CHC’s Frank exchange
BUSINESS tycoon and philanthropist Frank Lowy spoke about success, loss and his love for Israel at Caulfield Hebrew Congregation (CHC)’s breakfast in celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut at the Crown Palladium on Sunday.
BUSINESS tycoon and philanthropist Frank Lowy spoke about success, loss and his love for Israel at Caulfield Hebrew Congregation (CHC)’s breakfast in celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut at the Crown Palladium on Sunday.
Over scrambled eggs and smoked salmon bagels, more than 400 guests listened in to an intimate conversation between David Gonski, the chairman of ANZ and Coca-Cola Amatil and Lowy, chairman of the Westfield Group and a major contributor to many charitable organisations in Israel and Australia.
In its fifth year, the celebratory breakfast has grown from an informal L’chaim to a catered event at the Palladium, where congregants and the general community were welcomed by master of ceremonies Jeffrey Appel, CHC’s Rabbi Ralph Genende and president Robert Weil, who each discussed Israel’s achievements and celebrating Israel in the Diaspora.
Rabbi Genende thanked the crowd for its commitment to CHC and stressed the importance of reaching out to the next generation of congregants.
“We are especially heartened by the young people who are here today and take special joy in them being here as we never lose sight of the fact that our future is as good as the young people who are part of our congregation.”
The conversation kicked off with Gonski asking Lowy about his memories of his early years in Czechoslovakia, where he was born in 1930, drawing parallels between Lowy’s past and that of Israel.
“Yom Ha’atzmaut is a celebration of history, a celebration of hard work from a humble start, a celebration of challenges met and a celebration of great and continuing striving. I would not be surprised if at the end of this interview, you realise that celebration most specifically talks about Frank Lowy.”
An emotional Lowy spoke in depth about his childhood before the war, his family’s relocation to Budapest and the story of his father Hugo, who went to the train station to buy tickets out of Hungary, but never returned. In 1991 Lowy discovered his father had been beaten to death on the platform at the entrance to Auschwitz. Lowy also touched on his post-war years as a soldier in the Jewish State during the War of Independence, saying he felt “reborn” when he arrived in Israel.
He also spoke of the welcoming nature of Australians who were sympathetic to his plight, his unfaltering ambition and the source of his philanthropic nature.
“If I had to trace the reason for my generosity it would be when my brother brought food to us in the ghetto in Budapest and my mother decided to share it with everyone. It taught me that talking is not enough, you have to act the way you believe you should act.
“Seeing my mother do what she did in those terrible times, with the little food she had and sharing it with everyone else, it left such a mark on me.”
ZOE KRON
Frank Lowy spoke at Caulfield Hebrew Congregation’s Yom Ha’atzmaut breakfast. Photo: Peter Haskin.
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