Hebrew Standard of Australasia
Object numberM2004/017:001
TitleHebrew Standard of Australasia
"Cruising with the Australian Navy"
"Cruising with the Australian Navy"
DescriptionNewspaper article by Edward Lane about Jews in the Australian Navy, July 3, 1925. Vol 31. No.1. page 14.
"There are not so many Jews in the Australian Navy as it deserves and ought to have" writes Petty Officer A. E. Lane in a special issue to The Hebrew Standard, Friday 3 July 1925. "Maybe, the reason for it is that the openings the Navy offers as a career is not understood." He writes that amongst the men it is safe to say that there is no sign of religious bigotry, so it is not necessary to hide one's religious affiliation. The observance, for instance, of Jewish holydays is always permissible - the captain grants permission without fuss. The trips to foreign parts are valuable and useful experiences. "Whilst the Navy is no nursery - every man is cared for." "The opportunities for the working man's sons are greater in the Navy than those offering in the country or city." He talks about a voyage to Singapore, which is inevitable: "All voyagers must at some time come to Singapore. It is there all roads of the ocean meet." It was Purim, and it didn't take long for him to meet with a Mr Judah (a native of Singapore) and Mr Solomon, who introduced him to the Synagogue. The congregation do not read from books, as we do in Australia, but instead have miniature Torahs. "I felt strange and quite out of the setting in uniform in a congregation of coloured co-religionists, some black, some brown or yellow but no whites." That week for Shabbat Edward went to another Synagogue built by Mr Myers; it is built on a small hill. "On entering I was awe-struck, for before me stood the finest example of architecture I have even seen and everything else was of gorgeous grandeur. I am told this Synagogue is built as a replica of King Solomon's Temple"
Part of a collection of around 200 objects, uniforms, letters, documents and photographs donated by Reuben Lane, related to his father, Edward Alexander Lane (1902-1984).
Edward Lane gave his birth date as 3 April 1901 though it was actually 3 April 1902. Most likely because he was only 17 when he enlisted in June 1919 (post-war enlistments continued for the ongoing protection of Britain) and he was required to be 18. Born in London's East End, he attended the Jewish Free School. In 1918, aged 16, he ran away and joined the British Merchant Navy, serving as a baker's apprentice aboard the troop ship Wyreema. At the end of WWI he immigrated to Australia, joining the Royal Australian Navy, serving aboard the HMAS Encounter. He remained in the Australian Navy until the mid-1930s at which point he started a business, Lane's Fibrous Plaster Works in Hurstville.
Edward met Catherine Jonas (Kitty). They married in 1925 at the Central Synagogue. Edward was a prolific inventor; he invented a prototype of the Ramset, an electric nail gun. Around 1937, he took up flying lessons and attained his pilot's licence. At the outbreak of World War II, Lane was told by an acquaintance that "Jews don't fight". This prompted him to enlist in the Royal Australian Navy in 1940. He was shipped to England and served as a pilot in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, flying combat missions off carrier ships, leaving his wife and three children behind. During the war, to calm his nerves, Lane had developed an interest in Palmistry, an interest he kept up until he took up photography in the 1960s. He continued Palmistry (palm readings) when he returned to Australia and became quite a celebrity with a regular column in the newspaper and appearing on television. He won both local and international trophies and medals for his photography, and he continued to take photographs until his death in 1984.
"There are not so many Jews in the Australian Navy as it deserves and ought to have" writes Petty Officer A. E. Lane in a special issue to The Hebrew Standard, Friday 3 July 1925. "Maybe, the reason for it is that the openings the Navy offers as a career is not understood." He writes that amongst the men it is safe to say that there is no sign of religious bigotry, so it is not necessary to hide one's religious affiliation. The observance, for instance, of Jewish holydays is always permissible - the captain grants permission without fuss. The trips to foreign parts are valuable and useful experiences. "Whilst the Navy is no nursery - every man is cared for." "The opportunities for the working man's sons are greater in the Navy than those offering in the country or city." He talks about a voyage to Singapore, which is inevitable: "All voyagers must at some time come to Singapore. It is there all roads of the ocean meet." It was Purim, and it didn't take long for him to meet with a Mr Judah (a native of Singapore) and Mr Solomon, who introduced him to the Synagogue. The congregation do not read from books, as we do in Australia, but instead have miniature Torahs. "I felt strange and quite out of the setting in uniform in a congregation of coloured co-religionists, some black, some brown or yellow but no whites." That week for Shabbat Edward went to another Synagogue built by Mr Myers; it is built on a small hill. "On entering I was awe-struck, for before me stood the finest example of architecture I have even seen and everything else was of gorgeous grandeur. I am told this Synagogue is built as a replica of King Solomon's Temple"
Part of a collection of around 200 objects, uniforms, letters, documents and photographs donated by Reuben Lane, related to his father, Edward Alexander Lane (1902-1984).
Edward Lane gave his birth date as 3 April 1901 though it was actually 3 April 1902. Most likely because he was only 17 when he enlisted in June 1919 (post-war enlistments continued for the ongoing protection of Britain) and he was required to be 18. Born in London's East End, he attended the Jewish Free School. In 1918, aged 16, he ran away and joined the British Merchant Navy, serving as a baker's apprentice aboard the troop ship Wyreema. At the end of WWI he immigrated to Australia, joining the Royal Australian Navy, serving aboard the HMAS Encounter. He remained in the Australian Navy until the mid-1930s at which point he started a business, Lane's Fibrous Plaster Works in Hurstville.
Edward met Catherine Jonas (Kitty). They married in 1925 at the Central Synagogue. Edward was a prolific inventor; he invented a prototype of the Ramset, an electric nail gun. Around 1937, he took up flying lessons and attained his pilot's licence. At the outbreak of World War II, Lane was told by an acquaintance that "Jews don't fight". This prompted him to enlist in the Royal Australian Navy in 1940. He was shipped to England and served as a pilot in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, flying combat missions off carrier ships, leaving his wife and three children behind. During the war, to calm his nerves, Lane had developed an interest in Palmistry, an interest he kept up until he took up photography in the 1960s. He continued Palmistry (palm readings) when he returned to Australia and became quite a celebrity with a regular column in the newspaper and appearing on television. He won both local and international trophies and medals for his photography, and he continued to take photographs until his death in 1984.
Production date 1925-07-03
Production periodpre-World War II
Object namearticles
Materialpaper
Techniqueprinted
Dimensions
- whole width: 290.00 mm
whole height: 415.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Reuben Lane