Vale Yehuda Avner (1928-2015)
Rabbi Raymond Apple, emeritus rabbi of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, said today* from Jerusalem that “Yehuda was one of the most elegant, talented and articulate Israeli diplomats who ever served in Australia.
“He was the epitome of passion, erudition and oratory, a superb representative of Israel.
“He was great company, as I found to my benefit when he and Miriam invited me to the Embassy time after time when I was in the national capital as senior rabbi to the Australian Defence Force.
“The Avners made firm friends with many Australian Jewish leaders and greatly enjoyed their Shabbat visits to Melbourne and Sydney.
“My wife and I will never forget the Saturday night when the Avners were at our Potts Point home and Yehuda regaled us with stories of his lifetime as a close associate of Israel’s prime ministers.
“He had an amazing capacity for vivid reconstruction of meetings with world figures including the Lubavitcher Rebbe. His book on the Israeli prime ministers, and the subsequent film, gave the Jewish and general public a unique insight into people and events.”
* On the occasion of Yehuda Avner’s passing, 24 March 2015.
