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Ifiatariral i^nrirtu jewisM committMOL. IV. PART VI.

C,ONTENTS. Page GENERAL SIR JOHN MONASH : SCHOLAR, ENGINEER AND SOLDIER 285 By Warren Perry, B.A., B.Ec. JEWISH PERSONALITIES IN THE MOVEMENT FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT IN N.S.W 307 By M. Z. Forbes, B.A., LL.B. OBITUARIES 320 EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT 326 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE VICTORIAN BRANCH 330 A NOTE ON THE JEWISH GENEALOGY OF SIR JOHN MONASH 333 By Raymond Apple. Illustrations : AT THE OPENING OF THE N.S.W. JEWISH WAR MEMORIAL 290 LETTER : SIR JULIAN SALOMONS TO SIR HENRY PARKES 310 LETTER : SIR SAUL SAMUEL TO SIR HENRY PARKES 312 LETTER : J. L. MONTEFIORE TO SIR HENRY PARKES ... 314 ־ י ~ MORRIS ASHER - 316 •r A SYDNEY ELECTION 319 ORWELL PHILLIPS 321 RABBI L. A. FALK 324 •

SYDNEY : December, 5718—1957. AUSTRALIAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY. (Founded August 21st, 1938-5698.)

Patron-Members : The Hon. Mr, JUSTICE SUGERMAN. The Hon. Sir ARCHIE MICHAELIS, Kt.

President: Rabbi Dr. ISRAEL PORUSH, Ph.D.

Vice-President: HERBERT I. WOLFF. Hon. Treasurer: ARTHUR D. ROBB, F.C.A. (Aust.)

Hon. Secretary : SYDNEY B. GLASS.

Editor of Publications: DAVID J. BENJAMIN, LL.B. Committee: Mrs. RONALD BRASS, B.A. M. Z. FORBES, B.A., LL.B. M. H. KELLERMAN, B.Ec. ALFRED A. KEYSOR. VICTORIAN BRANCH—OFFICERS. Chairman : Sir ARCHIE MICHAELIS.

liaison Officer : Rabbi L. M. GOLDMAN, M.A. Hon. Treasurer : STUART COHEN. Hon. Secretary : L. E. FREDMAN, M.A., LL.B. Committee : Dr. H. SHANNON, M.D., Dr. J. LEON JONA, M.D., D.Sc., A. N. SUPER, M.A., LL.B., W. JONA, H. MUNZ, R. APPLE, I. SOLOMON, Miss H. FUERMAN, Miss F. ROSENBERG, Miss E. YOFFA.

Hon. Auditor : DAVID BOLOT, A.F.C.A., A.F.I.A.

HON. SECRETARY'S ADDRESS: 2 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, New South Wales. VICTORIAN HON. SECRETARY'S ADDRESS: 75 Westgarth Street, Northcote, Melbourne, N.16. Australian Jewish historical Society JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS.

Vol. IV. 1957. Part VI.

The Society is not responsible for either the statements made or the 0p1n^>r,s vr,pressed by the authors of papers published in this Journal.

General Sir John Monash : Scholar, Engineer and Soldier

By WARREN PERRY, B.A., B.Ec. (.before the Victorian Branch, 28th August, 1957־ Bead} John Monash's parents were Jewish.1 His father, Louis Monash, was born in 1831 at Krotoschin in Prussian Poland. He came to Australia in 1853 to seek his fortune on the goldfields, but, according to John Monash, his father "never went to the goldfields, but established a merchant's business in Melbourne." At a date which is not known, Louis Monash became a partner in a firm of softgoods importers known as Martin and Monash, who carried on business at 19 Little Collins Street, Melbourne. Louis Monash returned to Europe sometime in 1862 to buy stock and to visit his relatives in Prussia. There, in 1863, at Stettin, a Prussian town on the Baltic Sea, he married Bertha Manasse, who was the sister of his brother's wife. Louis Monash, accompanied by his wife, then returned to the Colony of Victoria. They sailed from Liverpool on the 11th February, 1864, in the Empire of Peace and landed in Melbourne on the 5th June, 1864.2 John Monash was born in the following year. He was born at 1 Rachel Terrace, Dudley Street, West Melbourne, on the 23rd June, 1865. He said the year before he died, that: "I was born ... in a terrace of houses which are still standing overlooking the Flagstaff Hill, so named because one of the earliest Government Houses stood on the hill, and on its flagstaff a flag was flown whenever the English mail arrived in port." John Monash, who was the eldest and only son of a family of three children,3 spent the first nine years of his life in Melbourne. The first school he attended was St. Stephen's School at Docker's Hill in Richmond,4 where the attention of the 286: Australian Jewish Historical Society headmaster5 was attracted by his capacity in English literary subjects and that of the boys by his skill in amusing them with drawings. In 1874, John Monash's father went into business in the remote country town of Jerilderie in New South Wales. There John Monash became a pupil of Mr. William Elliott,6 who was a teacher—presumably at the local State school. Mr. Elliott exercised a strong influence on the moulding of John Monash's character. In the year before his death, Monash said that: "During the three years of our sojourn in New South Wales, I had, as a growing boy, a vividly interesting experience of country life, learning to ride, and also much bushcraft. The teacher at the local school was William Elliott, who took a personal interest in me and taught me many things outside the school curriculum, such as the higher mathematics and so on. Mr. Elliott gave up school-teaching in the early 'eighties and became a newspaper proprietor, . . . He is still alive and in robust health, and remembers me with affection." After a residence of about three years at Jerilderie, Mrs. Monash, at the suggestion of Mr. Elliott, brought her three children back to Melbourne7 for the continuance there of their education in surroundings with better educa- tional opportunities. John Monash was enrolled at Scotch College in Mel- bourne on the 9th October, 1877. The impressive bluestone buildings of the College in those days stood in Lansdowne Street facing Fitzroy Gardens. The Principal of the College was Dr. Alexander Morrison, M.A., LL.D. Monash's scholastic record at this College was a distinguished one. He passed the matriculation examination in 1879 at the age of 14 years, Monash left Scotch College in December, 1881. In that year he obtained at a public examination first-class honours in French and German, as well as an exhibition in Mathematics valued at £25; he was, with James S. Thomson, Dux of the College; and he was also Dux in Mathematics.8 John Monash decided to continue his education at the University of Melbourne. He entered this University in March, 1882, as an undergraduate in the Faculty of Arts. Reading was only one of the methods John Monash employed, during his student days, for widening and deepening the scope of his knowledge. He attended sittings at Law Courts to hear legal arguments, and visited Parlia- General Sir ,John Monash. 287 ment House to listen there to debates; he was prominent in debating societies; and he took regular lessons in painting • he wrote articles, including letters, to newspapers. He acquired much skill as a woodworker and as a pianist; and he had a great passion for music.9 He became intensely interested in engineering construction, at about 18 years of age, and walked about Melbourne to watch the erection of buildings and the operation of dredges.

MONASH BECOMES AN ENGINEER In the year 1884, Monash had, for financial reasons, to suspend his course at the University of Melbourne and seek employment. He obtained a position with the engineering company of David Munro and Company Limited, 154 Queen Street, Melbourne, as a junior member of its engineering staff. There he worked under Mr. George Higgins. This company had begun at this time, or was about to begin, the construe- tion of the present Prince's Bridge across the Yarra River in the City of Melbourne.10 Monash was helped in this work by having had at the University some instruction in surveying,11 and within two years he was given charge of the earthworks, both on the shore and in the river bed, and of the whole of the masonry.12 It can only be presumed that Monash was present at the ceremonly of laying the foundation stone of the new Prince's Bridge, which was performed by the Mayoress of Melbourne (Mrs. J. C. Stewart) on Tuesday, 7th Septem- ber, 1886. Early in the year 1887, Monash obtained a position as engineer-in-charge of construction works, with a firm of contractors whe were building that part of the Outer Circle Railway which linked Fairfield Park with Oakleigh. At this time he was only 22 years of age. Of that section of the Outer Circle Railway on which Monash was employed, it was said, in a Melbourne newspaper in March, 1890, that: The last section of what is still called the Outer Circle railway is now being constructed.13 It extends from Fairfield, on the Alphington and Heidelberg line, to a point between Oakleigh and Murrumbeena, a total distance of 9i miles. This section is carried closely upon the line surveyed by Mr. Higginbotham. It crosses the Yarra behind the Kew Lunatic Asylum and runs thence to Normanby- road and then in a straight line to the Lilydale line, which it crosses at right angles between Hawthtorn and Camberwell, running through 288: Australian Jewish Historical Society

Hartwell, and after crossing Gardiner's Creek joins the Gippsland line. About a mile from this junction a branch, five miles long, is being constructed to Burnely. The cost of this section for permanent way only is £58,169. and for the section of the Outer Circle between Fairfield and Oakleigh,4l £125,016. The latter contract should have been completed in September, 1889, but is still unfinished, and will probably remain so for six months longer.15 As far as can be ascertained, Monash finished his work on the Outer Circle Railway sometime in the year 1891. It was a time of great financial distress. By the begin- ning of 1891, a financial spectre began to haunt large sections of the community in Victoria, and indeed throughout Australia. Yet despite the financial crisis of 1891 and Charge of־his, no doubt, onerous duties as Engineer-in the construction works of that section of the Outer Circle Railway from Fairfield Park to Oakleigh, Monash found time to prepare himself for academic honours. On 4th April, 1891, he graduated at the University of Melbourne as a Bachelor of Engineering and, in addition, he was awarded "The Argus" Scholarship. But he did not termi- nate his academic studies at this point, as so many others do after obtaining a first degree in one or other of the faculties of a university. As this story unfolds it will be seen that he was to continue his academic studies throughout his life. Two years after receiving the degree of Bachelor of Engineering, Monash was admitted, on the 18th March, 1893, to the degree of Master of Civil Engineering at the same university. EMPLOYMENT WITH THE MELBOURNE HARBOUR TRUST Monash was appointed to the staff of the Melbourne Harbour Trust on 20th July, 1892, Et draughtsman in its Engineering Branch, which was in charge of the Engineer-in-Chief, Mr. A. M. Alexander.16 If there was an interval between the termination of his employment with the contractors for the Fairfield Park-Oakleigh railway line and the commencement of his employment with the Melbourne Harbour Trust, neither the duration of this interval nor the way in which Monash employed the time during this interval is now known. At the time Monash joined the Melbourne Harbour Trust it was organised into three branches, namely, the Administrative Branch, the Nautical Branch and the Engineering Branch. Its offices were situated at 475 Collins Street, Melbourne.17 General Sir ,John Monash. 289

Monash said in 1930, of his work with the Melbourne Harbour Trust during the period 1892-1894, that: "I designed many of the works now extant in the Port of Melbourne, such as the transit sheds on the Yarra wharves, the Maribyrnong Swing Bridge,18 and many roads, drainage schemes, and the like. During this period, I further qualified as Municipal Surveyor,19 as Engineer for Water Supply,20 and as Patent Attorney." The year 1893 opened in Victoria in an economic atmosphere of strained expectancy. In the first month, on 30th January, the Federal Bank of Australia Limited, with its head office in Collins Street, Melbourne, suspended payments,21 and further financial disasters in Victoria followed. As a consequence of the resultant economic depression, the Melbourne Harbour Trust had to reduce its staff, and Monash was among those who were retrenched. It is probable that his employment with the Melbourne Harbour Trust was terminated in 1894, sometime before 30th June.22

