Leeser: ‘I draw strength from my faith’
Julian Leeser delivered a sobering maiden speech to Parliament on Wednesday, speaking about the tragic loss of his father, mental health and “a deep sense of faith and love of the joys of Judaism”.
JULIAN Leeser delivered a sobering maiden speech to Parliament on Wednesday, speaking about the tragic loss of his father, mental health and “a deep sense of faith and love of the joys of Judaism”.
The Berowra MP, who is the first Jewish Liberal in the House of Representatives from NSW, spoke movingly about the death of his father John, who took his own life 20 years ago this month.
“There is a point in life when you are supposed to become a man,” Leeser said.
“As I stood on the veranda and watched the sun come up that morning, I knew my day had come.”
Remembering a man “much involved in his community”, who sat on the board of Emanuel Synagogue, Leeser said, “My father instilled in my brother Lindsay and me an important set of values: courtesy, civility and fair dealing with everyone with whom he interacted, the need to give back to the community and get involved, and a deep sense of faith and love of the joys of Judaism.
“He gave us a strong sense, shared by all Jews, that our own story is part of a much larger story. That we should be, in [former chief rabbi] Jonathan Sacks’ words, ‘true to our faith while being a blessing to others regardless of their faith’.
“While I don’t always live up to my father’s ideals, his are the fundamental values which have shaped my life.”
Speaking about his mother Sylvia, a fifth generation Australian whose grandfather was a Gallipoli Anzac and rode in the charge of the Light Horse at Beersheva, Leeser said, “My mother’s Anglo-Jewry gave her a particular take on being an Australian. Fiercely patriotic about Australia and loyal to the Crown, she realised the historical peculiarity to be both Jewish and free. And that had such an impact on me.”
Leeser, who pledged to “always be an advocate for better mental health policy” during his time in Parliament, noted that treating depression as a medical issue is not working.
“Rather we need to rebuild caring communities where people know and notice the signs and acknowledge the people around them,” he said.
“Where we ask ‘Are you okay?’, or more directly ‘Are you contemplating suicide?’ And we need to create the conditions where those who are thinking about suicide feel comfortable enough to ask for help.”
Delivering his maiden speech on Wednesday, Labor MP for Macarthur Dr Mike Freelander noted that his family is “one of the oldest Jewish families in Australia”.
“I’m proud that my great-great-grandfather Abraham Rheuben came here as a convict aged 16 and helped build the first permanent synagogue in Australia that still stands today in Hobart; he became an alderman and successful businessman.
“It was said of him that he always reached out into the darkness to help those less fortunate than himself.”
EVAN ZLATKIS
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