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Alan Morris z”l

December 3, 2009

Dear Fay, Amir, Ronit, Michal, Yael and all the family, 

We have been friends for 50 years and, although we have only seen each other at rare intervals, our friendship has lasted all this time.

Alan has not had it easy and thus it affected all of you too, yet he always did his best to reduce the burden on everyone else, always tried to be cheerful and managed (with you, Fay) to raise a family that he was proud of and all of you can be proud of.

We have been blessed to know Alan and all of you and to count you as friends. 

Alan will be greatly missed yet we feel comforted by the fact that we know he made the most of every moment in his life and was always surrounded by a loving family.

May the Lord comfort you among the mourners of Zion and may you know no more sorrow.

 Your friemds,

Heather and Danny

SO VERY SORRY TO HEAR THIS.

Please pass my heartfelt condolences to Faye and the family.

May he rest in peace.

Frida Sheiner

Thank you for letting us know of Alan's passing. I remember Alan as a great mefaked machane and madrich who was always willing to listen to everyone and related to one and all with a smile and a friendly manner.

A great loss to all of us.

Bish

Netanya.

Bob Shteinman z”l

October 29, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

Click on photo to enlarge.

 

  •  I have fond memories of Bob. (yes, my memory does go that far back) as one of nature's gentleman, and areal "mensch, imbued with "hadari Betar". Please convey my sincere sympathy to yourselves, family and friends on his passing. Best wishes, - Peter Wagner

 

Bob Shteinman was a true individual and a great character who has left a significant legacy to the Sydney Jewish community and most especially the Zionist movement.

Bob will long be remembered by the community for his involvement with the Betar youth movement and his role as one of the founders of Masada College.  The very name of the school was his suggestion.

 Bob was a very charismatic man, and it seems that those from his generation, male or female, cannot reminisce about him without mentioning his strikingly handsome looks and charm.

Boris Lazarus Shteinman was born in Harbin, China in 1929, the only child of Zinaida Hootoransky - formerly of Chelyabinsk, Siberia - and Lazar Shteinman, originally of Odessa, in the Ukraine. Lazar and Zina had independently relocated to China from Russia following the Communist Revolution of 1917. When Bob was six they moved to Tienstin where Lazar established a successful dry goods store. 

From an early age Bob’s  individual streak showed itself when he was expelled from Tienstin Jewish School, apparently for brandishing a knife and threatening to do certain things to a teacher named Nachman, who happened to be observing from a doorway. (Many years later the adult Bob visited Mr Nachman in America,  taking care to make amends.) At Tientsin’s Catholic school, Bob encountered some anti-semitism and so resolved to be the best scripture student in the school. He eventually convinced his parents - and the school - to be accepted back into the Tienstin Jewish School.

 Bob’s life in China was privileged but also adventurous. The cinema was a beloved pastime, but more profound was the Jewish youth movement. Betar played a central role in the life of the Jewish youth in Tienstin and particular in Bob’s life. He would recall how on the eve of Rosh Hashana the Rabbi would march down the main street towards the synagogue leading the Betar marching band. Through the movement Bob received both a love and knowledge about Zionism and Jewish history, as well as the qualities of respect, loyalty and Hadar that stood him in good stead all his life.

 Bob Shteinman’s experience of war was thankfully benign, certainly when compared to that of his generation in most other parts of the world – including China. Bob, then a worldly youth, set fire to a German newspaper publisher that identified itself by hanging Nazi swastika flags on its outside,.  Apprehended by the police , Bob was released into the care of his exasperated father. A generation later his children would refer to him as the “Torch of Tienstin”.

 Following the retreat of the Japanese many US servicemen visited Tienstin, and the Jewish soldiers among them were surprised and delighted to accept Shteinman hospitality in that remote corner, as Zina would open the house to feed and entertain them. Bob greatly enjoyed the company of these older Jewish Americans and as a consequence of spending so much time with them Bob spoke with an American accent for the rest of his life. 

Then came the civil war between the Chinese Communist and Nationalists. Again, there was little impact on foreigners at first, although Bob had amazing stories of being stranded in a train with his parents for a couple of days on the way to summer holidays at the coast, stuck in crossfire between warring militias. On another occasion, he was in the cinema, which he loved to attend, where in the climax of the British war movie Gunga Din, machine gunfire from the dress circle felled people sitting three rows ahead of him . 

Eventually the communists got the upper hand, and it was clearly time to leave. In 1947, at the age of eighteen, Bob travelled ahead of his parents to Australia, accompanying family friends Joe and Harry Triguboff. As soon as he was settled in Sydney Bob completed his matriculation and began studying Chemistry at the University of Sydney. 

Bob became the first Betar Mefaked (leader) in New South Wales under the auspices of the founder of Betar in Sydney, Hans Dreyer. Already steeped in Betar knowledge and traditions from his time in China, Bob was able to effectively build and lead the movement. His chanachim from that time hold in him in very high esteem. Many had escaped Europe and lost their family, or were child survivors of the Holocaust, and this lean and  confident leader, exuding a deep sense of pride and Zionist fervour, was of great comfort and inspiration.

 One chanich now living in Israel, Danny Rosing wrote on hearing of Bob’s passing:

  “His charm, enthusiasm and warm personality was infectious
and influenced all of us who grew up in Betar under his guidance.” 

In that emotional era surrounding the establishment of Israel not all parts of the Jewish community were welcoming of Betar, but Bob and Hans were confident in their beliefs. Notwithstanding his strongly held ideological views, Bob always maintained friendships and cordial relations with those from the other side of the political spectrum. Indeed, some are here today.  

Bob’s father Lazar established one of Sydney’s first army disposal stores in Sydney in the Haymarket area. Bob was a first rate salesman. Customers seeking nothing more than a belt would walk out overloaded with a full set of camping gear, and more. As Russian Jewish émigrés from China arrived Lazar would find employment for them, and with Bob, would teach them the business. They would then set up their own disposal stores around the corner, such that the Chinatown/Haymarket area became known for its cluster of army disposal stores. Bob used to refer to the shop as the “University of Dispozology”. Lazar was generous in this way and taught Bob that one’s “name” - as in “reputation” - was everything. Bob lived his life by that wisdom and made certain that his children absorbed the same vital lesson. 

By 1955 Bob had saved enough to travel the world for an extended period. He  spent a year in Israel, including work at the Haifa Oil Refinery, and then toured Europe for months on a Vespa motorcycle. 

After returning to Australia, and an active social life, he met and married Diane Mahemoff, a Melbourne girl. They met in Surfers Paradise where Bob had charmed Diane’s grandmother with his proficiency in Russian. 

Bob spent some time in the cardboard box manufacturing industry before he began developing properties, starting with apartment blocks and then building nursing homes.  

Bob enjoyed life immensely, and he was an eminently practical man who enjoyed skiing and boating, and built a boat with his own hands. His younger cousin David Gorovic remembers arriving in Australia with his widowed mother in the early 1960s, to be taken under Bob’s wing. The two cousins would drive around in Bob’s big green Chevrolet, singing stirring Russian songs as they visited construction sites.  

Bob had a slight resemblance to Gregory Peck which, combined with his American accent, led to funny incidents . On one occasion the waitresses in a Japanese restaurant could not supress nervous giggles as they served a gentleman they thought was the star of Roman Holiday, right here in Sydney.

Demonstrating independence, even from the mainstream lifestyle of Sydney Jewry, Bob and Diane built a dream house on a “difficult” site in Castlecrag, deep in the nature of the lower North Shore. By this time they were the parents of David, and as Jonathan and Ruth arrived, the house plan was expanded.

Given the family’s commitment to Jewish life and Zionism, the issue of the children’s education was brewing. Along with a handful of pioneering families they resolved to establish the North Shore’s first Jewish day school. When it came time to name the school there was a tendency towards commemorating a significant Anglo-Jewish personality. Bob insisted on a connection to Israel. This was 1965, prior to the Six Day War and not many people had heard of, let alone visited the recent excavations at Masada. Bob considered the story of the defiant stronghold inspiring and appropriate for a school. By amazing coincidence, in the week that the founders were to name the school, the Daily Mirror’s weekly historical feature was the story of the Jewish heroism that is the story of Masada. Bob brought a copy for each Board member and the matter was settled. Today, in its fifth decade, Masada boasts an enrolment of over 500, and an estimable academic profile.  

Bob’s own family, of course, were in the first wave of Masada children. Each in their own individual way, David, Jonathan and Ruth are fortified by aspects of their father’s character: his mental agility and burning curiosity for knowledge, his pragmatic resolve, his wry humour and talent for cutting to the core of a problem in order to defeat it. They, in turn, have with their partners nurtured a new generation of young people of whom Bob was proud. And the tribe increases yet. 