MONASH GOES INTO PRIVATE PRACTICE Monash was, in the year 1894, twenty-nine years of age, married23 and unemployed. But he faced the depression by going into private practice in that year as a Con- suiting Engineer and Patent Attorney. He went into partnership with Mr. J. T. N. Ander- son,24 and they opened their office at 49 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.25 Monash was to remain in private practice in Melbourne for the next twenty years,26 that is, until the outbreak of war in August, 1914. From 1896 onwards, he specialised in constructional work in reinforced concrete. He quickly built up a large practice in this branch of engineering. Monash said that "the practice of reinforced concrete (engineering) in Aus- tralia dated from 1896 and in Victoria from 1898".27 It was said that his knowledge of the French and German languages was "a powerful aid" to him in studying the subject of reinforced concrete, for in those days most of the articles on this subject were to be found only in journals which were printed in those languages. Monash's professional standing rose rapidly in private practice. He had studied Law28 in order, it has been said, to interest himself, as an Engineer, in arbitration work. He soon built up a large Australia-wide connection as a AT THE OPENING OF THE N.S.W. JEWISH WAR MEMORIAL, 11th November, 1923. .י. .Left to Right : Mr. S. S. (later Sir Samuel) Cohen, Lieut.-General Sir John Monash, Mr. John Goulston, Mrs. J Cohen, Mr. Orwell Phillips, Judge Cohen, Commander Victor Cohen. —(From "The Australian Jewish Herald," 23rd November, 1923.) General Sir ,John Monash. 291 consultant, an expert witness and an arbitrator in engineering litigation. As an expert witness in courts of law he was much sought after, and he figured in many notable cases, some of which went to the Privy Council in London, where they were decided largely on his evidence.29 Two particular cases in which he appeared as an expert witness were the Water Rights dispute between two pastoralists in the Riverina in New South Wales, John Hutchinson Blackwood and David McCaughey (1898) and the drainage case in Victoria, Jaan Kannuluik v. the Mayor, etc., of Hawthorn, in the year 1903. The case of Blackwood v. McCaughey. was an action brought by the plaintiff (Blackwood) against the defendant (McCaughey) for damage done to the plaintiff's land and stock prior to 1st November, 1896. The plaintiff, who was the owner of Booabula Station in the Murrumbidgee district, sued the defendant, who owned Coree Station in the same district, to recover compensation to the amount of £10,000 for the loss he had sustained by the defendant's having constructed two dams upon his property which interfered with the natural flow of the Yanco and Billa- bong Creeks and deprived plaintiff thereby of the use of the water.30. Exceedingly strong counsel were retained by both the plaintiff and the defendant. The senior counsel for the plaintiff (Blackwood) was Sir Julian Salomons, the recognised leader of the New South Wales Bar; the leading counsel for the defendant (McCaughey) was the Attorney-General, J. H. Want. The plaintiff also engaged, as an expert witness, the consulting engineer, Major John Monash, of Melbourne.31 The case was heard in the Banco Court in Sydney before the Chief Justice, Sir Frederick Darlev, and a jury of twelve. At the hearing of the case on Thursday, 17th March, 1898, Monash, as a witness :for the plaintiff, began his evidence by saying: "I am a civil engineer and carry on business in Melbourne. I have had considerable experience in hydraulic engineering. I have made several visits to the district, in which the Billabong and Yanco are, in connection with surveys, but apart from that I have known the district for many years. I was up there in July and October, 1897, and in March, 1898. I have examined the Billabong and Yanco across from Wanganella up to the Murrumbidgee".32 292: Australian Jewish Historical Society

After a hearing which lasted thirteen days, this case was brought to a close on Wednesday, 1st June, 1898. The Chief Justice took less than an hour and a half in summing up; the jury, after having retired for about the same period, gave a verdict in favour of the plaintiff with damages for the amount of £2,000.33 In the case of Kannuluik v. the Mayor, etc., of Haw- thorn in 1903, Monash and Bernard Smith appeared as expert witnesses for the plaintiff (Kannuluik). This case has been summarised in the following words: "A municipality employing an efficient, skilful engineer constructed a drain within its district under the powers conferred by the Local Government Act. 1890. This drain was of insuffi- cient capacity to carry off the water drainage and offensive matter that flowed into it, and in times of heavy rain caused damage to the plaintiff. It was held by the Full Court that the municipality was liable for the damages thus caused".34 A reserved judgment, with a verdict in favour of the plaintiff, was given in the Supreme Court in Melbourne on Wednesday, 14th October, 1903. It was said that this case became a leading one on the question of the liability of local government authorities in connection with the drainage and flooding of land.35 But Monash found litigation work somewhat distaste- ful, and he seems to have gradually withdrawn from this particular field. He had some connection with the building of the Morell Bridge over the Yarra River in line with Anderson Street, Melbourne—near the Botanic Gardens. The memorial stone of this bridge was laid by the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. J. W. Tavener, M.L.A., on Friday, 24th February, 1899. It was probably opened for traffic later that year. The bridge was constructed of concrete, on the monier system, and the contract price for the work was £5,700, which was paid by the Government of Victoria and the Council of the City of Melbourne.36 It was said of Monash's engineering practice that this bridge "was the forerunner of a very large and extensive practice in bridge building and general engineering construction, mainly in reinforced concrete, which extended beyond Victoria into South Australia and Tasmania".37 Monash received many jobs in other States of Aus- tralia. Some of these jobs were connected with the construction of the railway from Bundaberg to Gladstone in General Sir ,John Monash. 293

Queensland, the Mullewa to Cue railway in Western Aus- tralia, the Kelly Basin to Gformanston railway in Tasmania, and he designed the King River Bridge on the railway line from Burnie to Zeehan.38 As a step towards the more efficient development of this reinforced concrete industry, Monash founded in Vic- toria, in the year 1901, a company known as "The Monier Pipe Company Proprietary Limited",39 with its registered office in Oliver's Lane, off 138 Flinders Street, Melbourne.40 There were originally three Directors and five Shareholders of this Company. David Mitchell,41 the father of Dame Nellie Melba, was the Chairman of Directors; John Gibson was the Managing Director; and John Monash was a Director.42 The original Shareholders of the Company were Joshua Thomas Noble Anderson, John Gibson, David Mitchell, John Monash, and Edward Albert Newbigin. Newbigin was also the original Secretary of the Company. One of the objects of this Company was: "To acquire and exercise all the rights now held by Messrs. Monash and Anderson of Melbourne in the State of Victoria under an agreement with Messrs. Gummow, Forrest and Coy. Ltd. of Sydney in the State of New South Wales dated 16th day of September 1901 so far as relates to the manufacture, use and sale of monier pipes of any type or design covered by Letters Patent numbered 15298".43 After some years of difficult and often discouraging experimental work with reinforced concrete, Monash sue- ceeded in establishing this new industry in Australia.44 In the year 1910, Monash went overseas on private business soon after Lord Kitchener's visit to Australia. Monash sailed from Melbourne on Wednesday, 23rd March, 1910,45 in the R.M.S. Otranto for England. He also visited the Continent and returned to Australia via the United States of America. He arrived back in Melbourne by train from Sydney on Wednesday, 2nd November, 1910.46 A technical engineering lecture, illustrated with lantern slides, on the results of this trip overseas was given by Monash in Melbourne on 5th April, 1911, to members of the Victorian Institute of Engineers. The lecture was entitled "Some Impressions of Travel",47 and Monash con- eluded it with these words: One cannot return from a tour through the principal countries of the world without carrying back the strong impression that the present century belongs to the engineer, and that, although much has been achieved, much scope remains for further development. In 294: Australian Jewish Historical Society particular, I would say that, situated as we are, so far from the centres of professional activity, a serious burden of responsibility is cast upon the Australian engineer to keep himself as well as he can, by diligent perusal of technical literature, abreast of the rapid expansion of his profession in the older world.48 It is recorded in the Calendar of the University of Melbourne for the year 1913 that Sir Thomas a'Beckett, having served on the Council of the University for upwards of twenty-five years, did not seek re-election on the expira- tion of his term of office in May, 1912, and that Lientenant- Colonel John Monash, B.A., LL.B., M.C.E., was elected to fill this vacancy. Monash had always kept in close touch with Univer- sity life in various capacities. He had been an honorary examiner of the School of Engineering at the University for a. number of years previously. It was said in October, 1912, that: "Some changes have just been decided upon by the Engineering Faculty in regard to co-examiners in Civil Engineering subjects.49 Colonel Monash, M.C.E., etc., as an expert in reinforced concrete, will in future examine in Civil Engineering, Part I, which includes that subject. He formerly examined in Civil Engineering, Part II".50 He had also given courses of lectures in hydraulic engineering and on reinforced concrete in the School of Engineering. It was said in October, 1912, that: "One of the tendencies of our time is the greater specialisation which is being introduced into courses of engineering studies at universi- ties. In this connection we welcome the introduction of specialists as lecturers in our School. Not only have we recently added to our staff Lecturers in Electrical Engineering, and in Engineering Design and Drawing, but we now have Colonel John Monash, M.C.E., delivering a series of addresses on reinforced concrete".51 Monash had been an active member of the Victorian Institute of Engineers since 1904. This Institute had been founded in Melbourne in 1883, and at its Annual General Meeting in Melbourne on 17th April, 1912, Monash was elected unopposed to its office of President. In his intro- ductory speech, as the new President, Monash said that the success of a body like theirs depended not on the Presi- dent alone—not on the Council alone, but more largely than upon any other factor upon the individual members. It was from the members that the governing body drew its inspiration and authority, and it depended on the individual support of every member of the Institute, whether General Sir ,John Monash. 295 the Institute as a whole wT0uld succeed. There were certain directions in which the members could help, and accord to the Council and the President even greater support than in the past. One was in the direction of the monthly meetings. In those meetings every member could help, chiefly by making it a point of honour to attend whenever possible ; secondly, by coming forward with papers and lectures on subject matters of their own practice, which were certain to be of interest to other members ; and lastly, by discussing freely all the papers and subjects brought before them. If that could be done in a greater measure than in the past, he thought that the coming session would be successful.52 Monash remained in office as the Institute's President for the succeeding years of 1913, 1914 and 1915 also. At the Annual General Meeting of the Institute in 1913, which was held in Melbourne on Wednesday, 5th March, 1913, Monash delivered Presidential Address on the subject of ,,The Engineering Profession in Australia".53 In the following year his Presidential Address to the Institute, which was delivered in Melbourne in April, 1914, was on the subject of "The Theory and Practice of Reinforced Concrete Construction".54 This was probably the last occasion that Monash addressed the Institute as its President, although he was to retain that office for two more years. At the Annual General Meeting of the Victorian Institute of Engineers in Melbourne on Wednesday, 29th March, 1916, the retiring President, Brigadier-General Monash, was absent. He was then serving overseas in command of the 4th Australian Infantry Brigade of the Aus- tralian Imperial Force. At this meeting, Professor Henry Payne,55 the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Melbourne, moved: "That this meeting of members of the Victorian Institute of Engineers places on record its high esteem for, and its thanks to, the retiring President, General Monash,56 for the able manner in which he has fulfilled the presidential functions during his term of office and for the brilliant way in which he upheld the glory of Australia in the military operations at the front in the great war on behalf of the Empire".57 But let us return for a moment to a review of the events which followed the outbreak of war in August, 1914, and to Monash's relationship to these events. 36: Australian Jewish Historical Society

