave international recognition to a Jewish State which is especially important in today’s context of the delegitimisation of Israel by pro-Palestinian supporters. It is a deceptive narrative that says Israel is made up of white oppressors of Indigenous Palestinians who are people of colour. Israel is made up of Jews of many colours and is the only democracy in the Middle East with Arabs in the Knesset, legal system, and professions.”
Pastor Barbara Miller, an author of three books on the life of William Cooper, presented extracts of a speech by Mark Pollard, grandson of Aboriginal Light Horse Trooper, Jack Pollard, who together with fellow Australian Aboriginal Light Horse troopers, was killed at Zemach Railway killed at the Semakh railway station battle on 25 September 1918. Mark travelleed to Australia for the unveiling of the sculpture depicting his grandfather’s image with his horse.
“It is perhaps fitting in some way, the Aboriginal Australians themselves who are part of a displaced people in their own spiritual land, volunteered to travel to a distant country to help in the reunification of another displaced people with their Holy Land” wrote Mark Pollard. ”The blood of my people fell on this soil, so this place will forever be part of the story of Indigenous Australians and we will forever now be part of the story of Israel.”
A video showcased the courage of Australian-born Mike Amir, who as a British Intelligence officer, put his life on the line, while serving in Jerusalem during the most significant period in the history of the State of Israel from 1947-1948. Not able to stand by and watch the continued attacks by the well-equipped Arabs against the Jews he voluntarily sided with the Jews, informing Chaim Herzog ( who became our 6th President of Israel) on future attacks and supplied arms.
Mike Amir’s actions were directly connected to Dalia Ayalon Sinclair’s personal story relating to her mother, a Holocaust survivor and her acts of heroism. Perl Jankelovitz held an official license to operate the wireless transmitting radio, between 1 June 1947-31 May 1948. ”As a young mother and pregnant with me” said Sinclair ”she too put her life on the line while transmitting warnings of the search by British soldiers for weapons held by the Jewish people as they tried to defend themselves from the Arabs. I was born six days prior to the historic vote. The double joy of my birth and ”the vote” toppled the next day as the Jews had to defend themselves against fierce ongoing attacks by the Arabs while the British stood idle”
Cl Sarah Swan, Deputy Mayor, Woollahra Council, who fled South Africa because of racial turmoil with her Jewish family at a young age, focused on the importance of place.
She said: “For us, for our history, place is a significant feature: in synagogues; in the ghettos; on the trains; in the camps; and then, on 29 November 1947, after thousands of years in the wilderness, the place of Israel sparked hope following UN General Assembly resolution leading to the establishment of the State of Israel.”
”We are proud to support Israel, as Woollahra Council did on 9 October 2023 by resolving to fly the Israeli flag at chambers. As a Council, we are committed to supporting the Jewish community through this challenging time which is why the Mayor and I and many other councillors support the Israeli flag remaining until every hostage detained or murdered by Hamas is released.
”I am deeply concerned and saddened by the hatred and vitriol being directed at the Jewish community in Australia – for anyone to be persecuted solely based on their faith, heritage or social identity – this is not the Australia I know and love.”
Whilst Celebrating Israel focused mainly on Australia-Israel history, the impact on Israel and the Jewish people worldwide since October 7 could not be ignored. The moving address by Leeron Spitzer, a proud ex-Israeli IDF Officer born in Australia and growing up in Israel, touched all. During her army service, she protected the people of Israel and saved the lives of Palestinians. Leeron also served as a commander at Kibbutz Kissufim.
Leeron said: “On Saturday the 7th of October I was on set, filming. When I finished working, I turn on my mobile and the messages did not stop coming. When I opened the news the first thing I saw was the border of Israel being smashed by Hamas, I saw the barbarians parading our girls on the streets inside Gaza. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My heart was hurting so much. I then saw all the kibbutzim, I saw Nir Oz, I saw Be’eri and then Kissufim. It felt like a bad horror movie, I could hear my heartbeat. I knew I couldn’t sit still. Every night, when I put the kids to sleep I think about the hostages and my heart brakes. How is it that the world is keeping quiet?”
Leeron and other Israelis living in Australia established the United With Israel group, organising major rallies and meetings with leaders and politicians in Sydney and Canberra. ”I am a proud Australian Israeli and I am proud to be part of our strong and active Jewish community and our supporting Australian Members of Parliament and Friends”
As stated by Ambassador Maimon: “We have taken many small steps, along a path that has been difficult, fraught with danger and uncertainty. As it was in 1947, under the Labor government of Prime Minister Ben Chifley, the Australian government of today under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese continues to stand with Israel to recognise our right to exist and to defend our people; and unequivocally condemn the forces of evil that seek to destroy Israel as a sanctuary for our shared values of freedom and democracy.”
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