NSW communal ANZAC Day commemoration
In the presence of NSW Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women patron, the Governor of NSW David Hurley AC DSC (Ret’d), nearly 300 people gathered at the Sydney Jewish Museum for the annual Anzac Day Commemoration and Wreath Laying organised by NAJEX.
Kelvin Crombie Photo: Leah Grill
Dignitaries included the David Clarke MLC representing the NSW Premier, Scott Farlowe MLC (representing the NSW Minister for Veterans Affairs) and the Greg Donnelly MLC (representing the NSW Leader of the Opposition) together with judges, representatives from the Australian Army, the NSW Police, Ambulance NSW and Fire & Rescue NSW together with Rabbis and other community leaders.
Special guests were Bertha and Harold Milner, the aunt and uncle of Australian Special forces commando, Greg Sher, killed in action in Afghanistan in 2009, Gilbert Mane, Shimon Parker and Raymond Bernstein, childhood Habonim friends of Danny Goldberg, who grew up in Sydney and was a medical officer killed 35 years ago while serving in a tank brigade in Lebanon and Eva and Karin Namer, mother and sister of Sergeant Assaf Namer, a talented graphic artist educated at Moriah College, who was killed in Lebanon in 2006. Their presence at the wreath-laying ceremony brought home the stark reality of the terrible price paid for the ability to live in freedom in one’s own country.
On his arrival at the Museum, the Governor inspected a ceremonial cadet guard of honour provided by The Scots College Cadet Unit. The formal proceedings then began with a short tribute by NAJEX President, Roger Selby, to indigenous Australian servicemen and the loyal service they had given their country.
School students and scouts of all ages participated in the service, with a highlight being the reading of Palm 23 by Lishai Rubinstein a member of 3rd Rose Bay Judean Scouts followed by the original Hebrew being sung by 4 talented accapella singers from Mount Sinai College.
Guest speaker, Kelvin Crombie, author, historian and tour guide, held the audience in thrall for nearly 30 minutes, as he traced the history of Australian soldiers in Palestine and the Middle East. Kevin Crombie elaborated on how their heroic deeds had led to the stage being set for the establishment of the modern state of Israel and had also prevented the catastrophic destruction of the Yishuv, that would certainly have resulted if the German Army had seized the Suez Canal in WW2, as it intended to do. Indeed the Nazis had already established an Egyptian Einsatzgruppe for this purpose.
At the conclusion of the ceremony NAJEX President, Roger Selby announced the creation of an annual NAJEX Leadership Award to be given to a Year 11 student at each of the 4 Jewish high-schools. The winners of the awards will be selected by the individual schools and will be awarded at the annual Remembrance Day Commemorative Ceremony conducted by NAJEX each November. In this way NAJEX hopes to encourage the tradition of service to one’s country, using the fine example of the original members of the Association.
Roger Selby told J-Wire: “We can never repay the debt we owe to those who fell while fighting for our freedoms in Australia and for the State of Israel, but hopefully in the way we lead our lives, we can be inspired by their example.”
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