THE WAR OF 1914-18 With the outbreak of the War of 1914-18 in August, 1914, the most spectacular part of Monash's career began. On 15th September, 1914, he was appointed to the A.I.F. and posted to the command of the 4th Infantry Brigade of that force. He was promoted later, but with effect on and from this date, to the rank of Brigadier- General. He sailed from Australia with his Brigade in December, 1914. It disembarked at Alexandria on 1st February, 1915. There the 4th Australian Infantry Brigade became part of Major-General Sir Alexander Godiey's New Zealand and Australian Division. This Division was part of Lieutenant-General Sir William Bird- wood's Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Monash subsequently took the 4th Infantry Brigade to Gallipoli. He commanded it there throughout the campaign, which began on Sunday, 25th April, 1915, and after the withdrawal of the A.I.F. from Gallipoli in December, 1915, he took the Brigade back to Egypt. On 2nd June, 1916, Monash sailed from Alexandria, with the 4th Infantry Brigade, for France. He reached Marseilles and disembarked the Brigade there on 7th June, 1916, But a month after Monash's arrival in France he became a divisional commander. On 10th July, 1916, he was appointed to command the 3rd Australian Division and promoted to the rank of Major-General. A British corps commander subsequently expressed the opinion that Monash was the best divisional commander he had met on the Western Front. Monash was appointed on 1st June, 1918, to command the Australian Army Corps, with the rank of Lieutenant- General, vice General Sir William Birdwood, who had been appointed to command the Fifth British Army but retained command of the A.I.F. The Australian Army Corps became an instrument for offensive military operations which, for size and striking power, exceeded all other corps in the war of 1914-18. After the Armistice, which began on 11th November, 1918, came the great tasks of repatriation and demobilization. Monash was appointed Director-General of the Depart- ment of Repatriation and Demobilization on 1st December, 1918, with Headquarters in London at 54 Victoria Street. General Sir ,John Monash. 297

He said: "I finally left France on 30th November and I took up duties in London the next morning, Sunday, 1st December".58 Twelve months after the Armistice, Monash had completed his great task in London. On the eve of his depar- ture from England for Australia, he said in a press inter- view that: I have been away from home for five years, but the last nine months have been much more strenuous than the four years of war. Demobilization proved a stupendous task. I was hardly allowed breathing time. But it is now practically completed so far as I am concerned. I can return believing that the best possible use has been made of the meagre facilities that existed.3^ On Saturday, 15th November, 1919, Monash and Bird- wood sailed from London in the Ormonde for Australia. General Birdwood, who did not relinquish the appointment of General Officer Commanding the Australian Imperial Forces until 10th September, 1920, had been invited by the Australian Government to visit Australia. He disembarked at Perth and remained in Western Aus- tralia for about a month before he came on to Melbourne. Monash arrived in Melbourne on Friday, 26th Decern- ber, 1919. Six months after his return to Australia he was demobilized. His services in the A.I.F. were terminated on 13th June, 1920. Thereafter, until his retirement from the Army ten years later, he remained on the Unattached List of the Australian Military Forces.60

THE POST-WAR YEARS In March, 1918, the first Victorian Government to be led by H. S. W. Lawson was formed. One of the most important matters of concern to the new Premier was that of the Report of the Advisory Committee on Brown Coal. In his policy speech at Castlemaine on Thursday, 27th June, 1918,61 Lawson declared that it was his Govern- ment's intention to introduce in the forthcoming session of Parliament a Bill for the creation of a State power system which was to be managed by a body of men who had the necessary technical and business knowledge to co-ordinate the supply of electricity in Victoria. As a further step in the execution of this policy, the Electricity Commissioners' Bill was submitted to Parliament on 10th December, 1918, and it received the Royal Assent on 7th January, 1919. 298: Australian Jewish Historical Society

The terms of this Act called for the appointment of three part-time Commissioners, each for a period not exceeding seven years. On 4th March, 1919, the first three Commissioners were appointed. They were Emeritus Pro- fessor T. R. Lyle, who was the Chairman, the Hon. George Swinburne, and Archibald McKinstry, who resigned four months later and was succeeded by Sir Robert Gibson. Towards the end of 1920, the work of the first Com- missioners had increased so much that they recommended the addition of a full-time chairman to their number. Monash was persuaded by the Government of Victoria to accept the position of General Manager on the understanding that he would be appointed full-time chairman as soon as the necessary amending legislation was enacted. By an Order-in-Council, made on 28th September, 1920, Monash was appointed General Manager "for the purpose of the undertaking of the Electricity Commissioners ... to be installed and carried out by the Commissioners in the neighbourhood of Morwell and the distribution of electricity therefrom approved by Order-in-Council on the second day of July, 1920, at a salary, at the rate of £3,000 per annum, payable monthly; such appointment to be for a term of five years dating from the first day of October, 1920".62 It has been said that: "Sir John Monash's decision to undertake the work illustrates that high sense of public duty which, with his genius as an organiser and adminis- trator, was to endow the State undertaking with much or his own prestige, and which was to give him the pivotal place in its history. He could, with much greater financial advantage to himself, have commercialised both his genius and prestige in the engineering and general business life of Australia. He preferred to give his services to his fellow Australians in peace as he had done in war".63 In 1920, a new Act64 changed the title "Electricity Commissioners" to the "State Electricity Commission of Victoria" and provided for the appointment of Monash as full-time Chairman at a salary of £3,000 per annum. He took office, as Chairman, on 1st January, 1921, and was assisted by three part-time Commissioners, namely, Pro- fessor T. R. Llye, George Swinburne and Sir Robert Gibson. From then on, until his death on 8th October, 1931, the Commission had the full benefit of Monash's "genius, his amazing industry, decisiveness, and. zeal for the public good and the welfare of the State".65 General Sir ,John Monash. 299

Monash. worked tirelessly from the outset as Chairman of the State Electricity Commission. In this position he built up quietly, and in the face of great difficulties, a huge electricity undertaking. On 5th February, 1921, the first sod was turned at the site of the power station at Yallourn, and on 24th June, 1924, the City of Melbourne received its first supply of electricity from the power station at Yallourn. The win- ning of brown coal from the open cut at Yallourn began on 21st August, 1924. At the request of members of the Legislative Coun- cil of Victoria, Monash met members of the Legislative Council and Local Government representatives in the Com- mittee Room of the Legislative Council on Tuesday evening, 9th December, 1924, to give them information about the "Melbourne Electric Supply Company Bill'.,66 which was at that time being considered by the Legislative Coun- cil, and to answer questions put to him about this Bill.67 This meeting was presided over by the President of the Legislative Council, the Hon. Frank Clarke. The year 1929 marked the end of the first decade of the history of the State Electricity Commission. It had been a decade of great achievement for the Commission. It was said that: "The Commission served practically the whole of the metropolitan area, 141 country towns and centres—95 of which had no supply previously—and hun- dreds of farmers in various parts of the State. . . . The briquetting factory was producing about 500 tons of indus- trial and domestic briquettes a day, and on what had, ten years previously, been uncleared bush, stood Yallourn itself, a well-designed, self-contained town of over 400 houses".68 Despite the pressure of his work as Chairman of the State Electricity Commission, Monash never lost interest in other public duties which he was called upon to perform from time to time and in the academic life of the Univer- sity of Melbourne. Amid a gathering of brilliantly robed graduates in Wilson Hall at the University of Melbourne on Monday, 22nd March, 1920, General Monash and General Birdwood were admitted "by special grace" to the degree of Doctor of Laws for distinguished public service. A press report69 of the ceremony described the two Generals as wearing scarlet robes over khaki uniforms. On Saturday afternoon, 300: Australian Jewish Historical Society

23rd April, 1921, the University of Melbourne conferred on Monash the degree of Doctor of Engineering. The thesis which he had submitted for this degree was of a character not usually associated with post-graduate research. It was his well-known book, "The Australian Victories in France in 1918," which dealt with the application of engineering to modern warfare and had been published in London in the previous year. Two years later, on 2nd July, 1923, Monash was elected to the office of Vice •Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, and he retained that office until his death eight years later.70 Monash was the President of the Seventeenth Meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, which was held in Adelaide in August, 1924. At this meeting he delivered, on Monday evening, 25th August, 1924, his Presidential Address71 on the subject of "Power and Development." He said in this address, with characteristic modesty, that: "I am oppressed by the consciousness that I cannot justly claim to be a man of science in any literal sense. My lot has been cast in places in which philosophic inquiry has had to remain subordinate to the task of utilizing the teachings of philosophy for practical ends. I have 'reaped where others have sown.' Both in peace and in war, my claim to be considered a representative of Science can rest solely upon the consideration that the principles which I have had to apply are those which Science has evolved for the service of mankind." Monash's integrity, his knowledge of mankind, his judgment of men and his attitude to social problems inspired great public confidence in him as a citizen. It was because of these qualities, no doubt, that he was invited by the Commonwealth Government in 1923 to report72 011 the cost of constructing a 10,000-ton cruiser in Australia, and by the Government of Victoria in 1924 to be the Chair- man of a Royal Commission to inquire into "the general state, efficiency and condition of the Police Force prior to November, 1923".73 One of the last honours to be conferred 011 Monash was an engineering one. At the Fortieth Meeting of the Council of the Institution of Engineers of Australia, which took place at the Institution's headquarters in Sydney on Wed- nesday, 27th November, 1929, under the chairmanship of the Institution's President at that time, Mr. D. F. J. General Sir ,John Monash. 301

Harricks, Monash was awarded the Institution's highest honour, namely, the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal, in recognition of his notable contribution to the science and practice of Engineering.74

THE LAST POST After an illness of about ten days' duration, Monash died at his residence, "Iona," in St. George's Road, Toorak, on Thursday morning, 8th October, 1931, in his sixty-sixth year. The Commissioners of the State Electricity Commis- sion of Victoria summed up his career as its Chairman in the following words : With deep sorrow and a sense of immeasurable loss, the Com- mission records the death, on the 8th October, 1931, of its distinguished Chairman, General Sir John Monash, G C.M.G K C B V.D B.A., D.C.L., LL.D., D.Eng., M.Inst.C.E. First as General Manager and then as Chairman, the Commission had the full benefit of his genius and prestige; and Victoria's national scheme of brown coal development and electricity supply is, and will be regarded always as a monument to his capacity for organization and administration, his amazing industry and his zeal for the public welfare and the advancement of the State. Great even in small things, and pre-eminent in great things, Sir John Monash left behind him a record alike distinguished as a leader in peace and war. To those associated with him, his success in ׳all he undertook caused no surprise. It was but the natural corollary of a rich store of useful knowledge, applied with a thoroughness which left nothing to chance. He was an idealist, with a practical constructive mind, and he planned and builded in orderly sequence. In all he did, the qualities of courage, initiative, and industry were combined with an infinite capacity for taking pains. And having set his course, he followed it with lofty singleness of purpose, seeing only the good of the public as the final objective. The impress of his genius upon what is popularly known as the Yallourn scheme will last for all time; and the Commission is firmly of the opinion that the continued success of the scheme is dependent upon adherence to the policy and principles which he did so much to frame and which he upheld as a shining exemplar of the spirit of service. Besides giving service, he possessed the supreme gift of inspiring it in others, not simply as a reaction of his own devotion to duty, but by an impelling and gracious personality, and by a genuine recognition of all on his staff, from the highest to the lowest, as co-operators with him in the work to be done. Between himself and his staff there was a bond of very deep affection, and to everyone throughout the Commission's service his death came, not simply as the removal of an able official head, but as the loss of a well-loved chief, whose amiable and distinguished qualities made him as much revered as he was honoured.1^ John Monash was given a State Funeral on Sunday, 11th October, 1931, by the Commonwealth Government.76 302: Australian Jewish Historical Society

