Duty, Memory, and the Nation We Must Remain

On 19 April 2026, I was afforded the distinct honour of delivering the 2026 ANZAC Day Oration at the NSW Association of Jewish Service and Ex-Service Men and Women (NAJEX) Commemoration Event in Sydney.

It was a moving and dignified occasion, attended by veterans, community leaders, parliamentarians, and Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales. Gatherings of this kind matter. They remind us that remembrance is not a formality, but a living act of gratitude, continuity, and national seriousness.

AJEX holds an important place in Australian Jewish life and in the wider story of our nation. It stands in honour of Jewish Australians who have served this country loyally and with distinction across generations, and it affirms that Jewish service is not separate from the ANZAC story, but part of it. At a time when social cohesion, historical memory, and moral confidence are all under strain, that witness matters profoundly.

ANZAC Day calls a nation not only to remember the dead, but to reflect on the inheritance they left us and the responsibilities that still rest upon the living. It reminds us that peace is not the default setting of the human condition, and that the good things of civilised life endure only when they are valued, defended, and renewed.

What follows is the address as delivered on the day: