List of Oceanian Jews

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The vast majority of Jews in Oceania (c. 120,000) live in Australia, with a small population (c. 5,000) in New Zealand. Most are Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern European background, with many being survivors of the Holocaust arriving during and after World War II. More recently, a significant number of Jews have arrived from South Africa and Russia. The official number of people who practiced Judaism in the 2001 census was only 83,459 but this number is expected to be much higher, as it did not count those overseas (ie. dual Australian-Israeli nationals) or many non-practicing Jews who prefer not to disclose religion in the census are more common. The vast majority of Australia's Jews live in inner suburbs of Melbourne (particularly St Kilda, Elwood, Elsternwick, Caulfield and Toorak) and Sydney (Bondi, Dover Heights, Rose Bay, Vaucluse, St Ives and Hunters Hill) with smaller populations in Perth and the Gold Coast. In New Zealand, most Jews live in Auckland and Wellington with smaller populations in Dunedin and Christchurch. Dunedin Synagogue has possibly the world's southernmost Jewish congregation ^[1].

The following is a list of prominent Oceanian Jews, arranged by country of origin.

Australia

Academic figures

• Roy Clive Abraham, linguist ^[2]
• Samuel Alexander, philosopher
• Sir Otto Frankel, geneticist ^[3]
• Bryan Gaensler, astronomer and former Young Australian of the Year
• Joseph Jacobs, historian & folklorist ^[4]
• Kurt Mahler, mathematician
• Robert Manne, academic & social critic
• Bernhard Neumann, mathematician
• Gustav Nossal, immunologist (Jewish father)
• Luke Mettner, Academic & Mental Health Professional, co-founder of WAPPAFA
• Peter Singer, philosopher

Business figures

• Sir Peter Abeles, former chairman of Ansett
• Rodney Adler, CEO of HIH Insurance
• Albert Bensimon, Adelaide jeweller and businessman
• Dr Alan Finkel, Melbourne pioneer in biotechnical instrumentation, founder of Axon Instruments, now Chancellor of Monash University
• John Gandel & Marc Besen, founder/owners of Chadstone Shopping Centre and Sussan fashion chain
• Joseph Gutnick, mining magnate & ex-President of Melbourne F.C.
• Poppy King, cosmetist
• Frank Lowy, founder of The Westfield Group
• Sidney Myer, founder of Myer department store & philanthropist
• Leon & Richard Pratt, founder/owners of Visy Industries
• Rene Rivkin, stockbroker
• Paul Stein-Dunville, Co-Founder of the WA Professional Jewish Poker Association for Amateurs.
• Abe Saffron, nightclub owner
• Joe Saragossi founder G James Australia leading glass and window manufacturers with over 2500 employees.
• John Saunders, co-founder of The Westfield Group ^{[5] [6]}
• Sidney Sinclair, AM, OBE, Men's Fashion (including Anthony Squires, Sax Altman, Parini, Martin Wells, Ermenegildo Zegna), Export Development Council, Australia-Japan Business Cooperation Committee, federal advisory panel on East European countries, founder president of the Men’s Fashion Council of Australia, honorary life member of the Australian Superfine Woolgrowers’ Association, Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow, A founder president and life member of the Parramatta Synagogue, President and life member The Great Synagogue Sydney, president of the Australian Jewish Welfare Society in NSW, president of the Federation of Australian Jewish Community Services, councilor of the NSW Jewish War Memorial, member Executive Council of Australian Jewry, trustee of the Goulburn Jewish cemetery,
• Smorgon family, founder/owners of Smorgon Steel and other businesses
• Harry Triguboff, millionaire, Meriton Apartments