His remains, borne on a horse-drawn gun carriage, set out on their last journey from Parliament House in Spring Street, through the City of Melbourne via Collins Street and Swanston Street, then along St. Kilda Road, to High Street and out to Brighton Cemetery for interment. Great crowds lined the route in silence to witness the military honours that were paid, with all due pomp and ceremony, for the last time to one of Australia's pre-eminent citizens and to the greatest commander in war that Australia has produced. The service at the graveside began at 4.30 p.m. It was a poignant and simple one, and was conducted according to Jewish rites by Rabbi Israel Brodie and Chaplain the Rev. J. Danglow. The service concluded with an oration by Chaplain Danglow, in which he said of John Monash, that: "No man ever bore a constantly increasing burden of civic responsibility with greater cheerfulness or in.a more sacrificing spirit".77

MONASH : THE MAN AND HIS CHARACTERISTICS This outline of Monash's life creates only an imperfect picture of the man. The incompleteness of this picture is like that of an engraving of a portrait in colours; it is an incompleteness which lacks the original's richness in colour and in detail. But a biographer must do the best he can in the time available and with the information at his dis- posal, for an incomplete picture is better than no picture. John Monash, was, of course, a many-sided and much more complex personality than that which is embodied in the idea of either a great soldier or a great engineer. In war and in peace, Monash's highly trained mind, his great organizing and administrative capacity, his drive and his initiative, his gifts for making sound judgments and prompt decisions carried him quickly to the front ranks in civil and in military life. He gained a reputation in his civil and military careers for his great powers of exposi- tion, for his thoroughness and for his great capacity for taking pains. In his operational and administrative planning during the War of 1914-18, 110 detail was too small for him to examine if its neglect might introduce a risk in the execution of the plan. His keynote was at all times "efficiency and punctuality." The world at large knew John Monash best as a great soldier; the engineering world knew him as a practical General Sir ,John Monash. 303 man of science, with a remarkable skill in design and with an outstanding capacity in the field for the organization of work and the execution of plans; the University of Mel- bourne knew him as a great student from his undergraduate years till his death in the office of its Vice- Chancellor. But even among those who knew him best there were perhaps only a few who had measured the enormous scope of his knowledge and had surveyed the wide diversity of his interests. But John Monash was, whatever may be said of his complex personality and the wide diversity of his interests, a modest man who was never intoxicated by success. He did not court success, honours and esteem; they came to him unsolicited, and he enjoyed them without pride and without affectation. John Monash's work has, as it already had in his lifetime, the assurance of long and fruitful survival. But the immortality of a man of genius, like John Monash, lies not only, nor mainly, in the work which he leaves for posterity to contemplate and to enjoy, but also in the activity which this work inspires in future generations.

NOTES 11 am much indebted to Dr. C. E. W. Bean's Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18, Vol. 6, chapter 6, for factual information about General Monash's family and early life. See also p. 333 of this Part of the Journal. 2 See The Age, Monday, 6th June, 1864, p. 4. 3 John Monash's two sisters were Miss Mathilde Monash, who was born at Church Street, Eichmond, in 1869, and Miss Louise Monash, who was born at Clifton Street, Richmond, in 1873, and in 1901 married Dr. Walter Rosenhain. 4 Probably "St. Stephen's School, No. 527," Richmond, Victoria. 5 Probably Mr. R. A. Armstrong. 6 Mr. William Elliott. Born 30th June, 1852. Died 13th Feb- ruary, 1934. Louis Monash remained in Jerilderie but later moved to ז Narrandera. He rejoined his family in Melbourne in 1883 and died there in 1894. 8 See History of Scotch College, Melbourne, 1851-1925, for details of College prizes, etc., won by Monash 9 See Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18, Vol. 6, p. 201. 10 See The Age, Friday, 5th October, 1888, p. 11, which said: "On the 29th May, 1885, tenders for the new bridge were invited, and the tenders were opened on 27th August, 1885, the lowest being that of Mr. David Munro for £136,998. The contract was signed on 16th November, 1885." 304: Australian Jewish Historical Society

11 It seems that Monash intended, as an Arts student, to proceed to an Engineering course, for he took two Engineering subjects in addition to the second year of the Arts course in 1884. 12 See The Age, Thursday, 29th July, 1886, p. 6, which said: "A large staff is necessarily employed by the contractor on this work, the various portions of which are under the superintendence of capable men. There are four engineers—Messrs. G. Higgins, C. Stewart, J. B. Lewis and J. Monash." 13 It is probable that the line between Fairfield Park and Rivers- dale was opened on the 24th March, 1891, and that the section linking Oakleigh and Riversdale was opened on the 30th May, 1890. 14 The Fairfield Park-Oakleigh line passed through Camberwell. A railway line linked Camberwell and Melbourne. See Bradshaw's Guide to Victoria for January 1892, p. 71 and p. 75. 15 Quoted from The Age, Saturday, 1st March, 1890, p. 14. 18 See Report of the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners for the Year 1893, p. 57. 17 See Report of the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commisisoners for the Year 1893, p. 13 and p. 57. 18 See Report of the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners for the Year 1895, p. 28. 19 See Victorian Municipal Director for 1893, p. 124. 20 ibid. j 21 See The Argus, Monday, 30th January, 1893, p. 6. 22 The Report of the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners for the Year 1894 does not give the names of members of the Trust's staff who were retrenched in that year. 23 Monash married Miss Victoria Moss in Melbourne on Wednes- day, 8th April, 1891. See Table Talk, Melbourne, Friday, 10th April, 1891, pp. 9-10. Lady Monash died on Friday, 27th February, 1920, in Melbourne. 24 Mr. Joshua Thomas Noble Anderson, B.A., B.E., M.Inst.C.E., A.M.Inst.E. (Aust,). Born 14th February, 1865, at Dunmurry, County Antrim, Ireland. President of Victorian Institute of Engineers, 1901-02. Died 18th October, 1949, in Melbourne. 25 See Sands '& McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1895, p. 944. 26 The partnership was apparently dissolved about 1907. See Sands & McDougall's Melbourne, Suburban and Country Directory for 1907, p. 1402. 27 See Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers, Vol VI (1905), p. 29. 28 Monash was admitted to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and of Bachelor of Laws at the University of Melbourne on 16th March, 1895. Although he had completed the Arts course in 1887. he apparently postponed having the degree conferred until 1895. 29 See S.E.C. Magazine, Melbourne, Vol. 11, No. 28, p. 5. 30 See The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, 2nd June 1898 p. 6. 31 See Samuel McCaughey: A Biography, by Patricia McCaughey (Sydney, 1955), p. 95. 32 See The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday, 18th March, 1898, P. 3. 33 See The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, 2nd June, 1898, pp. 4 and 6. General Sir ,John Monash. 305

34 Quoted from The Victorian Law Reports, 1903-1904, Vol. XXIX, p. 308. 35 See The Varsity Engineer, Melbourne, No. 8, December, 1913, P. 7. 36 See The Argus, Saturday, 25th February, 1899, p. 9, for a report of the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the bridge. 37 See S.E.C. Magazine, Melbourne, Vol. 11, No. 28, p. 5. 38 Ibid, p. 5. 39 Notice of the change of name of this Company to that of "The Reinforced Concrete and Monier Pipe Construction Company Proprietary Limited" was recorded in the Office of the Registrar- General of Victoria on 15th November, 1905 40 Later this address was changed to Collins House, 360-366 Collins Street, Melbourne. 41 Mr. David Mitchell. Born 16th February, 1829, at Forfar- shire, Scotland. Died 25th March, 1916, in Melbourne, Victoria. 42 It was recorded in the Office of the Registrar-General of Vic- toria on 8th November, 1921, that Sir John Monash had retired from the Board of Directors of "The Reinforced Concrete and Monier Pope Construction Company Proprietary Limited." 43 Quoted from the original Memorandum of Association of The Monier Pipe Company (Proprietary) Limited, dated 20th September, 1901. 44 See Monash's lecture, "Notes on Tests of Reinforced Concrete Beams," delivered in Melbourne on 3rd May, 1905, and published in Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers, Vol. VI, pp. 29-42 and pp. 79-92. 45 See The Argus, Tuesday, 22nd March, 1910, p. 7, and Thufs- day, 24th March, 1910, p. 6. .November, 1910, p. 7־ See The Argus, Thursday, 3rd 46 47 See Proceedinos of the Victorian Institute of Engineers, Vol XII, pp. 28-49. 48 Ibid, p. 45. 49 See The Melbourne University Calendar, 1913, p. 637, which said Monash was appointed Examiner in Civil Engineering, Part II. 50 Quoted from The Varsity Engineer, Melbourne, October 1912, p. 41. 51 Ibid, pp. 5-6. 52 Quoted from Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers, Vol. XIII, p. 5. 53 See Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers, Vol. XIV. 54 See The Commonwealth Engineer, Vol. I, No. 10, 1st May, 1914, pp. 336-339. 55 Professor Henry Payne, M.Inst.C.E., M.InstM.E. Born 3rd March, 1871, at Calcutta. Professor of Engineering in the Univer- sity of Melbourne from March, 1910, to 29th February, 1932, Di6d 28th March, 1945, in Melbourne. 56 Geneal Monash was succeeded on this occasion in the office of President by Mr. H. R. Harper. 57 Quoted from Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers, Vol. XVI, p. 3. 58 Quoted from War Letters of General Monash. Edited by F. M. Cutlack, p. 284. 306: Australian Jewish Historical Society

59 Quoted from The Argus, Saturday, 15th November, 1919, p. 21. 60 Monash was promoted to the rank of General on 11th November, 1929, 61 See The Argus, Friday, 28th June, 1918, p. 5, for a report of this Policy Speech. ,Victoria Government Gazette, No. 187, dated 6th October ׳See 62 1920, p. 3076. 63 See Three Decades: The Story of the State Electricity Com- mission of Victoria from its Inception to December, 1948, p. 32. 64 The title of this Act was "State Electricity Commission Act 1920." 65 Quoted from Three Decades, p. 32. 66 Later the "Melbourne Electric Supply Company Act 1924." 67 See The Argus, Wednesday, 10th December, 1924, p. 21, for a report of this meeting. See also "State Electricity Commission. Statement by Sir John Monash, Chairman, on the Melbourne Electric Supply Company Bill delivered in the Legislative Council Committee Boom on Tuesday, 9th December, 1924." (Official.) 68 Quoted from Three Decades, p. 62. 69 See The Argus, Tuesday, 23rd March, 1920, p. 6. 70 See The University of Melbourne Calendar, 1957, p. 22. 71 See Report of the Seventeenth Meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science for the text of this Address. 72 For the text of this report see Commonwealth of Australia Parliamentary Papers for 1923-24, Volume 4, pp. 229-232. 73 For the text of this report see Papers presented to the Parlia- ment of Victoria, Session 1925. Legislative Assembly, Vol. 2. 74 See The Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, Vol. 2, No. 1 (January, 1930), p. 41, and Vol. 3, No. 10 (October, 1931), p. 363. 75 Quoted from State Electricity Commission of Victoria. Twelfth Annual Report for the Financial Year ended 30th June 1931, p. 5. 76 See Commonwealth Gazette, No. 83, dated 9th October, 1931 p. 1683. 77 Quoted from The Australian Jewish Herald, Thursday, 15th October, 1931, p. 5. EDITOR'S NOTE An article on General Sir John Monash by Colonel A. WT. Hyman appeared in the Journal of the Society, Vol. 2, p. 20, and other references to him are in Vol. 1, p. 99, and Vol. 3, p. 434. Photo- graphs are in Vol. 2 at p. 26, and Vol. 1, p. 100, Reference may also be made to a paper by Mr. Warren Perry, The Military Life of Sir John Monash, in the Victorian Historical Magazine, Vol. 38 (December, 1957), p. 25. Jewish Personalities in Responsible Government 307

