To foster a spirit of loyalty to the Queen, the British Commonwealth and the Commonwealth of Australia;
To perpetuate and honour the memory of all allied service personnel who served, including those who died during or since service;
To protect the interests and advance the welfare of all Jewish Ex-Service persons and their immediate family;
To officially represent the Jewish Ex-Service persons in all matters affecting the Association;
To subscribe to such local or other charity as the Board may deem fit;
To render such assistance to Jewish personnel serving the armed services of the Commonwealth of Australia or her allies as in the discretion of the Board shall seem to meet.
John Monash (Monasch) born in Melbourne, Australia on 27 June 1865, the son of German Polish Jewish migrants, can be researched in any military history encyclopaedia or in fact by just ‘Googling’ his name on the internet. His history and list of achievements are long and far too many to detail in this brief summary. However, might I say that reading his history is well worth the effort and I can assure you that his deeds will amaze you. I have found that the deeds are better labelled on more than one man and in more than one lifetime.
Monash had many careers, and it could be said that he was outstanding in all that he chose. He was a scholar; he passed the matriculation examination when only 14 years of age, at 16 he was dux of Scotch College, Melbourne. He went on and graduated from the University of Melbourne, BA in 1887, and Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 1893, Law in 1895 and Doctor of Engineering in 1921. He practiced law and became a highly regarded engineer. It is to his credit that a number of Melbourne’s major bridges bear his name.
An announcement was made in the weeks leading up to the Centenary of ANZAC by Judy Landau, President of VAJEX Australia that a new Victorian Jewish WWI & WWII Memorial after the style of the historic memorial located at the Melbourne General Cemetery would be constructed locally. After an extensive two year process, Judy single-handedly sought letters of support, raised the funds, and obtained approval from the City of Port Phillip.
The original Victorian Jewish Memorial built in 1924 by the Chevra Kadisha contained the names of 79 WWI & 56 WWII servicemen who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Judy researched all the names for the new memorial and was shocked to find 18 WWI names and four WWII names were either:
• not Jewish
• had no known connection with Victoria
• didn’t exist; no casualty found
Additional names found during the research were added to the new memorial.
The Memorial was unveiled within a week of the 77th anniversary of Kristallnacht and within days of the 97th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice of WWI. The unveiling and consecration was held on Sunday 15 November 2015 at 11am.
The Pratt Foundation
Department of Veterans’ Affairs through Melbourne Ports
Eva Besen AO & Marc Besen AC
The Gandel Group funded much of the World War II research. The project would have been significantly delayed without their generosity.
Thank you to all our donors!
Our Welfare Officer, Ben Hirsh or another representative, attend the funerals and consecrations of our ex-service members whenever possible. Families are contacted inviting them to have a Book of Remembrance page produced to honour the memory and service of the family member who passed away after their military service finished.
Our Chaplain, CAPT Rabbi Dovid Gutnick is on hand for pastoral work for serving members of the ADF offering guidance and assistance on Jewish matters. He regularly attends and participates in VAJEX Australia events.