From Australia’s Jewish Past: Continuing Lena Brasch’s story from artist model to her theatrical career
January 2, 2024 by Ruth Lillian
Part 2: Read Part One. Read more
From Australia’s Jewish Past: Lena Brasch – Actor and Artists Model – Part 1
December 26, 2023 by Ruth Lillian
Selina Venus Brasch was born in North Melbourne on 9 November 1874. She was the youngest child of Wolfe and Esther Brasch. Read more
From Australia’s Jewish Past: Lalla Miranda – a forgotten brilliant soprano
December 19, 2023 by Ruth Lillian
Lalla was born in Melbourne in 1874 and grew up in a house named ‘Natal House’ after her parents had visited South Africa before settling in Fitzroy. Read more
From Australia’s Jewish Past: Esther Kahn – one of Australia’s most successful women composers and the first music therapist in Australia
August 9, 2022 by Ruth Lillian
Esther was born in 1877 in London of German/Jewish descent. At the age of five, she made her first public appearance in London as a pianist and won a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music – an amazing opportunity for such a young child – but unfortunately, she was not able to take it up as the family moved to Sydney in 1883, just before her sixth birthday. Read more
From Australia’s Jewish Past: Florence Menk-Meyer – known as The Greatest Living Female Pianist
August 2, 2022 by Ruth Lillian
Florence was born Catherine Florence Meyer in 1860 to Menk and Rebecca (nee Fink) in St Kilda Melbourne and was one of six gifted children. Read more
From Australia’s Jewish Past: Sir Archie Reuben Louis Michaelis – Businessman, Politician and Jewish Leader
July 26, 2022 by Ruth Lillian
Archie was born on 19 December 1889 in St Kilda, Melbourne. Read more
From Australia’s Jewish Past: Sir Julian Emanuel Salomons (Solomons) – barrister and politician extraordinaire
July 19, 2022 by Ruth Lillian
Julian was born on 4 November 1835 in Birmingham, England and emigrated to New South Wales in 1853, working first for a bookseller and then for a ‘stock jobber’ – now known as a stockbroker – moving on to study law. Read more
From Australia’s Jewish Past: Abraham Benjamin – a family business in its one hundred and forty-second year – David Benjamin – a family business in Dunedin, New Zealand
June 28, 2022 by Ruth Lillian
Abraham and his wife Theresa Falk came to Melbourne in 1865 by boat from Bristol, UK. Read more
From Australia’s Jewish Past: Percy Marks – Sydney’s four generations of jewellers fame
June 21, 2022 by Ruth Lillian
Percy was born on 6 July 1879 in Wellington, New Zealand, the son of London-born John Marks a jeweller, and his New Zealand-born wife Eliza Jane Levy. Read more
From Australia’s Jewish Past: Sidney Myer – creator of a department store empire
June 14, 2022 by Ruth Lillian
Sidney Baevski was born on 8 February 1878, in Krichev, then part of the Russian Empire and now known as the country of Belarus. Read more