Notes
His name is on the Historic Obelisk in Melbourne General Cemetery, however he was not Jewish. Harold attested that he was Roman Catholic. His parents married at St Paul’s Church of England, Sandhurst 13th June 1882 Reg No 1780. A cross was originally on his gravestone but has been changed to Magen David for reasons unknown to us. A Catholic prayer book and rosary were in his possession. Parents Kate Matilda East and Benjamin Aarons are buried together in the same grave at Footscray Cemetery, Roman Catholic section, Grave - RC*B***1232. Harold's brother, 643 PTE Gabriel Aarons, 13th Light Horse Regiment, returned to Australia, 17th October 1916. He also stated he was Roman Catholic. Gabriel Brassey Aarons died in Heidelberg, Victoria in 1979 Reg No 5594 age 82. He was cremated at Altona Memorial Park and not buried as a Jew. Harold’s maternal grandmother was Honora Donnellan. She married Robert Henry East declaring that she was a member of the Catholic Church and they were married in Sandhurst, Parish of St Kilian on 24th November 1861 Reg No 3813 according to the rites of the Catholic Church. Their marriage certificate states that Robert Henry East was born in London and Honora Donnellan was born in County Clare. Therefore, changing the headstone from a cross to a Magen David is a mistake of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). The CWGC was notified of the wrong religious emblem, using the evidence of the above information. Their reply, “In this case our Commemorations team have advised that this case was previously brought to our attention in 2014. After discussions with the Office of Australian War Graves, at the time, it was decided that the headstone should remain as it is currently unless we are approached by a family member. Should we receive such an approach, we would then act in accordance with their wishes, based on any proof they could provide regarding Harold’s religion.” Rabbi's decision: Ruled to not be Jewish. Therefore he is not to be on the list for future memorials.
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.
