DINNER IN HONOUR OF RABBI DR. H. Mo SANGER
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY
OF HIS MINISTRY IN AUSTRALIA
Held at Melbourne on 12th November_ 19621
Speech by the Prime Minister. the Rt. Hon. RG. Menzies
Sir, Rabbi Sanger and Ladies and Gentlemen
I wonder if I might begin by paying a small
tribute to Mrs. Phillips, ( Applause) I have been informed
by reputable people at this table that she is now 100 years
old. Looking at her, I don't believe it, ( Laughter) If
it turns out to be true, then I think the one error made
tonight was that you should have compromised all your ideas
and had a Scottish pipe band to play " A Hundred Pipers and
a and a ( Applause) o
Sir when I agreed to come here, that wasn't a
matter of great difficulty because at least twice I have been
to Alma Road and I have made a speech and then I have sat
down and then I have listened to Rabbi Sanger without
discourtesy explaining to me by his own speech how a speech
ought to be made. ( Laughter) And I have become his very
warm admirer and I needed very little persuasion none in
fact to come here tonight,
But having agreed that I would come, I of course
had to do my homeworko They sent me printed material
yes, I read my brief ( Laughter) I read a panegyric about
Rabbi Sanger which explained that he was sometimes impatient
this this oo. o and this and this and up to that point,
I said, " Dear me, how like me e is." ( Laughter) ( Applause)
But among other things that I was introduced to
was the fact that just as there is regrettable distinction
between the Church of England and the Church of Scotland and
the Congregationalists and the Methodists a conflict in
which the Presbyterians are invariably and inevitably right
( Laughter) so there are distinctions of a somewhat theological
kind between the Orthodox and the Liberal congregations of
your faith. Having read that, I realised, as my friend Mr.
Calwell who is here tonight would at once agree, that I am
the perfect nominee for this position because I am both
orthodox and liber,: al. ( Applau-se)
So it is not just a chance medley that brings
together, on this occasion to celebrate twentyfive years of
magnificent religious and commu. nity service, representatives
of a great variety of churches, representatives of utterly
conflicting political ideas this i! not a chance, not at
allo This is one of the occasions which demonstrates that
there are certain qualities of the heart and the mind and the
spirit that override all boundaries, ( Applause) In fact,
without detaining you overlong, I vouild just like to put three
questions about Rabbi Sanger. Three questions, and I would
like to answer them myself You Irow there is a great
advantage in life in putting th, questions yourself and
answering them yourselfo It was one chat I invariably denied
the witnesses when I was Mtaurice Ashkanasy's tutor at the Bar,
but I would like to concede it to myself tonight.
Has Dr, Sanger added to our civil. isation?
Civilisation being in our hearts and our minds has very little
EoB00 ooo. / 2
to do with aircraft or television sets or all the mechanical
-triumphis of our century, Civilisation is in thie heart and the
mind. Has he added to it? And the answer must be
For twontyfive years he) h. as made, a contribution to it as great
as that4 of any other man in this city., ( Applause)
And my second question is: " Has hemade us understand
each oth'-er better?" At this point, I wou: ld like to say this:
Here I ami, a singularly unbigoted man of Seats descent, a
singularly unbigoted Presbyterian ( Laugb. ter),, a singularly
unbigoted Liberal ( Laugiter), a singulirly iinbi~ go-ted supporter
of Carlton in the football ( Lau liter), a singularly unbigoted
whatever you may care to say,, ( LaugLiter) But, Sir, I hiave
been -troubled not for a year, but for a fe-w years by the
feeling that there are still people -vwhIo think that there is
so0me bigotry in Australia about people oUteJws faith.
Now I bag of' everybody to foAa t Frget it,, All chips
. must come of~ f all shoculders on tGhis Ymatte--r0 This is too
foolish0i Too foolish This country ha, s been too enrichaed by
the contribution of people of theo Jew-ish faith to be living
in a dead age on those matters, country is -too conscious
of the hideous consoquences in th-e Old 1Tkrld of such bigotries
and hatreds and prejudiCes, I b.-eg of you and I s0y this for
oery man in; every pa: rliament in the Com~ monwealth of Austra lia:
forget about it,, Forget about % L-ot us understand each other
better, There is no reason wiiTv we should not, We arc all. the
same people, 14e live in a lovely country. We all have friends
from here a-, d he_-re and heira and I 1wiant -to say about ocir guest
of honour tonight -that no mran hias done more then he has to get
,) eoplo to shrug o--, ff theo abSu.-. ditics. these antiquated
absurdities and to make us ,, ll re&' ce tht We have one task
itwh-atever may ! e to understand cachi ot~ her better and to
become greater and gpe-a ter contributors to a civilised life in
our own country, And Si. thrl t'i-t~ s a ge,( od word. ex-Moderator-
General thirdly -tiiatis an eXp-ression -well known i~ n the
PR esbyterian kir-k ( LraUghter) " Has ' De deepsnasd religious
foel-ingr in wheit ha's thi cntente3d to be a iuaterial and almiost
cynical age?" This is the most iminportant qluesti.-on oi' th'-
lot becauce tchis is a mateial age. This is an age in whiich
people are ' Goo, much disposed to oons-ider all problems in terms
of prof-it and loss; a cymical age because whoever oxhibits a
high-min'ded att-itucae to-wards a pl-oblein is as likely as not t
be asked " r1T, at is i~ n it for ' you' 1 Thais happens too much, too
frequently too del, And this Is or~ e of thie great problems.~
great spiri-. u. Ll prob-Lems of nur ago , ind I believe that our
distinguisheod guest has mam. Je a remarkable contribut-j. o-k tote
deepening of relig-ious feeling w-tth all its own standards of
values in a period of time inwhich w'e can become much too
easily hard2 eyni4cal, z.;, teriel, I was,: astonished to
find that be has been do. 4ng hlls workq1 b.-I s great work~ fox'
twentyfive years ten years longer2as ray distinrguis~ hed fiiend,
Arthur Calwell , zill tell you ' Lan P-vu been Prime Minister
of Australia ,3_ a ugat er U SElvir. veygaoht distinction
between Dr. Sanger and myself people will, for some
obscure reason. still argu abu" wehe ts been a good
thaing for Australia ' that I siiould have been Prime ' Minister.
Nobody argues about hterit Is a good thing -thIat heo sh. ould
have been doing hiis work JI h. C. Tplm. ae and in his commuiity for
twentyftive years. ( ALp plIase)
I~ mce ii. te CAt o be heaI've tal!, ed in one sense
-too long in anothor sense ha', ro tal': ed too little to say on
behalf of all ofE you ho; 10; goatefLul wec are -to him and to h-is wife
and to all of tbose who work witL-h hiim for whiat they have done
in thais great COUnt41, r ( Applause)