‘Youngest elder statesman’ lauded

Outgoing NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD) president David Ossip was farewelled on Tuesday night at a gathering at the Royal Motor Yacht Club in Point Piper.

The event drew a broad cross-section of political, civic and communal figures, including Premier Chris Minns, Governor Margaret Beazley, Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, former prime minister Scott Morrison and former opposition leader Peter Dutton, along with ministers, state and federal parliamentarians, faith leaders, diplomats, senior police and media representatives.

Ossip used most of his address to thank individuals and organisations that had worked with the community since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

He offered three reflections at the close of his term.

“Institutions matter, but the character of the people within them matters even more,” he said.

He said democratic societies “do not sustain themselves automatically” and depended on people prepared to defend shared values, and said he remained optimistic, saying, “Jewish history is not only a history of adversity; it’s also a history of resilience, renewal, contribution and flourishing.”

Minns cited The AJN‘s recent feature interview in which Ossip was asked about the personal toll of the past three years.

“And true to form, not wanting to talk about himself, David batted the question away, saying, ‘Compared to others … the toll on myself has been comparatively minor.’

“We know there was nothing minor about it,” Minns said, adding that Ossip had led at a time when he knew his own and his family’s safety were under threat.

Minns added that Ossip’s leadership after the Bondi attack would be his “greatest legacy”.

JBD CEO Michele Goldman said Ossip had brought “a sense of calm, perspective and confidence” through relentless challenges.

“You have an extraordinary ability to cut through the noise, to focus on what matters most, and to make the difficult decisions when they were needed,” she said.

JBD co-vice-president Richard Glass said that despite the pressures and volatility of the post-

October 7 period, “there was never so much as a raised voice and always mutual respect.”

Co-vice-president Natalie Rubinstein said Ossip’s every decision “was viewed through the lens of what was best for the community, even if it meant putting community ahead of his own personal and career interests”.

“David, you have become one of our community’s youngest elder statesmen,” she quipped.

Ossip, who began his term as president in August 2022, will step down at the organisation’s AGM later this month.