Hebrew Date
12 Tishrei 5691
Hebrew Date
י״ב בְּתִשְׁרֵי תרצ״א
Where Died
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Cemetery
Brighton General Cemetery, Victoria, Australia
Service Details
Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service
Served
Posted 10 February 1916 to France. Posted to Abberville, 33 CCS, 24 General Hospital, 26 General Hospital, 54 CCS, 6 CS, 4 CCS, 33 CCS, 12 Stationary Hospital, 33 CCS, 30 CCS, 33 CCS, 4 Stationary Hospital. Posted to Royal Victoria Hospital, UK 9 Feb 1919
Date of Enlistment
12/1915
Country of Enlistment
Australia
Notes
Born 1879 Reg No 10580 Melbourne, Victoria. Daughter of Joseph ROSENTHAL & Martha née AVINSKY, 47 Dickens Street, St Kilda. Brother LT Samuel Rosenthal killed in action 25 September 1917, France. A JEWISH NURSE WITH THE ALLIES. SISTER LEAH ROSENTHAL DECORATED. Miss Leah Rosenthal, who is in her fourth, year of active service, has been awarded the Royal Red Cross. On more than one occasion she has been recommended for honours by her commanding officer and matron for heroic conduct at casualty stations under shell fire. She was one of the first Victorian army nurses entrusted with the administering of anaesthetics; a small group of them being specially trained for this responsible work. For some time she has been attached to a medical unit deputed to follow up the advance of the Allies. This has given her the opportunity of observing at close quarters many of the places where the Hun has been in occupation and left evidence of his vandalism. Sister Rosenthal was a trainee of the Alfred Hospital, St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, and before volunteering for active service with Miss Isabel Jobson, managed "Windarra" private hospital, Williams Road, Toorak. She and Miss Jobson enlisted on the same date, and have never been separated all the time they have been on active service. Sister Rosenthal is now with the 33rd Casualty Clearing Station, and has been continuously right up to the end of the war with the first army of occupation, and is, we believe, the first Jewish nurse in Australia to gain the decoration of the Royal Red Cross. In a letter received last month Sister Rosenthal refers to her having attended her second Yom Kippur service on the battlefield, being the only woman present on each occasion. Padre Bamett officiated, and had to improvise biscuit tins, with a curtain in front for the Ark to hold the Scrolls of the Law. Sister Rosenthal states that this did not in any way militate against the impressiveness of the occasion nor the service. Jewish Herald Friday 24 January 1919 page 6. She received the Royal Red Cross Decoration 2nd class, London Gazette of 1/1/1919.
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.
An
announcement was made in the weeks leading up to the
Centenary of ANZAC by Judy Landau, President VAJEX Aust.
She stated that it gave her great delight to announce
that VAJEX Aust (Victorian Association of Jewish Ex
& Servicemen & Women Australia Inc) has
successfully raised the required funds to build a new
Victorian Jewish Memorial after the style of the
historic Memorial located in the Jewish section of the
Melbourne General Cemetery. After an extensive two year
process, Judy has single-handedly sought letters of
support, raised the funds, and obtained approval from
the City of Port Phillip.
