Families reunite at yahrzeit service

The families of two of Australia’s most prominent First World War commanders met for the first time since 1931 when they came together at General Sir John Monash’s grave last month.

Honor Auchinleck, granddaughter of General Sir Harry Chauvel, and Michael Bennett, Monash’s great-grandson, laid a wreath at Brighton Cemetery in Caulfield during a service marking Monash’s 95th yahrzeit.

Monash died at his home on Thursday, October 8, 1931, or Tishrei 27, 5692. This year, the Gregorian and Hebrew dates coincided, as they do once every 19 years, and also fell on a Thursday. VAJEX Australia (Victorian Association of Jewish Ex & Current Servicemen & Women) stopped holding an annual Monash service more than a decade ago because of perceived waning interest and the difficulty of getting a minyan.

VAJEX president Janice Furstenberg said it was “wonderful to witness the high interest in and appreciation of the memorial service”. She attributed the response to a different format that invited the broader community while keeping traditional Jewish prayers and customs.

The service included Psalm 23, Kel Maleh Rachamim and the Mourner’s Kaddish, followed by the Ode and the Last Post. Major General Jeffrey Rosenfeld gave the keynote address on Monash the polymath, while Furstenberg shared anecdotes about Monash, his funeral and Chauvel, and explained yahrzeit customs.