With Masada firmly established Bob continued his Zionist activities as secretary and treasurer of the United Zionist Revisionist Organisation which later became  the Friends of Herut and then Friends of Likud associations. He staged memorable Yiddish movie screenings at the historic Wintergarden Cinema in Rose Bay, amongst other venues, to raise funds for the cause. He ably supported and encouraged Diane in her many activities, which spanned from involvement with Masada to a position as head of the Soviet Jewry Campaign, roles with WIZO and the Jewish Communal Appeal,  and eventually a term as President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. 

In 1976, as many of you are aware, Bob was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The disease initially had little tangible effect; it was a very slow degenerative process. Bob sought advice and treatment as far afield as New York State’s  famous Mayo Clinic and health resorts in Romania. To escape the enervating Australian summers he would take three month sojourns in Crete.

Bob continued to work, running his nursing homes, and even skiing and travelling, but by the late eighties his mobility was very affected. Bob was stoic throughout, even when his debilitation advanced. To the constant amazement of those around him Bob never, ever complained – not a single utterance of self-pity. He was lovingly cared for by his wife Diane and in due course carers were brought in. 

 Under the ministrations of a dedicated team Bob enjoyed the company of his children and ever expanding number of grandchildren. Not only did Bob live to the age of 80, celebrating his birthday in July this year in three separate occasions, but he and Diane were able to commemorate their half century together. The medical marvel of Bob’s long life is a testament to his strength of character and body, and to the care, love and devotion of his family and carers. His family offer their appreciation to Watson and Liu, who are here today.

 Greatest credit, of course, must go to Diane Shteinman who devoted so much of her life to Bob’s care, especially in the last 30 yeas. She did this also stoically, never complaining and ever innovative in seeking to maintain Bob’s comfort and  dignity. 

It gives us pause to think that Bob outlived nearly every one of his peers from his earlier life, except those who emigrated to Israel. 

Bob's legacy is a life that embodied that triumphant declaration of Jabotinsky: “A Jew is a prince!”  

Bob was always true to the principles of Hadar -Jewish nobility and self respect - honouring others, especially his parents and the elderly. He adhered to principles, no matter the cost.  

Those of us who love him will always remember his wry sense of humour, and his love of action and adventure.  

And let us not forget his deep and lifelong love for Israel.  

These legacies have certainly been passed on to his children and grandchildren.

 

SHTEINMAN, Bob.
October 29, 2009

Passed away peacefully at home in Castlecrag. Beloved husband of Diane, adored father of David, Jonathan and Ruth.
Loving father-in-law of Kirsten, Claire and Ian. Cherished grandfather of Eva, Hannah, Zev, Bart, Rebecca, Joe and Lena.
Patient sufferer at rest.

The relatives and friends of the late BOB SHTEINMAN are invited to attend his funeral to leave the Chevra Kadisha Memorial Hall, 172 Oxford Street, Woollahra, tomorrow Sunday (November 1, 2009), after a service to commence at 10.30 a.m. for the Jewish Cemetery Rookwood.
 


 
Frank Stein z”l

 

 

 

 

He was called "the face of Australian Jewry in Israel," so it is not surprising that several hundred Australian Israelis showed up yesterday [April 2009] for the funeral of Frank Stein, the former director of the Zionist Federation of Australia's Israel office.

Stein died Monday at the age of 52 of kidney failure, after a brief but intense battle with cancer.

 The illustrious group of mourners who gathered in Jerusalem's Har Hamenucha cemetery included prominent Anglo Israelis such as Australian ambassador James Larsen, Ehud Barak's brother Muli Brog and countless representatives from organizations that deal with Diaspora-Israel relations and immigrants, such JNF, Birthright Israel and the Jewish Agency for Israel.
  
Stein was born in Brisbane, where he became involved with the Zionist youth movement Betar at a young age. After he moved to Sydney, he continued his community work for Hineni, where he led programs for young Australian Jews.

 In 1985, he moved to Jerusalem, where he worked for several organizations dealing with Diaspora youth and assisting English-speaking immigrants in Israel. He went on to become director of the Zionist Federation of Australia's local office, a position he left last year to serve as an Israeli emissary in South Africa. He spent three months there.

 "He always wanted to help others but never wanted help himself," said his brother Benny Stein, who lives in Tel Aviv. "Frank was a very private person. He was always totally reliable."

 Stein's sister Hannah Cunningham, who flew in from Australia earlier this week and spent four hours at her brother's hospital bed before he passed away, added: "He was a giver, not a taker. Giving to other people, that was his pleasure in life."