Jewish Personalities in the Movement for Responsible Government in New South Wales

By M. Z. FORBES, B.A., LL.B. The year 1956, being the Centenary of Responsible Government in New South Wales, saw an upsurge of interest in the events which finally led to the Constitution Act of 1855. The names of Wentworth and Parkes, and of many other leading and lesser lights, temporarily occupied the forefront of research and discussion in local historical circles. During the Centenary Year, the Royal Australian Historical Society's Journal published three important articles by learned authors on various aspects of the movement for Responsible Government, and readers of this Journal might well consider these notes against the background of events and personalities appearing in the narrative of the articles mentioned. There was no Jewish contribution—as such, to the movement which resulted in the Constitution of 1855, and indeed, there was certainly no reason for any such contribution. Moreover, there were very few Jewish names involved and, from the standpoint of this Society, detailed research JLS not really justified. It will be seen, however, that Jewish individuals did take an active interest in the constitutional movement, and some passing reference is now made thereto. Foremost amongst the leading workers for constitutional reform was Jacob Levi Montefiore, a member of the well-known Montefiore family and a leading Sydney merchant.1 It is unnecessary here to dwell upon the great cleavage of opinion between the two main political camps repre- sented by Wentworth and Parkes, Both parties desired responsible government, but Wentworth proposed unpopu- lar limits, it being a case of "thus far and no further." To quote W. J. V. Windeyer, this "would have given liberalism, as they conceived it, but without democracy • it would have subdued the power of the Crown, but ensured the power of the large landholders".2 Wentworth's ideas were based upon Crown nominees in the Upper House and an unequal manhood suffrage, and this attracted the strongest opposition of Parkes, whom Wentworth dubbed as an "arch anarchist." Writing in his book Fifty Years 308: Australian Jewish Historical Society in the Making of Australian History, Parkes states: "In 1852 I began to take an active part in the constitutional discussions outside the legislature. In 'The Empire' newspaper, and on the platform, I strenuously opposed what were popularly regarded as Mr. Wentworth's retrograde tendencies. The gentlemen who took part with me in those agitations were certainly not demagogues, or men wanting in social influence. Among them were . . . Mr. J. L. Montefiore".3 The newspapers of the day prove that Parkes and his followers could always count upon Montefiore's organizing ability, prestige, and even financial support. Parkes has left a very clear record of his indebtedness to his supporters. "I was supported," he writes, "by several influential men, who remained my staunch political supporters, through good and evil report, until they passed away to their graves. Mr. Jacob L. Montefiore and Mr. Edward Flood were of the number of these—my unchang- ing friends".4 Lyne's volume on the life of Parkes fur- nishes practically no information in this regard, but the author does include a reference to Montefiore as "one of the most earnest and active" of the friends of Parkes.5 Early in August, 1853, Montefiore helped to form the Constitu- tional Committee, and his name and those of two other co- religionists, John Godfrey Cohen6 and J. G.Raphael,7 are included in a Petition to the Legislative Council urging delay in the second reading of Wentworth's Constitutional Bill. This Petition was submitted to a meeting on 15th August at the Victoria Theatre, Pitt Street, Sydney. Monte- fiore duly seconded a resolution by Parkes, and he was assisted in this by J. G. Cohen. The Herald report indicated that the meeting "was very numerously attended— the pit and boxes, both upper and lower, being crowded".8 Parkes' own newspaper, The Empire, described the occasion as "the most numerous and respectable meeting which has been held in Sydney for several years".9 The Committee then published a long Manifesto under the signature of its Chairman, Montefiore and J. R. Piddington, Hon. Secre- tary and Treasurer. The opening paragraph read: "We demand a just apportionment of the representation of the people in the Lower House of Parliament, by a revision of the present electoral system. . . . The British Government is on our side." These early moves culminated in a public gathering described as a "Great Aggregate Meeting" held at Circular Quay on 5th September. Jewish Personalities in Responsible Government 309 The mass meeting was attended by at least 3,000 people, although estimates varied from 1,000 to 9,000 present. Henry Parkes, of course, addressed the crowd, and he was supported by two of his main friends in the Legislative Council, Charles Cowper and J. B. Darvall. A resolution was carried: "That this meeting emphatically declares that no form of Constitution will be acceptable to the people of this Colony, or be calculated to promote the public welfare, and maintain the existing happy feeling of loyalty to the Crown of England, which shall not secure to the country, absolutely and forever, the right of representation in Parliament, freed from the proposed Crown nomination and class ascendancy." Montefiore seconded this resolution but, as usual, with little to add for his own part. He is reported as saying: "The question to be decided was, whether the people were to have a voice in the legislature, or not ? There could be no doubt as to the constitutional reply to that question; and the colonists were, therefore, now called upon to maintain the elective principle in its integrity, and to insist that no oligarchy be thrust upon them." These remarks met with tremendous cheers and, it then being quite dark, J. G. Cohen seconded a resolution setting up a Standing Committee.10 Wentworth's plans met with considerable opposition in some country centres. A public meeting was held at Bathurst on 10th August, 1853, and was attended by some 200 to 300 people in the Long Room of the Commercial Hotel. Saul Samuel was voted to the Chair and was also appointed to a Committee.11 A few weeks later, a spirited meeting took place at the Commercial Hotel, Goulburn, on 2nd September, when some 250 persons attended. P. S. Solomon addressed this gathering and was elected to the Standing Committee.12 So, too, there is a report of "immense excitement" at a similar meeting chaired by Alfred Levien at the Rose Inn and Family Hotel at West Maitland.13 At a public meeting held in the same town a few weeks later, we read that Samuel Cohen spoke up in defence of Wentworth as having done "a great deal for the country, and especially the Preferable Lien Bill, without which the country would be ruined—he entirely agreed with the main objects of the Petition and condemned nomineeism, but thought it would be better if they were to express their opinions without heaping such measured obloquy on Wentworth." The outcry against squatters, said Cohen, was also to be deprecated.14 310: Australian Jewish Historical Society Jewish Personalities in Responsible Government 311

The Constitutional Committee clearly recognised that Wentworth had the numbers to carry his Bill in the Council, and Montefiore pointed out on more than one occasion that public opinion would influence the British Government to modify the majority proposals, there being no practical redress within the Colony. Accordingly, the Committee held a Constitutional Minority Banquet on 29th September to fete the eight members of the House who voted against the second reading of the Constitutional Bill. Montefiore, speaking on behalf of the commercial interests, trusted that "the recent agitation will retrieve their former character for indifference and apathy." J. G. Cohen is recorded as speaking for the mining interests. The func- tion was due to end at midnight, but the newspaper report suggests that prolonged conviviality continued until 3 o'clock.15 Following Wentworth's resignation, Parkes was elected on 2nd May, 1854, to the vacancy in the Council. Monte- fiore appeared at the hustings in Macquarie Place and nominated Parkes, who was opposed by Kemp of the Herald staff.16 It is interesting to note a number of Jewish names on Kemp's Committee. These included J. G. Raphael, Israel Myers, Hyam Elias, and Isaac Solomon.17 However, there resulted, to quote the Herald, "a great triumph to the democratic party," Parkes polling twice as many votes as his opponent.18 This success was followed by further agitation. In October, 1854, Montefiore took the Chair at a meeting at the Victoria Theatre to petition the Queen and Parliament.19 Montefiore was in charge of yet another meeting called in February, 1855, with the object of urging the dissolution of the Legislative Council. J. G. Raphael joined in the general discussions and added some personal criticism of the Governor-General, Sir Charles Fitzroy.20 Subsequently, a deputation, which included Montefiore, Parkes and Darvall, waited on His Excellency with a Petition of names calling for the dissolution of the Council. The Governor-General declined "so extreme a request".21 It is at this period that Saul Samuel first entered the political scene as a candidate for the vacancy in the Counties of Roxburgh and Wellington. He was proposed as a successful grazier and experienced also in gold and copper mining. Samuel was elected unopposed. He described himself as a "no party" man, keen on helping 312: Australian Jewish Historical Society the Western districts and favouring Free Trade and a national system of Education. He further gave it out that "a report had been circulated that because he was of the Jewish faith, he would not conform to the oath required by the law, prior to taking his seat in the House. But in

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SIR SAUL SAMUEL TO SIR HENRY PARKES.

New South Wales, he was happy to say, that such was not the fact. The oath was purely an oath of allegiance, and was not, as in England, based upon an exclusive or sec- tarian prejudice".22 We read further that Dr. Machattie wished to know the candidate's views upon the Constitu- tional question. Samuel replying in a few words that he still favoured an elective Upper Chamber, there followed Jewish Personalities in Responsible Government 313

three deafening cheers and a substantial lunch at the Royal Hotel, Bathurst. The opening months of 1856 were marked by the first election campaign after Responsible Government. Saul Samuel failed in his approach to the electors as a non-party man who offered no pledges. His successful political career really began in 1859, when elected to the Third Parliament and continued with little interruption for over twenty years, including, too, appointment to high ministerial office on many occasions. However, as to the 1856 campaigns, Henry Parkes duly won a seat in the first Legislative Assembly, and Jacob Levi Montefiore was appointed as one of 36 members of the Council. There is little of interest to record regarding the first elections, except perhaps an odd and amusing item from the pen of the celebrated musician, Isaac Nathan. The following item by Nathan appeared in the Herald of 9th February, 1856: "To the Electors of The South Riding of the County of Cumber- land—'1 feel highly flattered by your offer of support if I would stand the test of election . . . 1st, I have neither the ambition to become a member nor the inclination to incur the expense of its attainment; 2nd, my political notions are so firmly fixed and determined that I would not have any man indulge the crochet in his head that I would pledge myself to any particular party ... I bar every attempt to force me into a promise to perform a solo or take part in canon—fugue or chorus of any composition not in unison with my theatrical notions of harmony and time. . . ." The new Parliament first met on 22nd May, 1856, albeit without that "harmony" so important from the viewpoint of Isaac Nathan. During the following month a special Committee arranged a Public Banquet to mark Responsible Government. Some members of the Jewish faith participated, including Saul Samuel, who urged that all should join in the festivities and disclaim party movement.23 Leaving aside the broad political scene, we find that Parkes' journal, The Empire, finally ceased publication in 1858. Parkes was ever in financial straits and was insolvent on two occasions during his career. The plight of The Empire was the subject of a long letter by Parkes to "My .Dear Mr. Montefiore," and the whole of the text is reproduced by Lyne.24 It is certain that Montefiiore accommo- date his friend rather readily, and it is easy to appreciate 314: Australian Jewish Historical Society

in a letter to Parkes which reads: "I have ־his meaning never misunderstood your merits or demerits and if I have one serious friendly counsel to give you, it is that you make a vow never again while you live to put your name to a Bill as either maker or endorser".25

