Prominent Jewish historian
A prolific historian, researcher and author, Rubinstein leaves behind an indelible mark on Jewish scholarship both in Australia and internationally.
Professor William (Bill) Rubinstein, a towering figure in Australian Jewish intellectual life, has died suddenly, aged 77.
He collapsed against a wall while walking with his wife of 56 years, Dr Hilary Rubinstein, staggered to a pavement chair, and passed away in Hilary’s arms.
A prolific historian, researcher and author, Rubinstein leaves behind an indelible mark on Jewish scholarship both in Australia and internationally.
Born in Brooklyn in 1946 to a Warsaw-born father and American mother, Rubinstein’s Jewish heritage deeply influenced his life’s work.
After completing his education at Swarthmore College (where he met Hilary) and Johns Hopkins University, he immigrated to Australia in 1976 with his wife, Dr. Hilary Rubinstein, herself an accomplished historian.
Settling in Melbourne, Rubinstein quickly became a central figure in the Jewish community.
He forged close relationships with prominent Jewish leaders and thinkers, including Isi Leibler and Frank Knopfelmacher.
His involvement spanned numerous organizations, from Australia-Israel Publications to the Australian Jewish Historical Society.
As a lecturer and eventual holder of a personal chair at Deakin University, Rubinstein was instrumental in advancing Jewish studies in Australia.
He was a founder and the second President of the Australian Association for Jewish Studies and served as the foundation editor of the Australian Jewish Historical Society Journal from 1989 to 1995.
Rubinstein authored the first comprehensive history of Australian Jewry in 1985 and co-wrote the monumental “Jews in Australia: A Thematic History” with his wife Hilary in 1991.
His expertise extended globally – he contributed entries on British Commonwealth countries to the updated Encyclopaedia Judaica and served as president of the Jewish Historical Society of England from 2003 to 2004.
A true polymath, he could talk and write authoritatively on baseball, chess, detective fiction, classical music, the Shakespeare authorship question, and of course British and Jewish history.
Rubinstein, with the encouragement of Isi Leibler, was involved in founding a think tank for Australian Jewry, the Australian Institute for Jewish Affairs (AIJA).
It’s now part of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council.
Beyond academia, Rubinstein was a powerful voice in public discourse.
A regular contributor to both Jewish and mainstream media, he fearlessly advocated for Jewish causes, sometimes courting controversy with his conservative political views.
He had penned an article for the Australian Jewish news just two weeks ago.
His intellectual curiosity, coupled with his passion for Jewish history and culture, made him a uniquely influential figure in Australian Jewish life.
Dr David Adler, President of the right leaning Australian Jewish Association which Rubinstein was a member of, said “Bill … had a great intellect, knowledge of history and was a man of real values and principles not afraid to speak up for what he believed to be right. He repeatedly took on AJA detractors”.
Left-leaning Monash University academic Philip Mendes said, “Bill was an exceptionally honest and generous person … He was intellectually confident and informed, but not arrogant.”
His wife Hilary said she has been inundated with beautiful messages of condolence, many of them paying tribute to Bill’s integrity as a person and a scholar, and his courtesy and helpfulness to early career academics whom he mentored.
“He was never devious or dishonourable, he was never at any time a male chauvinist and he was never intimidated into silence by those who reviled him for his sincerely held conservative beliefs or implied that such controversial works as The Myth of Rescue were prompted by an attention-seeking enjoyment of going against the grain” she said.
Professor Rubinstein is survived by Hilary, their son, and two grandchildren.
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