Anzac Day- Memory and Destiny

What a remarkable day, this Anzac Day is for us as Australians and for our fellow New Zealanders.

It’s our day, uniquely Australian, as essentially Aussie as a barbie, pavlova (with deference to the Kiwis who claim it) and Speedos.

Anzac Day is our story – it’s about history, it’s about memory, and it’s about our destiny.

It’s about history – the word ANZAC was first used in December 1914, but became part of the preamble to the making of contemporary Australia with the pre-dawn landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.

It became part of the story we tell of Australia, about reliving and re-dreaming the dream.

The dream of a nation bonded to its land, recognising its original inhabitants, many of whom were part of those young and courageous troops on the punishing Gallipoli Campaign.

The dream of men and women connected to one another in mateship is that of easy-going tolerance, respect for freedom and diversity, and the irreverent larrikinism that makes a nation feel good about itself.

As award-winning Australian Writer Richard Flanagan writes in his novel Question 7 about his dad, who was a slave labourer in a Japanese war Camp in the 2nd World War:

“Mateship wasn’t a code of friendship… It was a code of survivors, …the measure of the strongest was also their capacity to help the weakest”.

It demanded you help those who are not just your friends, but who are your mates.It demanded your sacrifice for the group.

Asks Flanagan: “Is that a convict idea? Is it an Indigenous idea? Is It both things merged?

And he replies: “It’s not a European or an American idea – but it is a deep Aussie idea and a deeply old and serious idea of humanity.”

We are living in an acutely worrying, deadly and anxious world, with war and conflict, and so many places threatening to overwhelm us all.

We are living in dangerous times here in Australia where the fabric of our proud and distinctive multicultural country is fraying, where the respect, freedom and diversity we so value is being challenged by extremism, hatred and violence.

Where many of our Jewish citizens from Bondi to Caulfield simply don’t feel safe, secure, and comfortable in their own shopping centres, schools, and places of worship.Where the Jewish contribution to Australia is being downplayed and even disparaged.

In this kind of age, we need to affirm our ANZAC values – now more than ever!

We need to affirm that today is not just about history – or what happened to our ancestors; but it’s about destiny and what’s happening to us now. We can’t control history, but we can take hold of our own destiny.

From Jewish tradition, I draw on the vision of healing a broken world and gentling our savage impulses.

From Jewish wisdom, and especially the festival of Pesach we’ve just celebrated, I draw on the Exodus message of dauntless hope and the daring freedom, the belief that we can still repair the brokenness of our civilisation through courageous compassion.

From a Judeo-Christian perspective, Martin Luther King Jr. put it powerfully: “It’s only when it’s dark that we can see the stars; we must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”.

From our ANZAC tradition, and from our first peoples, I draw on our vision of constantly creating and strengthening our free society with respect, inclusion and compassion.

May we be strong and strengthen one another to face despair with repair, hatred with love, callousness with caring, and negativity with affirmation of life.

Let’s embrace our history with passion and charge our destiny with vigour and compassion!

Rabbi Ralph Genende is the Senior Rabbi to the ADF; AIJAC Interfaith and Community Liaison; JCV Consultant.