A wealth of Solomons
SOME of the most decorated veterans, the first parliamentarians and most notable philanthropists were members of the Solomon family.
SOME of the most decorated veterans, the first parliamentarians and most notable philanthropists were members of the Solomon family.
Solomons have been newspaper editors, mining magnates, gamblers and spies – “all the wired and wonderful”, said Jenny Cohen, the great-great-great-granddaughter of 19th century Jewish convict Emanuel Solomon, the first of the dynasty to set foot in Australia.
This month, 1700 deceased relatives and an estimated 5000 still living were collectively honoured at the Alma Club in North Caulfield, Melbourne, during a three-day reunion dubbed by Channel 7 News as “Australia’s largest family reunion”.
About 162 members of the clan, many from interstate and abroad, also attended a service at Melbourne Hebrew Congregation on Shabbat, followed by a kiddush.
“Our nation’s journey is filled with the stories of countless remarkable families, but perhaps few so remarkable as the Solomon family,” wrote Prime Minister Julia Gillard in a letter to attendees.
“All the qualities we celebrate as Australians, such as vision, sacrifice and loyalty, abound in the Solomon story.”
Cohen and sister Katrina Cowen, co-assemblers of the expanding Solomon family tree, devoted 12 months to the project, utilising online genealogical resources.
But despite the gathering, the mission is hardly finished, according to Cohen.
“At the reunion, I was handed even more material and just this morning, I received emails from relatives in England, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Hamilton in New Zealand with extra facts, or in some cases, they were looking for missing information,” she said.
“We, as members of the Jewish community, should be proud of what we’ve done,” Cohen said.
Emanuel Solomon, convicted of larceny in England, was transported to Australia in 1818, followed by his brother Vaiben. He was the son of pencil-maker Samuel Solomon, and among the first of the Jewish settlers.
Two of the first members of Parliament were Jewish and Solomons – a credit to the country and the family, said Cohen.
“We have two Jewish members in the first Parliament … that was a wonderful achievement, this wasn’t happening in 1901 anywhere else around the world,” she said.
Other notable Solomons include Colonel Benjamin Solomon of the South Australian militia, first federal member for Freemantle Elias Solomon, and Walter Samuel Solomon, the only person in the whole Commonwealth of nations to go to the Boer War and World War I and II, where he served as chaplain for the Salvation Army.
The Solomons currently comprise more than 50 lawyers and other familiar figures, including Supreme Court Judge Sam Jacobs and Beverly Gorr, mother of broadcaster Libbi Gorr.
Enquiries: Jenny Cohen: (03) 9523 6465.
TIMNA JACKS
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