Stein never married. He is survived by his father George and four siblings, most of whom still live in Brisbane. 

(See also http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/69974/-obituary-frankie-stein-a-really-good-bloke.html)

By Raphael Ahren, Haaretz Correspondent 

   

DAVID BEN DAVID z”l

d. March 29, 2008

 

 

David Ben David, when he studied in Melbourne, was a frequent visitor to Yosef and Dora Steiner’s house and attended many Betar activities including all the Betar camps in Melbourne.
At these camps he was the behind the scenes “organizer”, the man who made sure everything ran smoothly.
My friendship with David started at Kinglake West camp where he taught me everything I ever learnt about being a Madrich Toran. From then, over the years, my respect and affection for him continued to grow.
May he rest in peace!

Danny Rosing

 

(Adapted from David’s son, Eliran’s graveside eulogy, on Sunday,23rd of Adar Beth 5668, 30th of March 2008).

One of the fateful decisions that shaped David’s life and later that of all his family was the decision of a young mother, just before the Nazis’ entry into Poland, to send her only son, alone, on a transcontinental journey by train and ship to the Land of Israel. That young mother was Rivka, David’s mother. Did she know, that evening when she brought David to the train , that she will not see him again and in later years know his children and grandchildren?
My grandmother, David’s mother, was killed a short time later by the Nazis, but her decision gave David and his family life.

David had an amazing life, with many difficult times; he knew how to overcome all of these – he was curious, an activist, autodidactic scholar and in-depth researcher. He experienced every aspect of life – from being a leader in a Jewish students union in Australia to working as a forest ranger there, a journalist, from pearl trader in Africa to Lt. Colonel in Israel’s military intelligence. His activity in the Mossad is well known to many but the operations are still secret. At the signing of the peace agreement with Egypt David left his workplace, at the request of his friend Eliyahu Ben Elissar, to volunteer for the taskforce that was set up to organize Anwar Saadat’s visit to Israel. He put in a lot of work into activities for society, among them heading the Rotary Club in Savyon; and the list is still long, very long.

David was proud of being of the “1948 generation”, he was a member of the Haganah, a fighter in the Palmach, an officer in the Givati Brigade, took part in the fighting to secure the south of the country and Jerusalem, three times he was wounded, once close to death.

David was always surrounded by books, often falling asleep at 3 in the morning, with a book in his hands. David’s warm and empathic personality, with a highly ingrained sense of humour endeared him to almost everyone he came in contact with; he had the ability to communicate with everyone and was loved by many, from the most powerful to the simplest of workers.

He was a loving father to his two sons and deeply beloved by all his family, especially his grandchildren, of whom he was very proud.


(Adapted from David’s cousin’s graveside eulogy):

It was easy to love David, he was more than a cousin, he was a dear friend, fascinating, charming, wise and generous (sometimes overly so). He was a man of letters who knew many languages and had a deep knowledge of history, science, cultures and Judaism.
David was assertive and liked to argue, especially about national issues – he was a stubborn patriot who defended his patriotic views passionately and uncompromisingly, but always with reserve and respect for the views of others.
David was born in Russia and came to Israel at the age of three; he was then taken by his mother to Europe and returned at the encroachment of the Holocaust, an event that had a profound influence on his personality and beliefs.
His warmth, his sense of humour, his practical jokes and talented stories will be missed by all his friends and family, who saw him battle in silence and with courage, for many years, the deadly disease that finally overcame him.

May you rest in peace, David, and we will remember you always as you were at your best, with your mischievous smiling eyes, full of love and humanity.

 

IMMANUEL HOLDING z”l

Stone Setting March 31, 2008

 

SAM OFFMAN z”l

31.viii.1937 - 05.iii.2008

 

 

Eulogy
By Aaron Ninedek

I first met Sam when we both went to University High School back in about 1952.

I was a year or two ahead of him and Sam had this theory that people in more senior years ignored people in junior years.

While this possibly may be true it certainly wasn’t in Sam’s case. He was impossible to ignore. He was not the sort of person who would NOT be noticed.

It was not so much his red curly hair as the temperament that went with it. Not temper – but animation would be a better way to describe it. He loved to participate and enjoyed being part of the action. If there weren’t any action he would create some but never anything bad enough to get him into trouble.

We used to live near each other. I had to walk past his place in order to catch the bus, or the tram, or when we went to the footy (carna blues) or to meet up with our very good friend Phillip Mirjam. We called Phillip, FARPILLARPIP, using the code speak popular at that time. If Sam could hear us now I am sure there’d be a big smile on his face as he remembered FARPILLARPIP who died back in 1957.

