Istorical ~Ocietp NEWSLETTER
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- ·- ..... ~stralian Jetuisb J!,istorical ~ocietp NEWSLETTER ti Member of the JCA Family of communal organisations Page 1 No 31 (July 1994) ISSN-0816-714-1 A. Forthcoming Functions • Genealogical Day at the Sydney Jewish Museum on 28 August 1994, (1 .00-5.30 pm). This will have as its focus matters genealogical and various microfilm records amongst others will be available for research. • 4 October at 7.30pm. Alan Milston - Friends of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem • 21 November at 7.30pm. The AGM with Di Ritch, Oral Historian. B. The Research Library and Archives 1. Donations: • From Abe Segal on behalf of Rae Horne, wife of the late Harry Horne. Photograph of interior ofBankstown Synagogue (1920's) together with a brief history by Mr Home. Tree certificates in memory of and sporting certificates presented to Albert Horne, DFM, who lost his life in the Second World War. • We have received from the Jewish Heritage Society in Moscow, a valuable document. It is the first part of the Guide to Jewish Documental holdings in repositories of the CIS recently published in the Preprints series of the Ji-IS in Moscow. Unfortunately, it is completely in Russian, however, anyone interested in consulting it should contact the archivist, Helen Bersten. • The AJHS Library is seeking a copy of the "History of the Jews of South Australia" by Hirsch Munz, published in 1936. Anyone who would care to donate a copy or can locate one in a secondhand bookshop is requested to contact the Archivist on 261-8407. • Pauline Jenkins of the NSW War Memorial has been authorised to donate to the Society's Archives a fine collection of material relating to the history of the War Memorial. Ms Jenkins will shortly list all the items (a condition of the donation) and the AJHS acquisitions committee will then seek advice about preservation of these items, specifically valuable official documents and ephemera which have been glued onto a book originally used for recording hiring requests for the Maccabean Hall in the 1920s. • Mr Terry Lyons has forwarded the third and final draft of the "Launceston Lyons". This is a most useful booklet for anyone researching family in that part of the world. Our grateful thanks to Terry for all his hard work . .• • ~. Page 2 2. Information: We have recently had translated two Gets which have been held by the Society for many years. One dates from 1916, the other from 1936. The first is from Joseph, son of Isaac Zacharia to his wife Ira, daughter ofEliezer Solomon. The second is from Moshe (known as Morris) son of Shlomo to Bliia Sarah, daughter of Eliezer. After many years we have had a translation made of a very old sheet of paper, possibly from a family Bible. It covers the dates from 1763 to 1815 and is a family list of Abraham and his wife Rizda, his sons Aaron and Mordechai and their children. Abraham mentions the city ofNiachborutz and pupils he taught there in 1765. He returned home in 1780 and prayed that his house should become a meeting place, a place oflearning and open home for the community. His son Aaron continues the family history and mentions his wife was from Usdrad and his sister from Bashmerade. Our grateful thanks to Esther Bunce! for the translations of this document and the Gets. 3. Purchases: • Convict records of Western Australia by Gillian O'Mara. • Jewish monumental inscriptions from Rookwood Cemetery on microfiche. C. Rabbi Lazarus Morris Goldman 1994 marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of "The Jews in Victoria in the Nineteenth Century" by Rabbi Goldman, a book whose publication clearly represents an initial high point in the study of this country's Jewish history. It is filled with so many anecdotes that the recording of these wonderful stories possibly explains the long absence of further studies in the Society's Journal on Victorian Jewish history from last century. I am delighted that the Society has marked this anniversary with a personal appreciation of Rabbi Goldman in the latest edition of the Journal by Isidor Solomon, a past President of The Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, and an active committee member of many years standing of our sister Society in Victoria. D. Descendants of First Fleet Any members who are descended from First Fleet or early fleet arrivals are asked to contact the Sydney Jewish Museum (360 7999) for invitations to their 1995 Australia Day commemoration. E. Condolences to Mr and Mrs Ochert. The Society extends to Mr and Mrs Ochert its sympathy on the death of Fanny Ravdell, mother of Mrs Ochert. Members may recall that in the December 1992 newsletter, Mr Ochert wrote in part about the 1919 Brisbane Peace