Australian Newspaper Cuttings of Jewish Interest

The AJHS maintains files of newspaper cuttings. These cuttings are selected for apparent significance today; but old cuttings often show aspects of attitudes and ideas not otherwise readily discernible. Below is a simple example.

The AJHS files which may be accessed for purposes of scholarly or family history research. However, to pick the eyes of the collection, a series of articles has been published in the Journal of the AJHS comprising cuttings from early Australian Jewish Newspapers,with commentary by Lorraine Freeman.

Cutting 1: "The Jewish Race"SMH 2/11/1917
Below is an image of a newspaper article with the striking title, "The Future of the Jewish Race", from the Sydney Morning Herald, November 2, 1917. It is an edited interview with a British politician,and deals with the future of "Palestine", and of the Jews of Russia following the fall of the Tsar.

Comments and Notes

• Use of term "race"
• Agriculture seen as the vital aspect of a future Jewish state
• Exports as basis of the economy of a state - yet industry, let alone high tech, not envisaged
• Optimism expressed for future Jewish life in Russia after the October Revolution
• Ignorance displayed of oppressed status of Jews in Muslim lands
• Alfred Mond, the future Lord Melchett, was the founder with his brother Ludwig of Imperial Chemical Industries, whose Australian subsidary is now the leading explosive manufacturer Orica.
• There is scope for comparison between Alfred Mond, Commissioner for Works in a Britain at war, and John Monash, Lieutenant-General in charge of the A.I.F. in (the final phase) of that war. Both men played vital roles in winning the war for Britain. Afterwards both played significant roles in the Zionist movement.
• At War's end there were strong rumours that Monash would be appointed to a leading role in the British Mandate in Palestine. However Monash "let it be known that he was not interested" in such a role. On his return to Australia he became responsible for developing the electricity grid of South Eastern Australia. In 1929 he became president of the Australian Zionist movement. So Monash became a strong supporter and advocate, but was himself not a builder of modern Israel.
• 1917 was the year Alfred Mond, aged 50, became fully conscious of his Jewish heritage and identity. He became head of the Jewish Agency in what was then Palestine, so played a key role in the early days of the Mandate. On Mond's death, his son Henry, who with his sister had converted to Judaism, succeeded him as head of the Jewish Agency. For more details see Jewish Agency website article.

  Cutting 2: "The Jewish Race"SMH 2/11/1917
  In this intruiging cutting from the Melbourne Argus of the 8th November 1938, the story is told of how an Austrian Jewish banker, through the accident of contacting a well-intentioned Australian, gained sponsorship to flee the Third Reich and migrate to Australia.