Tag: ANZAC

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PRESS RELEASE RE SURAFEND, ANZAC DAY & PRO PALESTINIAN TEACHERS 24.4.24

“While Surafend is a little-known part of our ANZAC history, I went there twice in 2010 and 2017, met locals and researched the history,” said author, historian and pastor Barbara Miller. “For the pro-Palestinian lobby of Australian teachers to denigrate the ANZAC legacy by rewriting it emphasizing Surafend, tying it erroneously to the Israel-Gaza war and belittling the sacrifice of so many Australian soldiers and their families on the eve of ANZAC Day is disgusting.”

Co-founder of the Centre for International Reconciliation and Peace with her husband Pastor Norman Miller, Ms Miller said, “The Victorian Teachers and School Staff for Palestine (TSSP) have produced their own material with which to indoctrinate our children with their anti-Israel, anti-Australian agenda. They should at least get their facts right.

“Their 40-page booklet titled Teaching for Palestine: Challenging Anzac Day will ignore teaching resources from the Australian War Memorial though it is aligned with the national curriculum. The teachers are reportedly concerned with imperialistic and militaristic views.

“What happened at Surafend? The war was over and the ANZACs were camped near the Bedouin village of Surfend on 10 December 1918. The troops were tired of the British protecting the Arabs who had a long record of thieving and other harassment.

“When a NZ soldier, Leslie Lowry, was robbed while asleep and murdered chasing his attacker, the Kiwis were annoyed at no response from the British command and asked the Shiekh to surrender the perpetrator. 

“Failing this, the Kiwis removed the women, children, and elderly and attacked the village killing somewhere between 40 and 120 men. It is not proven that the Australians took part but they knew about it and so were complicit. 

“General Allenby was furious, and, as no one owned up to it, he stripped all the men of their medals and ordered the New Zealand and Australian governments to pay reparations so Surafend could be rebuilt.

“In October 2010 and on the centenary of the Battle of Beer Sheva in 2017, Norman and I led teams of Australian and New Zealand Christians and others to the site where Surafend had been (as it was destroyed much later) and said sorry for our nations’ actions to locals.

“We presented a handwritten apology in 2010 and an apology engraved in gold on a plaque in Arabic, Hebrew, and English in 2017. We did this because of our commitment to reconciliation and our work to bring Jews and Arabs together.

“So where are the teachers wrong?

  1. The ANZAC legend should not be “dismantled” and linked to the killing at Surafend, because while horrific, it is totally out of character with the ANZAC spirit of fighting valiantly in the Middle East with honour. 
  2. Contrary to teacher Lucy Honan’s assertion, children should not be taught the ANZACs left a long and violent historical imprint in Palestine. Surafend is only one example and it was part of the Ottoman Empire at the time of the incident above. 
  3. The League of Nations, the precursor to the United Nations, created Mandatory Palestine under British rule from 1920 to 1948 so the ANZACs cannot be held responsible for the British creating a prison at Surafend for Arab activists. The British were dealing with Arab and Jewish insurgents. 
  4. The ANZACs cannot be held responsible for the Arab residents of Surafend fleeing or being evacuated during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 when several Arab nations attacked Israel after it declared nationhood and Arab nations told the Arabs living in Israel to get out of the way. No casualties were recorded. 
  5. Surafend was not in the West Bank or Gaza but in the north near Rishon Le Zion. 

“Pippa Tandy, a member of TSSP, said in The Australian that people link ANZAC Day to our Australian identity. So, the aim of TSSP is to dismantle, denigrate, and destroy the identity of Australians who commemorate ANZAC Day. This shows their real intent. Australians don’t glorify war but honour and respect the sacrifice of our soldiers and their families. 

“TSSP want to destroy Australia and the values that hold our nation together encouraging us to be anti-patriotic and ashamed of ourselves. They would rather support the values that led Hamas to murder, burn, rape, and pillage on October 7 with their stated aim to repeat it again and again.”

Signed 

Barbara Miller


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RECONCILIATION NEWZ BUZZ Dec 2023 no 1, Dec 3

Norman and Barbara spoke at the Celebrate Israel event at the Central Synagogue at Bondi Junction Sydney hosted by Dalia Sinclair. Norman and Barbara are pictured here with Dr Ron Weiser, Hon Life President of the Zionist Council of NSW, who also spoke, and Robert Schneider CEO of the Australian Friends of the Hebrew University. This is the 18th year the event was held to commemorate the anniversary of the 29 November 1947 resolution 181 of the UN to divide the British Mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state.