Procession including a photograph of Mrs Ravdell as the Statute of Liberty. Page 3 F. New South Wales Benevolent Society - Neville Milston Omitted from mention in the last newsletter on recent appointments as life governor of the NSW Benevolent Society, was Neville Milston. Neville is an honorary life member of NAJEX and was for many years its honorary secretary. He is also a member of this Society. G. Congratulations To Mr Forbes The Law Society Journal for July 1994 reports that Morris Forbes, Fellow of our Society and a life member of the Law Society ofNSW, was this year's winner of that Society's Ls.I Writers Award for an outstanding contribution published in the Law Society Journal. Mr Forbes' article was entitled "Winds of change felt in traditional practice". H. Clean-up at Rookwood Cemetery - Heritage Day The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies has agreed to include the August (Rookwood) Cemetery clean-up project as an annual event in the communal calendar. Under the auspices of the North Shore Temple Emanuel, the aim of Heritage Day is to weed and clean the older sections ofRookwood's Jewish section. This year, the planned date is Sunday, 14 August 1994 - in case of wet weather, the clean-up will be postponed by one week to 2 I August. If members have any queries concerning the day, they can contact Garry Braude of the Temple Emanuel Community Support Group on 969 6194 (business hours). I. New South Wales Savage Club (from Helen Bersten) An intriguing puzzle has arisen from a photograph held in the Mitchell Library in Sydney. It was taken by a Balmain photographer, Joseph Thomas, possibly about 1903 and shows the president and past presidents of the Savage Club. These men are identified as A B Pyke, George Moss and Hyam Hains. No other information about the Club is available except for an item in the Hebrew Standard in January 1898 when Mrs Mark Barnett died at a reunion of the New South Wales Savage Club at Sans Souci. The president of the Savage Club, Hyam Hains, attended the funeral. Pyke, Moss and Hains were all related, Moss and Pyke being cousins , descendants of Mordechai Moses and Hains being married to Pyke's sister. AB Pyke was a furniture dealer, George Moss a customs agent and Hyam Hains an auctioneer. All these men were deceased by 1934 when the Sydney Savage Club, which still exists, began its life. The present members of the Sydney Savage Club know nothing about the previous New South Wales Savage Club and yet the photograph was given to the Mitchell Library in 1953 by Adrian Ashton, who wrote the history of the later club! Was it a specifically Jewish Club? Where did it meet? Who were its members? How long had it been in existence when it held a reunion in 1898? Other Savage Clubs existed last century in London, Adelaide and Melbourne and one existed in New Zealand prior to 1934. They were men's social clubs. The London club was made up of Bohemians, professional writers, artists, musicians and actors. The Sydney club members are men interested in the arts and sciences. Page 4 There is plenty of information at the Mitchell Library about the Sydney Savage Club, but the earlier one is a complete mystery. J. The Hobart Synagogue Sesquicentenary (1845-1995) 1995 is the sesquicentenary of the opening of the Hobart synagogue. It was ceremonially opened on 4 July 1845 and the following e>.1ract has been taken from the "Colonial Times and Tasmanian" of Tuesday, 8 July 1845: "The interesting ceremony of the dedication of the Synagogue took place on Friday the 4th instant, in the presence of a congregation which occupied even to pressure (although admitted by tickets issues with great restriction), the whole capacity of the beautiful little edifice, and was composed of the elite of the town and neighbourhood. Sir John and Lady Pedder, Judge Montagu, Colonel and Mrs Elliott, Captain and Mrs Forster, Captain and Mrs Swanston, Captain and Mrs Forth, Mr and Mrs Dunn jnr., Mrs and the Misses Dunn, Mr & Mrs Augustus Wilmot, Mr & Mrs Edward Macdowell, Mr T Macdowell, Mr & Mrs Hone, Mr & Mrs Lewis, Mr & Mrs Watchhorn, Mr & Mrs Carter, Mr & Mrs W Robertson, Captain and Mrs Read, Mr & Mrs Murray, the Rev. Dr and Mrs Bedford, the Rev. Mr Fry and several Clergyman of the established Church ofEngland, several officers of the 51 st K. O.L.I. Mr Elliston, Mr Macdougall, Mr Wilson and Mr Hall, proprietors of the Hobart Town newspapers; in a word, all that the building could contain of the respectable inhabitants. The ceremony commenced with one ofHaydn's most favourite symphonies admirably performed by a choice orchestra led by Monsieur Gautrot, Mr Reichenberg presiding at the piano. The choir was admirable, and singing of very first order; the melodies beautiful, and the harmonies perfect.