Saint Mary’s Jewish saviour

WHEN Mary MacKillop became a saint on Sunday, Trevor Cohen glowed with pride.

It wasn’t that he is a Catholic or his life had been touched by Australia’s first saint, rather, Cohen’s great-great-great uncle, Emanuel Solomon, played a large role in MacKillop’s life, providing her with a home when she was ex-communicated from the Church.

“It was a wonderful feeling because I felt she deserved to be a saint very much,” Cohen told The AJN “She was clearly a wonderful woman who did amazing things.

“I felt good that one of my forebears might have had a small part in her becoming a saint and It was very moving to watch the ceremony.”

As a history buff, and a former president of the Australian Jewish Historical Society, Cohen researched Solomon’s life.
Solomon was one of 19th-century Adelaide’s most colourful characters and was transported to the Antipodes from London in 1818 for possession of stolen property.

After his emancipation, Solomon rose to become an upstanding citizen. He set up successful businesses and took his place in South Australia’s fledgling Jewish community before entering South Australia’s Parliament.

The philanthropist was drawn to MacKillop’s extensive charitable work, and twice took action to help her and her order of nuns.

Solomon first met the Melbourne-born nun in Adelaide in 1868. At this time he facilitated the nuns’ move away from a crowded, rented premises, which they were forced to stay in while their convent was being used by visitors.

Three years later, after a dispute over education practices with Bishop Laurence Sheil, MacKillop was excommunicated for insubordination, and she and the other nuns were again kicked out of their convent.

A letter from MacKillop to a mentor reveals her gratitude to Solomon, who took her in. She later wrote that “the kindness shown by the Jewish community has been remarkable”.

AJN STAFF