•.irs—r frifl^,.־ - ־ - ־ .F M₪₪Mm₪₪₪₪₪₪m kf. y^(^. Ss L

c י / •

•י י* ^יץ^ ן^׳* ץ** ־^י^

lli•••••!•!••^

llillllllll•^^

J. L. MONTEFIORE TO SIR HENRY PARKES.

The first few years after the Constitution produced instability and a confused political situation. Perhaps this serves to explain why Montefiore, a leader in the world of commerce, resigned from the Legislative Council in 1860. As Windeyer puts it: "A new era had been expected with the new Constitution. When, instead, politics became confused in personalities, people said that responsible government was a failure. This mood passed, as parliamentary Jewish Personalities in Responsible Government 315 democracy settled down".26 This was the state of affairs leading to the elections for the Third Parliament. There were three Jewish candidates, namely, Saul Samuel, Samuel Lyons, and Morris Asher. Samuel stood for Orange and was elected by an overwhelming majority. He polled 162 votes as against seven votes for his opponent, J. B. Suttor. The newspaper report indicates that Samuel asked his supporters "not to mar the victory by exaltation over a defeated opponent." The electors of Orange, however, did not mean to allow the event to pass without proper celebration, and we read that Samuel was chaired round the town by 300 persons carrying flaming torches.27 Only a few months later, in October, 1859, Samuel was given the post of Colonial Treasurer. The writer has not been able to trace any details regarding Asher's election for The Hume. He defeated the other candidate, T. H. Mate, by a narrow majority of three votes, and he held this seat until the Dissolution of Parlia- ment in November, I860.28 As to Samuel Lyons, more information is available. He and Edward Flood were the two members returned for Canterbury. He issued a Mani- festo from Broughton House, Petersham, and he advocated railway extension, cheap and sound education for the humbler class, free trade, withdrawal of State aid for the clergy, and reform of the Upper House. Lyons was described as a man of property and education, and a native of the County. His platform covered a rather wide field, for it appears that Lyons was opposed to Chinese immigration; he stood for a repeal of the Broad Wheel Tire Act, favoured free selection after survey limited to 350 acres, and he also advocated cheap conveyancing. One advertisement described him as a man "who will not tax necessaries of life, and who will advocate a prohibitory duty made on articles manufactured in the prisons of America." The election was held on Saturday, 18th June, 1859, and towards sunset the Returning Officer appeared at the hustings and called for a show of hands. Flood and Lyons won the day, and according to the Press this news was greeted with "cheers mingled with some moans".29 Incidentally, it might be noted that Parkes succeeded at the polls in 1859, and on this occasion he was again nominated by Montefiore, who reminded the public that it was not the first time that he came on the stage to perform the duty allotted to him.30 Finally, the writer came 316: Australian Jewish Historical Society upon a short item from Parliamentary newspaper cuttings in the Mitchell Library under the title "Jubilee Jottings." This item, from the pen of "Old Chum," may be quoted verbatim:

MORRIS ASHER

Of the third Parliament under Responsible Government . . . Morris Asher and Samuel Lyons (2 of 5 remaining) attended the celebrations. Mr. Morris Asher (the Hume) is now 89 years of age, and has followed many occupations. He came to Sydney in 1888, and is now a wealthy man, a large owner of property. His occupation, at one time, was that of an auctioneer. In the mid-seventies he had the ancient auction rooms, at one time in the possession of H. D. Cockburn, on the corner of Park & Pitt Streets. Mr. Samuel Lyons, another of the old brigade, is the son of Mr. Samuel Lyons, an auctioneer in the middle years of the Colony, who erected in the middle forties the fine pile of building in Liverpool St., Hyde Park, known as Lyons Terrace, and the still fine building on the corner of Charlotte Place (now Grosvenor St.) and George St., erected in 1833, in which he carried on his auction sales. The ex-member was for years an Official Assignee in Bankruptcy. Jewish Personalities in Responsible Government 317

During the next decade both Parkes and Saul Samuel were members of every Parliament, and throughout the same period Samuel held ministerial office on no less than seven occasions as against two portfolios held by Parkes. Montefiore, writing to Parkes, speaks of Samuel as "the most single-minded politician of all, ay ! even in his weak- nesses".31 However, by 1869 a new star, in the person of the Solicitor-General, Julian Salomons, was rising on the political horizon. Salomons and George King stood for East Sydney at the elections in 1869 in opposition to Parkes. Montefiore appears to hav6 supported Parkes' opponents, and of the three candidates only Salamons failed to win a seat in the Assembly. Parkes strongly resented Montefiore's aliance with the opposite camp, and he was particularly stung by certain remarks made by Salomons in the heat of the campaign. These remarks were to the effect that Parkes was an irreligious person who had never been seen to enter a Church. Momentarily, at least, it looked as if a permanent rift had developed between Parkes and Montefiore. Following an angry meeting between the two of them, Parkes sent off a letter of com- plaint wherein, in part, he said: "I had most unwillingly given up the hope of acting in concert with you in public affairs before this election, and knowing the goodness of your heart and purity of your motives, I had acknowledged myself utterly unable to comprehend your course of action in giving the weight of your support, as you appeared to do, to the most ignorant, besotted and unprincipled faction that ever existed amongst us." Parkes continued by referring to Salomons' attack as "senseless egotistical twaddle".32 Montefiore immediately replied in defence of Salomons, who, he said, had been misunderstood and would apologise after the election. "I do not see," he wrote, "that Mr. Salomons used half as strong language as I have heard from your own lips ... a more honest, amiable, upright, and independent man does not breathe in this community. He is young and new in politics. . . ."33 The writers of these letters remained friends. Parkes was for the first time Prime Minister in 1872, and two years later he secured Montefiore's appointment as a member of the Upper House. Montefiore returned to England in 1876 and resigned his seat in the Council. He continued to correspond with Parkes and often indicated his anxiety to be of some service 318: Australian Jewish Historical Society to New South Wales. "I wish," he wrote, "most earnestly wish that I could be of some use to New South Wales over here ... I blow her trumpet whenever I can",34 and again, in yet another letter, he writes: I shall at all times be delighted to hear from you and to be of any service to you on this side of the water which, though separating us, will not in any way efface the remembrance of past friend- ship".35 Montefiore, indeed, later suggested that he should be appointed Agent-General,36 but this position went to Sir Saul Samuel in 1880. For the greater part of 1882, Sir Henry Parkes was abroad on account of ill-health, and it seems that Parkes, Samuel and Montefiore were all reunited in London.37 Montefiore's health was far from god, and he passed away within the next six years. This appears from a letter dated 24th September, 1888, from Sir Julian Salomons to Parkes, where he urges the appointment of Edward L. Montefiore as Executive Commissioner for New South Wales at the Paris Exhibition: "You might like to show your regard for your steadfast admirer, the late Jacob Montefiore, by appointing his brother as Sole Executive Commissioner . . . particularly as he speaks equally well both French and English, is a man of urbane manners, and in an independent position".38 It is on this note that the present writer chooses to conclude this article, a minor contribution to some of the recent literature about the story of Responsible Government, but with emphasis on some of the Jewish personalities and particularly showing the long association between Sir Henry Parkes and Jacob Levi Montefiore. NOTES 1 See short article in Jewish Encyclopaedia, He was born in Barbados in 1819, and arrived in Sydney in 1837 and carried on business for some years under the firm name of J. L. Montefiore, M. Joseph & Co. at Birchgrove and at O'Connell Street, Sydney. Later, he traded under the name of Montefiore, Graham & Co. He was a Director of the Bank of Australasia and was President of the Chamber of Commerce, 1866-69. 2 Journal, Royal Australian Historical Society, vol. 42, p. 278. 3 At p. 31. 4 At p. 37. 5 At p. 91. 6 An Auctioneer and Bullion Broker of 490 George Street, Sydney. .See article in this Journal, vol. 1, p. 378 ז 8 Sydney Morning Herald, 16th August, 1853. 9 The Empire, 16th August, 1853. A SYDNEY ELECTION—THE HUSTINGS, MACQUARIE PLACE. (From "The Illustrated Sydney News" in the Mitchell Library.) 320: Australian Jewish Historical Society

10 Herald, 6th September, 1853, and The Empire of same date. 11 Freeman's Journal, 10th August, 1853. .Herald, 7th September, 1853 נ 2 13 Ibid, 9th September, 1853. 14 The Empire, 21st October, 1853. Cohen was the Member for Morpeth, August-November, 1860. 15 Ibid, 1st October, 1853. 16 Herald, 2nd May, 1854. 17 Ibid, 28th April, 1854. Ibid, 3rd May, 1854. 19 Ibid, 31st October, 1854. 20 Ibid, 7th February, 1855. 21 Ibid, 12th February, 1855. 22 Ibid, 24th October, 1854. 23 Ibid, 23rd June, 1856. 24 Charles E. Lyne, Life of Sir Henry Parkes (1896), p. 91, and quoting letter of 21st March, 1857. .Parkes' Correspondence, vol. 25, p. 50 י•2 26 Journal, R.A.H.S., vol. 42, p. 308. 27 Herald, 25th June, 1859. 28 Ibid, 3rd September, 1859. 29 Ibid, 9th June, 1859. 30 Ibid, 8th June, 1859. 31 Correspondence, vol. 24, p. 49. 32 Ibid, vol 37, p. 281—letter dated 2nd December, 1869. 33 Ibid, letter dated 3rd December, 1859. 34 Ibid, vol. 25, p. 19—letter from London, 17th October, 1877. 35 Ibid, p. 34—letter of 21st November, 1878. 36 Ibid, p. 118—letter of 17th June, 1880. 37 Ibid, letter of 27th March, 1882. 38 Ibid, p 272—letter of 24th September, 1888. The Jewish Encyclopaedia article states that Montefiore died at Norwood, London, in 1885. All the photographs for this paper are reproduced from material in the Mitchell Library, Sydney, by kind permission of the Trustees.

Obituaries

ORWELL PHILLIPS The Society records with deep regret the death of Mr. Orwell Phillips after a very brief illness on 28th July, 1957. He was for more than forty years a member of the Board of Management of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, and latterly one of its two Life Members. The sympathy of the Society has been conveyed to Mrs. Phillips, his son, Mr. O. E. Phillips, and his daughters, Mrs. George Marks and Mrs. David Selby. The Society adopts as its own this tribute to him printed in The Great Synagogue Journal of September, 1957: Obituaries 321

"Orwell Phillips was born in Sydney in 1877, the son of Louis and Clara Phillips. His father, who came to New South Wales as a boy in the 1850's, was one of the resident of the׳! early leaders of Sydney Jewry, a former Great Synagogue and one of the leading spirits in Jewish education in this city for many years. His son followed worthily in those footsteps.

