Commemorating Anzac Day

[Rabbi Lieberman:] I think that the Jewish people when they come to Anzac Day are very proud of who they are. We will come to the Dawn Service here in Kings Park, at the Jewish War Memorial, and bring out the Anzac Torah.​

This Torah was taken to the Western Front and administered to the Jewish soldiers. All Jewish people were able to celebrate their religion in a difficult time, and that is something we are very proud of.​

[Margot:] The War Widows Guild commemorate Anzac Day by having a wonderful service at St Andrews Cathedral in the City of Sydney. We have these little crosses bearing our husband’s name and plant them in a little memorial garden outside the cathedral.​

They have similar losses in their lives, but they’ve accepted me as just a friend.​

[Lewis:] Anzac Day means a lot to the Chinese community because we want to honour those who sacrificed for us, to make us a peaceful and harmonious nation. I feel very proud and very honoured to lay the wreath on behalf of the Chinese-Australian War Memorial Committee to honour those Chinese-Australians in the Defence Forces.​

[Margot:] The War Widows Guild commemorate the companionship, the mutual support, that the servicemen showed to one another.​

[Lewis:] The Anzac spirit is about mateship. Mateship is about helping your friends, helping each other regardless of who you are. Whether you are a veteran or you are an ordinary committee member, it unites everybody together.​

[Rabbi Lieberman:] The Anzacs were normal guys, even the greatest of all, General Monash. As a Jewish Australian, he stands above us all to show that we can be devoted Jews but still be strong and proud Australians as well.​​

[Margot:] The message I think is stand together, unified, support your nation.​

[Rabbi Lieberman:] We experience such great freedoms: freedom of religion, freedom of expression. That is what they fought for on Anzac Day and that’s why it’s importance for us to honour them; otherwise, we wouldn’t have what we have today.

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