‘True friend of Israel and the Jewish community’
Jewish MPs and communal leaders have paid tribute to former Labor Opposition leader Simon Crean, who passed away from a suspected heart attack last weekend.
Jewish MPs and communal leaders have paid tribute to former Labor Opposition leader Simon Crean, who passed away from a suspected heart attack while hiking in Germany last weekend.
Crean served as Labor leader from November 2001 to December 2004, and represented Hotham in Parliament from March 1990 to August 2013. He was a minister in the Hawke, Keating, Rudd and Gillard governments.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said he was “greatly saddened” by Crean’s sudden passing.
“He was a decent, brave man. Never more so than when he spoke out against the Iraq war,” Dreyfus tweeted.
Member for Macnamara Josh Burns recalled unknowingly knocking on the door of Crean’s family home when he first became a candidate.
“From the very first meeting, they [Crean and wife Carole] were so lovely and encouraging to me. Simon was interested in the campaign and he said he’d do whatever he could to help. He gave good advice and I liked asking him for it,” Burns said.
“He was very good minister who made brave decisions.
“And Simon was a friend. To me and to so many across the labour movement. He made an enormous contribution and we will miss him dearly.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) co-CEO Peter Wertheim met Crean several times when he was the federal opposition leader.
“His warmth towards the Jewish community and Israel was strong and genuine,” Wertheim said.
“He was one of nature’s gentlemen who never lost sight of what was at stake for human beings on different sides of contentious issues, behind the theatre of politics.”
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) national chairman Mark Leibler and executive director Colin Rubenstein said, “Simon Crean was a good, considerate and longstanding friend of our community.”
AIJAC director of international and community affairs Jeremy Jones noted that Crean’s leadership of the Labor Party overlapped with his own term as ECAJ president, “and we met on a number of occasions”.
“He was always willing to hear the Jewish community’s case and always conducted himself with dignity, honesty and sincerity. His passing marks the loss of a great servant of the people of Australia,” Jones said.
Zionist Federation of Australia President Jeremy Leibler sent his deepest condolences to the Crean family.
“Mr Crean was a true friend of Israel and the Jewish community, and his contribution to the wider Australian community will leave a lasting impact,” he said.
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