December 31, 2017: An international reunion of the extended Slutzkin family at the ANZAC Memorial Centre in Beer Sheva brings the story of Jews in Ottoman and British Mandate Palestine and the British Commonwealth to life in a very personal way.
Thirty members of the extended Slutzkin family arrived at the ANZAC Memorial Center in Beer Sheva one day after their enormous international family reunion in Rehovot. The visit was an integral part of their reunion agenda for several reasons, all of which became clear during the course of the outing.
They were met by ANZAC Memorial Center Director Nitzan Dayan, who revealed that the facility was opened just two months earlier in the presence of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull; Governor General of New Zealand Patsy Reddy; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; JNF Australia President Peter Smaller and KKL-JNF Vice Chairman Mike Nitzan. “The Facility, which is shaped like a horse’s head,” he said, “was designed and built with from the support of JNF Australia to celebrate the achievements of the ANZAC and British troops at the Battle of Beer Sheva during World War I, and their victory over the Ottoman army.”
Museum guide Collin Fremde conducted the tour around the site and presented a thorough explanation of the allied tactics, which led to the defeat of the Turkish forces. On display were artifacts from that period, including a soldier’s memoirs, photographs, and films. In one cabinet was a steel covered diary.
“This was a Christmas present from British Princess Mary to her troops who were serving in the war. It took the army over 4 years to complete the distribution of her gift.”
Leading the visiting group was Melbourne-based family matriarch Gael Hammer, grandniece of Lazar Slutzkin, who provided some insight into the history of the family.
“The Slutzkins can trace its roots back to 1700 in Russia, but members of this reunion in Israel are all descendants of Lazar and Rose Slutzkin of Melbourne, Australia, who immigrated to Israel in 1898. They had 7 children and built a magnificent house in Rechovot which is where we held our reunion last night. Seventy family members hailing from Australia, England, Israel and the United States were present.”
Australian Mathew Slutzkin, who is a great, great grandchild of Lazar Slutzkin’s brother Shalom, said that the reunion was a powerful event. “It was incredible to see our family over so many generations and to know that we have all kept in contact. Not many families can boast that feat. I was proud to be there with my wife Karen and my two boys Nate and Toby.”
London Resident Debby Ussishkin said “I am a great grand-daughter of Lazar Slutzkin, and also the great grand-niece of Zionist leader and illustrious Jewish National Fund Head Menachem Ussishkin. Descendants of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine, are also connected to the Slutzkin family and were present at the dinner last night.”
Geoff Stanton, an Australian grandson of Lazar and Rose Slutzkin, said that his grandparents were amongst the 12,000 Palestinian Jews who were rounded up by the Ottomans in 1914, robbed and banished to Alexandria in Egypt. “There they met and hosted members of the ANZAC forces who were about to embark for Gallipoli.”
Ralph Stanton, Geoff’s brother, continued the saga. “The house that my grandparents so loved was appropriated by the Turkish Army for military use. Later after entry of the ANZAC Light Horse Brigade into Rechovot on 16 November 1916, the home became the headquarters of Australian Lieutenant-General Harry Chauvel. Grandfather Lazar, who had returned to Australia from Alexandria handed the keys of the house to Chauvel with his blessing.”
Today the building houses Rehovot’s De Shalit High School.
Ralph also provided a little-known anecdote:
“After returning to Australia, grandfather Lazar quickly built up a thriving textile industry. When he met a New Zealand soldier who was on his way to Palestine, he gave him a flag with a Magen David (Star of David) to raise in Israel. The soldier was on Allenby’s staff and took the opportunity to fly the flag over the Tower of David. That was the first Jewish flag in Jerusalem for over two thousand years, even though it was quickly removed by the British forces to prevent friction in the city.
Museum guide Collin Fremde screened a film for the group, which explained the circumstances leading to the dramatic victory at Beer Sheva and the final defeat of the Turkish Army. While the audience watched the film the entire cinema was raised like a huge elevator to the floor above. When audience members exited at the end, they walked out onto a balcony which overlooks the huge British Military Cemetery adjacent to the ANZAC Memorial Center. After watching the powerful film the poignant scene before them was hard to dismiss. The group then made their way through the cemetery pausing at length at the solitary Jewish grave.
Before they left the site, ANZAC Memorial Center Director Nitzan Dayan told his guests: “For many reasons you are one of the most connected groups that I have hosted here to date. You have connections to the ANZAC forces that are memorialized here. ANZAC General Harry Chauvel used your paternal family home in Rehovot as his headquarters. As a result, I have no doubt that Lazar Slutzkin played a major role leading up to the creation of the state of Israel. Finally, you are connected to JNF Australia, the organization that funded the building of this facility. I thank you all for coming here and honoring us.”