Jewish diggers to be honoured in exhibition
THE contribution of Jewish servicemen and women to the Australian military forces will be recognised in a new exhibition planned for next year.
CHANTAL ABITBOL
ON a scrap piece of faded-brown paper, Jewish World War II prisoner of war (POW) Fred Brightfield, who had been captured by the Japanese army, sketched the modest trappings of his POW camp’s chapel during his long imprisonment in Singapore.
Dated 1944 and titled Ohel Jacob, the hand-coloured drawing depicts a makeshift hall fitted with a sparse pulpit, rows of wooden benches and a red ark adorned with the tablet of the 10 commandments.
This piece of wartime memorabilia, which the late Mr Brightfield donated to the NSW Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association (NAJEX) in the 1940s, is now part of a collection of military objects set to be displayed in a new permanent exhibition at the Sydney Jewish Museum.
The exhibition, scheduled to open in October 2010, is dedicated to chronicling contributions by Jews to the Australian armed services over the years -— beginning as citizen soldiers with the Volunteer Rifles in the 1850s, later as soldiers in World Wars I and II, and then as peacekeeping forces in East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.
“This exhibition is groundbreaking in Australia. Almost no research has been conducted into the very significant contribution of Jewish servicemen and women to the Australian military,” said the exhibition’s project manager and NAJEX vice-president, Charles Aronson, who himself served in the Australian army from 1967-79.
“As we delve into the subject, we are finding more and more of which we can be very proud.”
On Thursday, October 15, the museum will be holding a collection day for ex-service personnel and others to contribute objects to the forthcoming exhibit.
At present, there are about 30 staff and volunteers gathering objects and memorabilia, recording interviews and conducting research for the exhibition.
Among those who have came forward is Solomon Rosenfield, 91, from Double Bay. Mr Rosenfield served in the Royal Australian Air Force in New Guinea from 1942 until 1945. He fought in the infamous Battle of Milne Bay and helped Allied troops overthrow the Japanese.
He donated his uniform to the exhibit.
“It was intense fighting, but the biggest enemy was the climate. It was oppressive,” he told The AJN this week.
Suffering from malaria, he later returned to Australia for treatment. But despite all the hardships of war, he said he never regretted his decision to volunteer and serve.
“I was born in Poland and came to Australia before the war. I felt I had to contribute for the survival of the Jewish people,” he said.
He applauded the museum for setting up the exhibit. “This is a wonderful country. The Australian people should know that the Jews contributed to defend [it].”
To assist or make an appointment with curatorial staff, contact the museum on (02) 9360 7999.
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