Cultural figures

• Claudia Black, actress
• Steve Bedwell, comedian/broadcaster
• Danny Ben-Moshe, writer
• Rachel Berger, comedian
• Lily Brett, writer
• Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize winning writer ^[7]
• Saskia Burmeister, actress
• Judy Cassab, painter
• Deborah Conway, singer/songwriter
• Ed Doolan, Australian-born British broadcaster
• Isla Fisher (1976 - ) model, actress^[8]
• Luke Ford, Los Angeles gossip columnist, journalist, moral leader (converted)
• FourPlay Electric String Quartet (3/4 Jewish)
• Amelia Frid, former child actress
• Anthony Frosh, comedic hoax perpetrator, and champion matkot player
• Renée Geyer, soul singer
• Alan Gold, author
• Libby Gorr, comedian
• David Helfgott, pianist
• David Hirschfelder, film composer
• Elena Kats-Chernin, composer
• Danny Katz, writer/comedian
• Barrie Kosky, creative director
• Tony Krawitz, film maker
• Ben Lee, singer/songwriter
• Frederick Lee, model/actor
• Jack Levy, aka Elliot Goblett
• Lior, singer/songwriter
• Ben Mendelsohn, actor
• David Malouf, writer (Jewish mother)
• Bill Meyer artist
• Keren Minshell, lead singer of 90's band Euphoria
• Isaac Nathan Australia's first composer
• Helmut Newton, photographer
• Elliot Perlman, writer
• John Safran, comedian/documentarian
• Harry Seidler, architect
• Austen Tayshus, comedian
• Simon Tedeschi, pianist
• Roy van der Schluss, aka Roy Rene & Mo Macackie, music hall, theatrical and radio comedian
• Yidcore's Members (Bram, Myki, Tim and Rory), Jewish Punk Band, from Melbourne, Australia
• Daniel Zaidel, picture researcher
• Jack Feldstein, scriptwriter/neon animator

Political figures

• Peter Baume, Liberal cabinet minister, chancellor of the Australian National University
• Moss Cass, Labor cabinet minister
• Barry Cohen, Labor cabinet minister
• Ian Cohen, NSW Greens politician
• Sir Zelman Cowen, Governor General (1977-1982)
• Michael Danby, Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives
• Marcus Einfeld, Federal Court judge & human rights activist
• Sydney Einfeld, NSW Minister for Consumer Affairs (1976-1981) & Refugee Advocate
• Vida Goldstein, an early feminist reformer and politician
• Martin Indyk, Former American ambassador to Israel
• Sir Isaac Isaacs, Governor General (1931-1936)
• Dr John Kaye, NSW Greens politician
• Sir John Monash, World War I general and engineer.
• Sir Albert Wolff, Chief Justice of Western Australia.
• Eric Roozendaal, NSW Labor cabinet minister
• Elias Solomon, was a Jewish member of Federal Parliament
• James Wolfensohn, World Bank president
• Joe Berinson, Member of Federal Parliament, Minister in Whitlam's third Cabinet, State Upper house member, State Labor cabinet minister and Attorney General of Western Australia

Religious figures

• Rabbi Dr Joseph Abrahams, senior minister Melbourne Hebrew Congregation throughout the latter third of the 19th Century and first third of the 20th Century.
• Rabbi Dr. Raymond Apple, emeritus senior rabbi of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, Senior Rabbi to the Australian Defence Force, Registrar of the Sydney Beth Din, author of OzTorah.com, and the leading spokesperson for Jews and Judaism in Australia from 1972-2005.
• Rev. Elias Blaubaum, minister of Melbourne's St. Kilda Hebrew Congregation for nearly 40 years.
• Rev. A. T. Boas, long-standing minister of the Adelaide Hebrew Congregation in the latter part of the 19th Century and early part of the 20th Century.
• Rabbi Rudolph (Ruddy) Brasch, senior reform rabbi in Sydney for over 30 years, a well known author and broadcaster.
• Rabbi Frances Cohen, long standing senior minister at Sydney's Great Synagogue throughout the first third of the 20th Century.
• Rabbi Jacob Danglow, senior minister at Melbourne's St. Kilda Hebrew Congregation for over 50 years, Chaplian to the Australian Defence Force during WWI and WWII, etc.
• Rev. Alexander Davis, senior minister at Sydney's Great Synagogue for over 40 years in the latter part of the 19th Century.
• Rabbi Pinchus Feldman (rabbi), Rabbi of the Yeshiva Centre.
• Rabbi David Freedman (Rabbi), formerly the rabbi of Belmont Synagogue (London) from 1973-1988 and Kehillat Masada (Sydney) 1988-2007.
• Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner, director of many Chabad operations in Victoria.
• Rabbi Chaim Gutnick, formerly rabbi of Elsternwick Synagogue for many years and president of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria.
• Rabbi John Levi, senior reform rabbi in Melbourne throughout the latter third of the 20th Century and early 21st Century, Chaiplain to the Australian Defence Force.
• Rabbi Ronald Lubofsky, senior minister at Melbourne's St. Kilda Hebrew Congregation for nearly 40 years.
• Rabbi Fred Morgan, senior minister at Melbourne's Temple Beth Israel.
• Rabbi Israel Porush, senior minister at Sydney's Great Synagogue for nearly 40 years.
• Mr Abraham Rabinovitch, philanthropist and founder of Sydney's main Orthodox Jewish educational institutions.
• Rabbi Dr Herman Sanger, senior reform rabbi in Melbourne for over 40 years.

