Goodbye to politics, but not the Jewish community
AFTER years of involvement, Malcolm Turnbull said his resignation as Wentworth MP will not see him cut ties with the Jewish community.
NAOMI LEVIN
AFTER years of involvement, Malcolm Turnbull said his resignation as Wentworth MP will not see him cut ties with the Jewish community.
Speaking to The AJN the day after announcing he would not contest the next election, the former Liberal leader called the local Jewish community “the heart and soul” of his electorate.
“I don’t intend to stop my association with the Jewish community just because I am out of Parliament. I’ve loved my involvement at so many communal events and just having so many friends in the Jewish community.”
Using the new social medium Twitter, Turnbull announced on Tuesday he would not recontest the inner-eastern Sydney seat come the next election.
The decision was made, he said, following his loss of the Liberal Party leadership to Tony Abbott by one vote in December last year. The catalyst for that vote was the emissions trading Bill, which Turnbull continues to strongly support, but which much of the Coalition opposes.
But he never had trouble keeping the Jewish community on his side — even those who weren’t Liberal voters held Turnbull in high esteem because of his commitment to the community.
It was Chanukah parties that Turnbull highlighted as some of the best memories during his time in office. “I really enjoyed Chanukah celebrations, whether it was the event at Double Bay that Yanky Berger does, or the Russian ceremony,” he said, adding he once gave a memorised speech in Russian, which “amused some of the older attendees”.
One organisation that Turnbull has had a strong involvement with for the past three years is Sydney’s Montefiore Home, where he is the ambassador.
This week, Montefiore vice-president Gary Inberg said he hoped Turnbull’s role as the home’s “ambassador, supporter and friend” would continue. “Our residents are always delighted to see Malcolm and we have enjoyed hosting him at the home on numerous occasions. It is a pleasure and an honour to be associated with him,” Inberg said.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Robert Goot also paid tribute to the politician.
“We regret, but understand, Mr Turnbull’s decision. He was a most effective advocate for a variety of matters of concern for the Jewish community,” Goot said.
In terms of a successor, the Liberal Party has opened nominations for a new candidate to contest the increasingly marginal seat.
A number of Jewish names have been suggested — including party bigwigs Richard Shields and Julian Leeser, as well as former Turnbull staffer Anthony Orkin and current local councillor Anthony Boskovitz. The vote is expected to be held within a month.
Turnbull weighed in on the speculation of his successor, but in a non-partisan way.
“People often assume, in a somewhat patronising way, that the Jewish community will always vote for a Jewish candidate. I think there are a lot of people in the Jewish community who would make great candidates for Parliament, but ultimately it is the quality of the candidate that matters,” he said.
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