"The sphere in which Mr. Phillips became a leader was that of commerce. He was known throughout the business world of Sydney as a man of the highest integrity, of great ability and considerable charm. During his long commercial career he guided the destinies of some of Sydney's most important Companies and shared as Director in the administration of many others. For many years he was Chairman of the group of Companies associated with Marrickville Holdings Limited and of the North Coast Steam Navigation Company Ltd. He was widely known as a Director of the Commercial Banking Co. of Sydney Ltd., the United Assurance Co. Ltd., Tooth & Co. Ltd., Chown Bros. Ptv. Ltd., and as the Chairman of M. Moss & Co. Pty Ltd., the family business which took its name 322: Australian Jewish Historical Society

from his maternal grandfather, also a notable figure in Sydney Jewish history. "Mr. Phillips was a• man of great but unobtrusive charity. Apart from the donations he made to public and Jewish causes, he did much without publicity, especially for needy members of the community, during the years of depression and more recently. It was of this aspect of his life of which Dr. Porush spoke in his address before the funeral. Naturally, therefore, service to hospitals occupied a predominant place in Mr. Phillips' conception of charity, and here he became a beloved figure in many circles. Youth also attracted him so that he found himself fully at home in his devoted work for Sydney Grammar School, where he had been a pupil. For many years he was Chairman of its Board of Trustees and, although he had retired from the Chairmanship, remained a Trustee doing his full share of duty until his death. His benefactions to the School have been of considerable importance. "In other spheres of generosity Mr. Phillips has also been active. He has always been a staunch supporter of Jewish causes, notably the Great Synagogue, to which he gave liberally during his lifetime and to which he has bequeathed £1,000. "The Great Synagogue will miss in him a constant and loyal worshipper and a wise and benevolent member of the Board. His advice has always been most valuable, and his modesty, perhaps his chief characteristic, an inspiration to those who worked with him. Orwell Phillips will long be remembered as one of the representatives of a school of Judaism and Jewish practice which is now passing, but which has given the tone not only to the Great Synagogue but to much of the work and the spirit of Sydney Jewry. Those who knew him in the Synagogue will appreciate what his death has cost us. The Great Syna- gogue and the Jewish Community of New South Wales will be much the poorer by his death." RABBI L. A. FALK Rabbi Leib Aisack Falk, for thirty-four years a minister of the Great Synagogue and foundation Vice- President of this Society, died in Sydney on 6th May, 1957, at the age of sixty-eight. We remember him for many reasons—for his personal qualities of humanity and warmth, as a controversialist of Obituaries 323 courage and vigour, as a book collector of world stature, as a spiritual leader of deep faith whose messages com- pelled attention. In this place, however, it is most fitting that a tribute to him should centre around his contribu- tions to Australian Jewish historiography in general and to our Society in particular. From the outset, the Rabbi was a staunch supporter of the scheme to found a group for the study of Australian Jewish history, and at the opening meeting of the Society in 1938 he said that he felt impelled to pronounce "Shehechianu" so pleased was he that work was about to commence. His own first contribution was a translation of those parts of Eben Saphir which related to Australia and New Zealand. The book summarised the experiences of Rabbi Jacob Saphir, of Jerusalem, during his world tour and the rendition of the relevant parts into English was an important service to our cause. When the series of six papers was completed and published in Volume 1 of the Journal, we possessed a vivid picture of Australian Jewish life in the 'sixties from the pen of a shrewd and learned observer. Rabbi Falk's absorption in books led him to take an interest in the first Jewish library in Sydney, which was established in 1846, and in Volume 3 of the Journal he printed the fruits of his research into it, illustrating his paper by a copy of the title page of the library's catalouge taken from his own collection. The Rabbi was not a prolific writer, and these two publications were all that he produced in our field. Both of them, however, are important and useful. From the point of view of those interested in Aus- tralian Jewish history, Rabbi Falk's main work was in collecting Australian Judaica. No one has amassed the material he did. No known collection compares with his. In it there is a wealth which is so far untapped—pam- phlets, newspapers, orders of service, documents and photographs. Merely by gathering these the Rabbi has placed us all in his debt. His work in this direction is all the more remarkable when it is realised that, after all, it was sub- sidiary to his main aim, the collection of a library of books. In years to come we who show concern with the past of Australian Jewry will be unable to complete a project without reference to his collection, now part of the Rabbi L. A. Falk Memorial Library at the Great Synagogue. The 324: Australian Jewish Historical Society love he displayed in seeking out Australian Judaica seems to hover in the Library room, and his portrait appro- priately presides over those whose eagerness for research takes them there. The Rabbi's memory can never fade while his precious finds are available for those who need them.

In this tribute nothing in the way of a biography has been attempted. The facts of his life can be read elsewhere, but we, when we convey our deep sympathy to Mrs. Falk, his daughter and sons, do so in the knowledge that as a Society we are more moved to admire the spirit Obituaries 325 of historical enquiry which animated him than to remember the bare details of his magnificent work in many spheres of Jewish endeavour. "Mav the memory of the righteous be for a blessing." D.J.B. MRS. A. M. COHEN Helen, wife of Alroy Maitland Cohen, died in Sydney on 9th February, 1957. She was a grand-daughter of the late Sir Benjamin Benjamin and Lady Benjamin, of Mel- bourne, and of the late Mr. and Mrs. Montague Levey. Before her marriage to Mr. Cohen, one of the Society's leading members, she spent a number of years of her single life at Raratonga in the Cook Islands, where her father, Maurice E. Blaine, was Registrar of the Court. She returned to Melbourne in 1912 and married in 1924. Dtiring the First World War she attended St. John Ambulance courses, assisted at charity functions and did voluntary canteen work. This interest she showed again during the Second World War, when she was an active member of the Voluntary War Transport, working long hours on matters which were often highly confidential. At the same time she regularly donated to the Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service. Shortly after her marriage, she became Honorary Secretary of the Sacred Vestments Guild of the Great Synagogue, and with the late Mrs. Francis L. Cohen was largely responsible for the lining of the Ark with the present gold brocade and having other work done on the covers of the Sephorim. Later, when the Guild became the Great Synagogue Women's Auxiliary, she worked £IS cl member of it, occupying the Presidency from 1948 to 1950, when she retired owing to ill-health. From 1928 until 1944, she was a member of the House Committee of the N.S.W. Jewish War Memorial, being for a time Vice-Chairman and later Chairman. From 1930 until 1950, she was Honorary Treasurer of the Ladies' Auxiliary of the N.S.W. Board of Jewish Education; from 1925 until 1952, she was on the committee of the Surry Hills branch of the Sydney Day Nurseries Association, and in 1932 she began four years' work as Honorary Treasurer of the Women's Auxiliary of the Legacy Club of Sydney, working on the Committee until 1950. 326: Australian Jewish Historical Society

In the war years, both as a member of the Great Synagogue Women's Auxiliary and the Royal Empire Society, she entertained Australian, English and American servicemen at her home and became widely known for her kindness, hospitality and charm of manner. Her passing has been deeply regretted in many circles, both within and outside the Jewish community. LEE M. FRIEDMAN The Society regrets to record the death of Lee M. Friedman, who died in Boston, Massachusetts, on 7th August, 1957, aged 85. He was one of the outstanding writers on American Jewish History, an original member of this Society and one who maintained his interest in it over many years. In his correspondence he was always most helpful, and his death deprives the Society of one of its most valuable con- tacts in the United States of America.

Eighteenth Annual Report and Financial Statement Presented at the Annual Meeting of Members held in Sydney on 16th December, 1957.

Since our last Annual Meeting, Australian and New Zealand Jews, in common with co-religionists throughout the world, have experienced the manifold anxieties atten- dant upon the armed and ideological conflicts between the powers in the arena of the Middle East. For the moment, fears have receded before the pleasurable anticipation of the celebration during the coming year of the Tenth Anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel. Noteworthy among happenings in our midst has been the progress registered in the development of a community centre within the walls of the eighty-year-old House of Worship of the senior congregation of Australia—the Great Synagogue, Sydney. An itensification of Jewish life may well be anticipated, should the "centre" movement become the norm throughout our communities. The ceremony of the opening of the Great Synagogue War Memorial Centre was performed by the Governor-General of the Common- wealth of Australia, Field-Marshal Sir William Slim, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., G.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., on 22nd July, 1956. Eighteenth Annual Report 327

Rabbi L. A. Falk, one of the four founders of our Society, died on 6th May, 1957. His special contribution to the organisation of this Society is referred to elsewhere in this Journal. His memory is perpetuated in the Rabbi L. A. Falk Library, which is part of the Great Synagogue War Memorial Centre. The ceremony of the opening of the Library was performed on 11th August, 1957, by Sir Charles Bickerton Blackburn, Kt., O.B.E., Chancellor of the University of Sydney, in the presence of Mrs. Falk and her family and a representative gathering of interested Jewish and non-Jewish citizens. In the Library hangs a portrait of Rabbi Falk, the work of Miss Valerie Lazarus. At the Seventeenth Annual Meeting on 28th August, 1956, Mr. David J. Benjamin, LL.B., gave an interesting address on the subject matter of his paper, "The Sydney Hebrew Certified Denominational School," which paper is printed in part 5 of this Volume. The retiring President, Honorary Officers and Honorary Auditor were re-elected at this meeting. The General Meeting on 20th December, 1956, was devoted to an appreciation of the writings of the late Nathan F. Spielvogel, an Honorary Member of the Com- mittee, who died in September, 1956. From the publication of some of his works, issued by the Victorian branch of this Society, representative readings were made by members of the Committee, and comments made by the Chairman and several speakers on the importance of his writings from the historical, literary and community viewpoints. Copies of the publication are available from the Honorary Secre- taries of the Society and of the Victorian branch at a cost of two guineas. The Committee hopes for a wide sale of this book—the first publication undertaken by the Society. The Annual Report of the Victorian branch of this society signed by its Chairman, Sir Archie Michaelis, follows at the conclusion of this report. At the annual celebration of Anzac Day at the N.S.W. Jewish War Memorial, Mr. M. Z. Forbes, a member of our Committee, placed a wreath on the memorial, on behalf of our members. The Committee regrets to record the deaths of Orwell Phillips, a benefactor and foundation member of this Society and a grandson of Moses Moss, one of the earliest worthies of N.S.W. Jewry; Lee M. Friedman, a former 328: Australian Jewish Historical Society

President of the American Jewish Historical Society and a foundation member and member of this Society up to the time of his death; Mrs. A. M. Cohen, Dr. Maurice Ginsberg and M. H. Cohen, all of Sydney. A benefaction was received during the year from the Misses M., N. and A. Hollander, and one benefaction from Mrs. Victor I. Cohen, M.B.E., in memory of her brother, Mr. Percy Brighton Cohen. Mr. Harry Lesnie made a further donation of £15 and was elected by the Committee as a Benefactor Member. All three benefactions are recorded for the first time in this number. Mr. Justice Sugerman made a donation of £10/10/- towards the Society's funds before he and Mrs. Sugerman left for a tour abroad. Members are again urged to pay their subscriptions at the time of the first call and not to wait to be reminded by letter. Our printing, publication and administration charges exceed the total received from members in the form of annual subscriptions. Avoidable expenditure for reminder-letters, postages and typewriting, resulting from the members being tardy in remitting payments, adds to the labours of the already over-worked honorary officers and delays the issue of the Journal, so that it has not been possible to maintain a minimum quota of two Journals a a year. Including benefactors and life members and members of the Victorian Branch, there were 201 members financial for the year 1956, and 30 new members joined for the year 1957. On behalf of the Committee,

I. PORUSH, President.

SYDNEY B. GLASS, Hon. Secretary. 26th November, 1957.

