NAJEX Anzac Day in Sydney
The NSW Association of Jewish Service and Ex-Service Men and Women (NAJEX) hosted the communal wreath laying and Anzac Day service at the Sydney Jewish museum.
School students pay their respects
The ceremony was attended by various distinguished guests. Amongst them were MPs Ron Hoenig and Gabrielle Upton and many communal figures and chaplain representatives.
The full function room at the museum by an audience covering all ages,
Student representatives from Jewish day schools across Sydney including Kesser Torah, Moriah, Mount Sinai, Emanuel and Masada participated in the ceremony.
Governor David Hurley and Nemi Lobel
The service included bagpipe accompaniment during the wreath laying, followed up the kindling of the memorial lights. Psalms and prayers were recited during the service. The governor of New South Wales, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC gave the occasional address.
An emotional tribute was given to Sydney brothers Alexander and Samuel Weingott by Harvey Baden and Paul Weingott, with the diary of Samuel Weingott being read from during the ceremony.
Towards the end of the service the Governor presented the NAJEX Youth Leadership Awards. Nemi Lobel was presented with this award and the photo shows her receiving her award.
The commemoration event was closed by the singing of the Australian and Israeli anthems, and the departure of the colour party and the official party.
There cant be many WW2 Jewish ex-service members left in Australia?
In Australia the total number of all WW2 veterans is about 20,000 according to newspaper reports. In ten years time there will be none, or only a handful left.
My uncle who will be 95 in June was one of the younger ones joining the 2nd AIF in 1942 aged 19 and he fought in Dutch New Guinea (now part of Indonesia) with the 20th Pioneer Battalion (a mounted/motorised unit converted to foot infantry and renamed) as the vehicle were of no use in the swampy jungle terrain.
Adrian,
Approximately 0.5% of Australian enlistments were Jews.
Based on the 20,000 that would equate to approximately 100 WW2 Jewish ex-servicemen and women still living – which seems to correlate pretty well with my appreciation of the remaining numbers across Australia.
‘Lest We Forget’.
Peter Allen
National Coordinator
Centenary of Anzac Jewish Program