While we were still at Uni High the famous card school started. Living near us were Ron Segal, Harry Scaife and Ernie Frederick. We became the core group and over time it expanded to include Ken Hamer, Mel Black, Daryl Burr, Roger Morris and numerous others who came and went.

We played cards together every week for more than thirty years and would you believe that we told the same jokes every week and we laughed at them every time. We had a reunion at Ron’s place in October 2004, about twenty years after we stopped playing regularly. Again we retold the same jokes and again we laughed at them.

Sam was there. He had a wonderful time, as did we all. Sadly, Harry Scaife was no longer with us for that night and since then we also have lost Daryl Burr. Ernie couldn’t make it that night but seven of the original group were there as well as Steve Leighton who joined in.

Phillip Mirjam was never part of our card school but he was an active member of Betar, a Zionist youth movement. Phillip was a charismatic personality and persuaded Sam and me to join. We became active members. In 1956 I was chosen to go to Israel on a year-long leadership training course at an academy known as the Machon. This was quite an honor because only four people were chosen to go from the whole of Australia in my year and expenses were fully covered by the Zionist Federation.

As I was coming back to Australia at the start of 1957, Sam was on his way to Israel. He was the next person from Betar chosen to go so I didn’t see him for two years – my year away plus his year away.

On our return we became even more active and rose to quite high leadership positions.

Apart from High School, the card school and Betar, Sam and I were good friends in other ways. Most of Betar’s activities happened around St Kilda and Caulfield so we people from Carlton had to hang out together a lot getting there and back and in between meetings. We’d also go to the footy together and on trips in his car – first a pale green FX Holden then later a darker green Ford Zephyr.

We’d also walk a lot. One year, we decided to go to Shul (i.e. synagogue) on Jewish New Year. Not allowed to drive or take public transport we walked. Someone asked us whether we went to Shul and we replied, “Yes we did.” And then we were asked, “Which one?” and we answered, “All of them!”

This was only a slight exaggeration because we started out from Sam’s place in North Carlton and walked to Talmud Torah or Tummo as we called it, which was only a short distance from his place. Then we walked from there to Carlton Shul, then to East Melbourne Shul, then all the way to Toorak Shul and eventually to St Kilda Shul. A total distance of some 10-12 km. I can’t remember if we went any further or how we got back. I suspect that we went on the second day, waited until dark and then caught a tram.

We also got good exercise throwing boomerangs. Yes, we made them come back. The only trouble was they usually came back to some place 100 meters away so we had to chase them. Or they would come back straight at us so fast that we had to make some pretty fast moves to get out of the way.

For as long as I knew him Sam was always turned out well. He even looked good in the school uniform and in the Betar uniform. He was popular, well-liked by all and made a tremendous first impression. He was well spoken, well-meaning, with considerable musical talent and an excellent leader.

We lost touch for a few years – he lived in Sydney for a while and also in America. But we picked up the friendship again over the past few years. The Betar youth movement created an enormous extended family and many of us are still in contact after more than 50 years. We even have our own website and CD where Sam is mentioned many times. We all remember the good bits and if there were any bad bits they have been forgotten.

Sadly, Sam is the third member of the card school that we have lost since 2000. Even though we don’t play much anymore, I feel certain that at some future date we’ll all be up there somewhere, sitting around the table, playing cards, still telling the same jokes that we always told and what’s more – still laughing at them.

 

IMMANUEL HOLDING z”l

31.i.1924 - 29.ix.2006

ADRIAN RAWLINS z”l

13.xi.1939 - 12.ix.2001

(Recently discovered obit. from Australian newspapers)

Also see www.milesago.com/Misc/Rawlins.htm

Statue photos inserted on April 23, 2007. Photos by Aaron Ninedek.

NAOMI KRONENBERG z”l

[8.xii.1940 – 11.iii.2004]

 

We are here not to mourn but to farewell Naomi--to complete a long and poignant leave-taking.

As a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend she was ever the well-named Naomi/ימענ: "pleasant to me", "my pleasantness", "the pleasantness of my life".

Naomi was a beautiful child, a graceful young lady, a woman of wisdom and judgment, of radiant tenderness and quiet strength.

She should have lived to be a serene and wise old woman, a mother-elder of her camp and tribe.

She, and we to our great loss, have been deprived of that.

