Bernard Rechter, a man of many talents

Looks at the career of Galician-born Professor Bernard Rechter, who played a key role in the establishment of the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilization and served as its acting director. Rechter arrived in Australia in 1933 as a child, his father, the mighty tenor Wolf Rechter, having been appointed cantor of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation. The article describes the phases of his outlook and career. Discusses his transition from religious believer to a secular but still proud Jew, his flirtation with Communism and his involvement with the Jewish Council to Combat Fascism and anti-Semitism; we see, too, this kind-hearted linguistically-gifted scholar’s passion for history and the humanities as well as the sciences, and his career’s evolution from research scientist to Jewish Studies academic.