Sports figures

• Michael Klinger, cricketer. Also an ex collegian at Mount Scopus Memorial College.
• Albert Rosenfeld, rugby league player
• Brent Harvey, champion AFL footbaler
• Lionel Van Praag, speedway champion
• Riley Toms, racketball champion of NSW
• Peter Fuzes, soccer goalkeeper for Hakoah and Australia, Maccabi Hall of Fame 2003. Played 1st grade 1964 till 1976; International career From 1966 to 1972, against Scotland 1967, Greece 1969, Israel 1969 & 1972. Played against various European club sides including AS ROMA 1966, Manchester United at the time of Bobby Charlton & Dennis Law.
• Todd Goldstein, Australian rules footballer
• David Zalcberg Australian Jewish Olympic Table Tennis Player. Also an ex collegian at Mount Scopus Memorial College.
• John Stark, Butterfly 200 metres swimmer. Tokyo Olympics 1964, National 200 m. champion, Maccabian gold medallist 1965. Maccabi Hall of fame inducted 1999.

French Polynesia

• Alexander Salmon, Jr, Tahitian prince

New Zealand

Business figures

• Bendix Hallenstein, clothing manufacturer and merchant
• Michael Hirschfeld, businessman, activist & Labour Party president
• William Levin, businessman, benefactor
• Joseph Nathan, founder of GlaxoSmithKline

Cultural figures

• Esmond de Beer, historian, collector, philanthropist
• Gina Bellman, actress
• Charles Brasch, poet, literature patron
• Taika Cohen, film director, writer, painter, comedian and actor
• Angela D'Audney, television anchor
• Benjamin Farjeon, writer
• Willi Fels, philanthropist and collector
• Richard Fuchs, composer and architect
• Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author

Political figures

• Frederick Baume, Member of Parliament
• Sir Francis Henry Dillon Bell, Prime Minister (1925) (Jewish mother)
• Mark Blumsky, Mayor of Wellington (1995-2001)
• Sir Tom Eichelbaum, Chief Justice (1989-1999)
• Dame Barbara Goodman, Auckland local body politician
• John Key (1961 - ), current New Zealand Prime Minister (Jewish mother)^[9]
• Sir Arthur Myers, politician, businessman
• Sir Michael Myers, chief justice (1929-1946)
• Philip Phillips, first mayor of Auckland (1871-1874)
• Sir Dove-Myer Robinson, long-time mayor of Auckland (1959-1965, 1968-1980)
• Sir Julius Vogel, Prime Minister (1873-1875, 1876), newspaper founder, & science-fiction writer

Other city mayors include:

• Auckland: Henry Isaacs (1874), Sir Ernest Davis (1935-1941) and Colin Kay (1980-1983)
• Christchurch: Charles Louisson (1888-1889, 1898-1899)
• Invercargill: Eve Poole
• Wellington: Ian Lawrence (1986-1989)

Other figures

• Sir Louis Barnett, surgeon
• Ethel Benjamin, first woman lawyer in the British Empire
• Wally Hirsch, former Race Relations Conciliator
• Pei Te Hurinui Jones, Ngati Maniapoto leader & scholar (Jewish father)
• Josh Kronfeld, rugby player
• Joel Samuel Polack, pioneer settler
• Julius Stone, distinguished legal theorist, professor of jurisprudence and international law

Palau

• Larry Miller, Associate Justice on the Palauan Supreme Court.

See also

• Lists of Jews
• History of the Jews in Australia
• List of New Zealanders

External links

• Jews in New Zealand in Te Ara online encyclopaedia
• Jews in New Zealand in 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
• Prominent Australian Jews

References