Community mourns Marie Bashir

The Jewish community has paid tribute to former NSW governor Dame Marie Bashir, whose funeral was held on Wednesday.

Bashir, who served as NSW’s first female governor from 2001 to 2014, passed away on January 20 aged 95.

She has been remembered by Jewish community leaders as a warm, compassionate figure who maintained a deep and genuine connection with the community throughout her life.

Technion Australia president Ruth Ratner said Bashir was “a woman of rare intellect, compassion and grace”.

“From her lifelong commitment to education, mental health, and social justice to her deep belief in the power of knowledge to uplift society, she embodied values that align profoundly with the mission of the Technion,” Ratner said.

Bashir was Patron of Technion Australia and was honoured by the Technion with a Doctor Honoris Causa in 2015, recognising her outstanding contribution to psychiatry and mental health, her public service and leadership in building understanding between people of all backgrounds, and her support and friendship to the Jewish people, Israel and the Technion.

At the time, Bashir said she was “deeply touched” by the honour, speaking of how a visit to Hadassah Hospital in Israel had moved her.

“I was deeply touched by the standard of care there and all those things of course have influenced the humility I feel in being offered an honorary degree from Technion University,” she said.

Vic Alhadeff, who served as chief executive of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies from 2005 to 2022, said the Jewish community had been “the beneficiary of an extremely warm and cordial relationship” with Bashir.

“She understood intuitively the various challenges with which we had to deal, and always presented with wisdom and compassion. She addressed numerous communal events during her tenure and was regarded with great respect and affection,” Alhadeff said.

The National Council of Jewish Women Australia said Bashir was “a person of integrity, strength, and grace, and a role model for millions of Australian women”.

NSW Premier Chris Minns, delivering a condolence motion in Parliament, recalled how Bashir had been influenced during her school years by her friendships with the daughters of Holocaust survivors and the strength they showed in the face of unimaginable loss.

Minns described Bashir as someone who believed everyone deserved a seat at the table, whether they were a head of state or a child in far western NSW.

“Her life and memory serve as an example to all of us,” Minns said.