She was, as we all knew her to be, far more than her modesty and diffidence permitted her own estimation to acknowledge.

She was in all things, as she was most evidently--both personally and professionally--with her words, in her use of language: precise, subtle, fastidious, ever thoughtful.

Not much more than that really needs to be said. To attempt to say more would be both inadequate and excessive, futile and diminishing.

And we all--husband, son, brother, family, friends—we have all seen her too much diminished lately to do that.

So pleasant, graceful and gracious a person deserved a gentle end.

But that [with the notable exception, thanks to the wonderful people at Clare Holland House, of her last 24 hours], that--a gentle end--she did not have.

Yet, right to the end, her going was her own project, her final work, undertaken in full character: work that she did, as always, well--with clarity and insight, discernment and courage, with will (understood not as "willfulness" but a finely focused intentionality) and dignity.

" ... םענ יכרד היכרד"

: םולשל וישכע "הביתנ ךרדו ..."

[Proverbs 3: 17 & 12:38]

All "her ways were the ways of pleasantness", and "her path", after great travail, has now led her to peace.

CSK

11.iii.2004/16.iii.2004

18 Adar 5764/23 Adar 5764

 

 

 

[From Sue Doobov in Israel March 11, 2004]

It is my sad duty to inform you that Naomi Kronenberg (Kessler) passed away mercifully and gently on March 11, 2004 at 6pm.

Naomi's funeral was held on Tuesday 16th March, 2004,  at the Woden Cemetery [Canberra, ACT].

A wonderful person no longer with us.

We wish Vernon and family 'long life'.

 

 

Friends,

 

For your information, below [and attached] is the text of the brief remarks I made at Naomi's funeral in Canberra yesterday.

As I have noted elsewhere, "the funeral, at long last, was yesterday. [I have just returned to Sydney.]

"A very large and diverse crowd was there, a great tribute both to her range of acquaintances and activities and to the depth of Naomi's impact on and contribution to them, their human indebtedness to her.

"It was done well.

"People stayed, didn't want to leave, and we all felt greatly consoled.

"Given what she was facing and we we told to expect, her affliction could all, quite easily and awfully, have gone on for another 6 hours, or 6 days, or 6 weeks, or 6 months--or more.

"All she would have had from that was more pain, more distress, more humiliation, more impairment and loss of dignity.

"She had passed lately beyond the point where even she could any longer make any good, humanly resourceful use of her time.

"It was a blessing and a mercy that she was able to get out when she did.

"That is my consolation."

 

 

Some of you [especially some overseas family and friends] may be puzzled or troubled trying to understand the nature of the funeral itself.

First, it was unusually delayed.

Naomi died on Thursday evening, too late for a funeral to be arranged according to custom/law for the following day, Friday, before Shabbat/the Sabbath. And it was also a holiday weekend in Canberra [the Monday being the Canberra City anniversary day], so the break extended for 3 days from Saturday to Monday. The cemetery and its staff were not operating over that period.

Apart from the timing, the character of the service may seem odd to some of you. It was not an orthodox or even traditional or conservative funeral.

In Canberra there are no full-time Jewish clergy of any kind.

The service was conducted by an old friend of Naomi, Vernon and myself named Raffi Lehrer, who on a part-time basis serves as the principal officiant of Canberra's "liberal" and "reform" Jews.

You should all note: it was held on a beautiful, sunny day under the broad and high Australian sky.

I was as much an Australian as a Jewish occasion. While the local Jewish community was there in strength, so many of those attending were from her public service, academic and other diverse community networks built up in Canberra over nearly 40 years. [Many old personal and family friends and professional associates also came from Sydney for the day.]

Because of the "non-orthodox and "non-traditional" nature of the occasion, there as no customary "hesped" delivered by others addressing Naomi's family.

Instead, I was asked to speak.

Naturally this was not easy for me.

Also, I did not want to say very much.

And I did not want to say anything that would have offended Naomi--with her keen distaste and sharp eye for any hint of sentimentality, self-pity, futile reproachfulness or maudlin cant.

So, as you will see, what I said was quite basic.

Whatever my own, or Vernon's or Adam's special feelings and quite particular perspective and distinctively individual loss, I felt that what I should say should be fully and equally true for all her many relatives and friends who were there.

That simplified things greatly, and enabled me to reduce the task to the essential elements and to very tight proportions.

To those of you who were there, thank you; to those who were not, we all thank you for your thoughts and support, in recent times and throughout this long impending loss.

Best wishes,

Clive

 

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