Scenes reminiscent of the World War period were enacted in the streets of Melbourne yesterday when Lieutenant-General Sir John Monash, distinguished Australian Jewish leader and commander of the Australian Army Corps in France, led a parade of 30,000 ex-service men. The Lord Mayor of Melbourne, the Governor of the State and Col. Harold Cohen assisted Sir John in the manoeuvers.
Sir John received a popular ovation and the newspapers acclaimed him as “the greatest Australian.” Although he was a strict disciplinarian he was the idol of his men, they pointed out.
General Rosenthal led a march of 20,000 ex-service men in Sydney.
When interviewed today by the correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Sir John Monash payed tribute to the distinguished part played by Australian Jews during the World War. He denied the rumor that was current in Australia that anti-Semitic prejudice adversely affected his reception on his return to Australia from France. He revealed, however, the interesting fact that he had declined membership in a prominent Melbourne club because that club had a rule barring Jews and he “would not give the club the opportunity to make distinctions in his case.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