N.B.—In the list .of the benefactions in memory of deceased persons, Mrs. William Cohen should read William L. and Gladys N. Cohen. Australian Jewish Historical Society Statement of Receipts and Payments for Year ended 31st December, 1956

RECEIPTS PAYMENTS £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. To Balance as at 31/12/55 107 14 11 By Printing, Stationeryr^1nd Postage 257 8 9 Insurance 1 4 0 il ״ —Subscriptions ״ Exchange 4 ״ Other than from Victorian Branch 161 15 5 Remittances from Victorian ,, Refund 8 12 ^ General Expenses 7 3 0 ״ Branch 39 18 0 | Subscriptions to other Societies 8 8 0 ״ 5 13 201 • Subscriptions to other Journals 2 2 0 ״ Interest 2 5 5 ״ ^ Balance—Commonwealth Savings Bank of ״ Exchange 6 ,, | Sale of "Journals" 1 10 0 of Australia as at 31/12/56 90 6 8 ״ £ Donations 20 10 0 ״ & Benefactions—Mr. Harry Lesnie 15 0 0 ״ Advance by Secretary 24 14 10 ״

£373 9 1, £373 9 1 o

I have examined the books and vouchers of the Australian Jewish Historical Society for the year ended 31st December, 1956, and hereby certify that the above Statement of Receipts and Payments is in accordance therewith. (Signed) D. BOLOT, A.T.C.A., F.A.S.A., Hon. Auditor. (Signed) A. D. ROBB, F.C.A. (Aust.), SYDNEY, 23rd September, 1957. Hon. Treasurer. CO to 330: Australian Jewish Historical Society

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE VICTORIAN BRANCH OF THE AUSTRALIAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY FOR THE YEAR 1956

The Victorian branch of the Australian Jewish His- torical Society in presenting this, its second Annual Report, is pleased to record a year of steady achievement. As in the previous year, three meetings have been held in private homes. At each of them papers were or will have been presented, followed by active discussion. The first was held on 22nd March, 1956, at the home of Mr. A. N. Super, M.A., LL.B. Papers were presented by guest speaker Mr. J. K. Moir, O.B.E., on "The Foundations of Melbourne," from Murray's voyage in 1802, until the building of the Bourke Street Synagogue in 1847, and by Mr. L. E. Fredman, M.A., LL.B., on "Bendigo Jewry," which described the personalities and decline of an inland goldfields community. Our guest is tireless in spreading a knowledge and understanding of Australian history and literature, and his visit was a source of especial pleasure. The second was held on 16th August at the home of Dr. Shannon, when a paper was presented by Mr. R. Apple on "A Bird's-Eye View of Australian Jewish History." This was a thorough survey of the field, with many sugges- tions for future work. At the meeting to-night at the home of Rabbi Dr. I. Rapaport, papers will be presented by the host on "Jewry in England," and by Mr. Fredman on "The Contribution of British Jewry to the Cultural Life of England Since Readmission." The purpose is, of course, to mark the Tercentenary of readmission to England, marked in Eng- land itself by a spectacular banquet in the presence of the Duke of Edinburgh, and by various exhibitions. The branch is also marking the occasion by holding an essay competition for children organised by Mr. Apple. All the Jewish schools and the Jewish press have been notified and several entries received. The Temple Beth Israel marked the occasion of the Tercentenary in August, and Mr. Fredman, as Secretary, was invited to speak on behalf of the Society. In August, arrangements were completed with the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and the eight items in the attached schedule were placed in a locked safe in the Annual Report of Victorian Branch 331

Synagogue building. The branch has now begun its collection of Archives, and members and others are urged to place letters, manuscripts, press cuttings of significance of other material in this repository for safe keeping and to facilitate study. The material can be inspected by arrangement with the Secretary. The branch now has 43 financial members. The numbers must be increased, especially among students and members of cultural organisations, if the Society is to exert its due influence in the life of the Jewish community, and to obtain financial security. However, it is pleasing to note that almost all the members are active. Members are urged to forward their annual subscriptions promptly in January of next year without reminder. The Committee elected at the annual meeting held on 10th November, 1955, is :— Chairman: Sir Archie Michaelis. Liaison Officer: Rabbi L. M. Goldman, M.A. Treasurer: Mr. Stuart Cohen. Secretary: Mr. L. E. Fredman, M.A., LL.B. Members: Dr. II. Shannon, M.D., Dr. J. Leon Jona, M.A., D.Sc., Messrs. A. N. Super, M.A., LL.B., W. Jona, H. Munz, R. Apple, I. Solomon, Misses H. Feuerman, F. Rosenberg and E. Yoffa. ' All positions fall open at the annual meeting, and all members are capable of re-election. In point of fact, the rules of the parent body limit the Committee numbers to an ,Executive, and six members with two co-options. In August, Rabbi Goldman and Mr. Fredman received their degrees of Master of Arts in the School of History. Rabbi Goldman's forthcoming history of the Jews in New Zealand is eagerly awaited. It is with deep regret that we record the passing on 10th September of the late Nathan Spielvogel, a revered leader of Australian literature, a universally-honoured citizen of Ballarat, and a foundation member of this Society. For twelve months the branch had been planning, with his ready co-operation, the publication of a selection of his stories on Jewish themes. In recent letters to the Secretary he arranged to sign the copies of the limited edition, and stated that he eagerly awaited the first bound copies. A telegram and the first copy have been sent to his widow, who took such keen interest in his many activities, 332: Australian Jewish Historical Society expressing the Society's deepest sympathy. An Obituary has been written by the Secretary at the Editor's request, for inclusion in the Journal. The book is now available, and members are urged to obtain their copies and inform their friends before this limited and only edition has been exhausted. It is with deep regret that we also record the passing on 30th November of the late Morris Plotkin, a foundation member of the branch and an active and highly esteemed worker for many communal organisations. ARCHIE MICHAELIS, Chairman.

SCHEDULE 1 1. Mogen Dovid, from the exterior of the Bendigo Synagogue (1873-1921). 2. Sepia photograph of an illuminated address presented to Baron de Worms in 1885 by the Jewish Congregations of Victoria, presented by Mr. Super. Pictures of the various synagogues are conveniently assembled in the margin. 3. Order of Service for the consecration of St. Kilda Synagogue, 1927, presented by Mr. A. Berrick, 4. Order of Service for the consecration of Toorak Synagogue, 1930, presented by Mr. A. Berrick. 5. Reception programme to mark Rabbi Danglow's Golden Jubilee, 1955, presented by Mr. L. E. Fredman, M.A., LL.B. 6. Reproduction of the first Report of the Committee of the Sydney Synagogue, 1845, presented by the Australian Jewish Historical Society, Sydney. 7. Order of Service and special issue of the Journal to mark opening of the Great Synagogue War Memorial Centre, 1956, presented by the A.J.H.S., Sydney. 8. Bundle of papers dealing with Brandeis University, Boston, U.S.A., presented by the A.J.H.S., Sydney. 9. Illuminated Address presented to Mr. H. Levinson by the Ballarat Hebrew Congregation in 1877, presented by Mrs. L. Gross. 10. One Hundred Years, the story of the Melbourne Hebrew Congre- gation (1941). 11. The Great Synagogue, Jubilee Souvenir (1878-1928), Sydney. 12. Laws and Regulations of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, 1920. 13. Order of Service on laying the foundation stone of the St. Kilda Synagogue, February, 1926, together with admission ticket to the consecration ceremony, March, 1927. 14. Copy of Minutes of meeting held 3rd September, 1871, to found a St. Kilda Congregation, issued at the time of a dispute over the same.

# Jewish Genealogy of Sir John Monash 333

15. The same as No. 14, in a pamphlet, with additional material, presented by Sir Archie Michaelis. 16. Order of Service at St. Kilda Synagogue, Coronation, 1937. 17. Programme at Farewell to Rabbi Brodie, 1937 18. Order of Memorial Service for Sir John Monash, October, 1931, 19. Order of Memorial Service for Sir Isaac Isaacs, Febuary, 1948. 20. Order of Service for the Dedication of the Temple Beth Israel. 21. Photograph and autographs of the Palestine Soccer team which visited Australia in 1939, presented by them to Sir Archie Michaelis, and by him to the Archives. 22. Early certificates for inscription in the Golden Book of the Jewish National Fund, 1910-11, presented by Dr. H. Shannon. (Items 10 to 21 inclusive were presented by Sir Archie Michaelis.)

A Note on the Jewish Genealogy of Sir John Monash BY RAYMOND APPLE Apart from the references in Mr. Perry's paper and in the late Colonel A. W. Hyman's article in Vol. 2 of this Journal, some interesting autobiographical information as to Monash's Jewish genealogy is found in a letter he wrote to Professor A. A. Roback on 6th October, 1930. Professor Roback, who is now Head of the Psychology Department at Emerson College, U.S., was at that time in Berlin, and they were regular correspondents for some years. The letter referred to above, as reprinted from the American Press in the Australian Jewish News of 19th November, 1943, reads in part:— "My grandfather was B. L. Monash (Monasch), of Krotoschin, Province Posen, East Prussia, near Breslau. He was a printer and book publisher, and in fact produced a complete set of Hebrew prayer books, etc., with German translation, as far back as the middle of the nineteenth century. This little town of Krotoschin was then close to the Russian border, and many learned Rabbis from Poland and Russia came to live temporarily in Krotoschin to have their works printed and published in my grandfather's establishment. "B. L. Monash's eldest daughter was Julia, my father's sister, and she married Heinrich Graetz, who was already related by blood with the Monash family. Graetz was then 334: Australian Jewish Historical Society

Privatdozent in the Breslau Seminary, and rose to the great eminence which he afterwards reached while living in Breslau. "I myself was born in Melbourne and graduated at the Melbourne University in Law, Engineering and Arts. I was for some time an engineering lecturer there, and have for the last twenty years been a member of the governing body (the Council) and for the last nine years have been Vice-Chancellor. "I chose Engineering as a Profession and am now head of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, which has an investment of the order of £20,000,000 in a state-wide electricity supply scheme, which is paying its way handsomely. "With very kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

J. H. MONASH; ji Benefactions have been received in memory || ji of the following: j: ERNEST SAMUEL MARKS, C.B.E. !; ji ADOLPH AND AMELIA ALEXANDER. jl GERALD AND ISABELLE BENJAMIN. jj י | I; ERNEST R. BARUCH. || ;I SIMON JOSEPH GUSS. || j| SIR SAMUEL AND LADY COHEN. -j j- HYAM SHOLOM AND KATHLEEN HIMMELFERB. || |: HERMAN AND RACHEL AHRONSON. || !; .WILLIAM L. AND GLADYS N. COHEN י- I; ELIAS AND LEBA GREEN. :; ji SIR BENJAMIN BENJAMIN AND LADY BENJAMIN. |> !ALFRED AND MAY PHILLIPS. j י- I; FREDERICK DAVID AND ESTHER ZILLAH MICHAELIS. ;; I; JACOB AND EMMA GLASS. !j ;1 PERCY BRIGHTON COHEN. j! Australian Jewish Historical Society Corresponding Member for Great Britain : CECIL ROTH, 31 Charlbury Road, Oxford.

Representative of the Society for United States of America : Miss FANNY GOLDSTEIN, West End Branch, Library of the City of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Benefactor Members: Mrs. ISEAEL GREEN. SIMON GREEN. RALPH SYMONDS. HARRY LESNIE.

Life Members: Mrs. RONALD BRASS, B.A. GORDON M. ALEXANDER. ARTHUR D. ROBB, F.C.A. (Aust.). Mrs. ARTHUR D. ROBB.

Members of Publication Committee : SYDNEY B. GLASS. DAVID J. BENJAMIN, LL.B. HERBERT I. WOLFF.

The amount of the subscription payable by a member is one guinea per annum, commencing from the 1st of January in each year. A person donating an amount of not less than £25 in one sum may be elected by the Committee a Benefactor Member of the Society. —(From the Bules of the Society.)