JCCV pays tribute to Baker
The Melbourne community has paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Johnny Baker at the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV)'s annual meeting.
THE community has paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Johnny Baker at the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV)’s annual meeting.
At Monday’s meeting, the JCCV bestowed its General Sir John Monash Award for outstanding communal leadership on Baker, who died last month, aged 62.
Announcing the award to an audience including Baker’s wife Anita, his brother Mark, other family members and a legion of Jewish leaders who had worked with him, JCCV president Jennifer Huppert said the roof body “had approached Johnny about six months ago” with news of his award.
“It wasn’t a difficult decision … he was someone who touched many people in his life and had a lasting impact on our community. I spoke to Johnny about the award during September. He knew he might not be with us this evening, but as Anita has confirmed, he was pleased that his contribution to the Victorian Jewish community would be recognised in this manner,” said Huppert.
The JCCV president said Baker’s achievements thoroughly merited an award named after Monash, an inspirational Jewish Australian. In his youth, Baker had been active in Bnei Akiva, before studying at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and lecturing in Jewish history and values at the IDF.
Returning to Australia, he became president of the State Zionist Council of Victoria (now Zionism Victoria), masterminding the Beth Weizmann Centre’s move to its current premises.
He became president of Mount Scopus Memorial College, chair of the Jewish Museum of Australia, and founding president of Australian Friends of Yad Vashem.
He was on the editorial committee of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council and was president of Ameinu Australia. Baker stood out “as a mentor and supporter”, said Huppert.
Shira Appelboom received the JCCV Young Leadership Award for her pivotal work with Progressive Zionist youth in Netzer and with the Kedem congregation.
Rachel Mihalovich of Caulfield Hebrew Congregation was presented with the JCCV Marion and Kurt Lippmann Scholarship. Mihalovich said she would use the funds to study communal governance skills.
Keynote speaker Edward Santow, Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner, who is Jewish, expressed concern about the social impact of the postal survey on marriage equality.
Harking back to quotas on Jewish immigration to Australia after World War II, he pondered on the outcome if a national survey had then been held on whether Jews should be admitted.
“Are we all confident that Australians would have voted above 50 per cent?”
He said human rights, whether they relate to same-sex marriage or asylum seekers, are “about the protection of individual dignity”.
PETER KOHN
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