There were interesting messages and informative video clips of a historical nature affirming the legality of the Jewish state. The Evangelical Sisters of Mercy attended and have given wonderful support to the Jewish community over the years. You can glimpse the seats reserved for the Hamas hostages in the background. 

Barbara was asked to read a statement by Mark Pollard that he read at Tzemach in Israel in 2019 when a statue of the Australian Indigenous horseman, in the likeness of his grandfather, was unveiled. The statue shows him holding a Bible and leaning down to a fallen mate. She gave a brief introduction of when Norman and Barbara took a team of ANZAC Christians from Australia and NZ to Tzemach to pray in 2010 and took an international team of 50 there in 2017 to a special ceremony as part of the 100-anniversary commemorations at Beer Sheva etc. This video shows Dalia introducing Barbara. Unfortunately, a video of the whole event is not available – SEE IT HERE

Norman Miller Indigenous Friends of Israel speaking at Celebrate Israel event Sydney 29.11.23

Norman was asked to bring a blessing at the end of the event and it happened that he was to speak after Leeron who gave a very emotional talk about her reaction to the news of her friends’ fate as the October 7 massacre in Israel unfolded that day.

He was unable to speak, choking back tears. Eventually, he spoke about Israel rising up on the wings of eagles and he sensed to repeat Ruth’s words to Naomi in Ruth 1:16–17, This was not caught on the video but most of his message was. We had asked permission to invite some of our Christian Arab friends to attend and one of them said to us later that Norman’s tears spoke more than his words.

INVITATION TO ATTEND OUR INDIGENOUS FRIENDS OF ISRAEL

ZOOM MEETING THURSDAY 7.12.23 AT 7.30PM AEDT AND 10.30AM ISRAEL TIME TO HEAR A SPECIAL SPEAKER FROM ISRAEL TBC AND THE MILLERS FROM THEIR TRIP TO CANBERRA AND SYDNEY WORKING WITH THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN AUSTRALIA. ALSO TIME TO PRAY FOR ISRAEL AND JEWISH PEOPLE WORLDWIDE.

LEFT – Kim Taylor, Barbara and Norman Miller at pro-Israel rally at Parliament House Canberra Tuesday 28.11.23. Life-size placards of those kidnapped by Hamas were erected by the Bring Them Home group to help raise awareness of their plight. Israeli families of those murdered and kidnapped attended as did the Israel Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon, some MPs and press. RIGHT –  The Bringing Them Home team.

ISRAEL HUMANITARIAN APPEAL
By Centre for International Reconciliation and Peace

Help Israel recover from Oct 7 bloodbath and its aftermath by donating to ministries run by Ps Avi and Chaya Mizrachi of Dugit Ministries Tel Aviv (left) and Ps Howard and Randi Bass of Yeshua’s Inheritance Congregation Beer Sheva.

There are thousands of Jewish people displaced by the terror that occurred on Oct 7 with their homes and communities destroyed. Some of those affected were Holocaust survivors. Many just left with the clothes on their backs and are in need of help. Lives have been turned upside down. It is not safe yet to return and rebuild and probably won’t be for a long time. 

For any donation from Australians over $70 AUD, you can receive a copy of Ps Munganbana Norman Miller’s painting of From Mourning into Dancing based on Psalm 30 and Ps Barbara Miller’s book William Cooper, Gentle Warrior: Standing Up for Australian Aborigines and Persecuted Jews. The flier above done for us by our friend Tim Jack, shows you how to donate

DONATE HERE

LEFT – Norman Miller at Bring Them Home rally at Bondi Beach Thursday 30.11.23. A large crowd gathered. RIGHT – Tali Kizhner, mother of Segev who was killed on October 7 in Israel spoke movingly to Sky News. Sharri Markson was interviewing her remotely and broke down during the interview. Tali and team spoke to other media as well. A group of Israeli families of those murdered or kidnapped on October 7 by Hamas is in Australia to raise awareness and get help to bring them home. 

Unfortunately, the Israeli families were re-traumatised by a pro-Hamas group that blocked their entrance into a hotel in Melbourne at 10.30pm recently. The police had to take the Israelis to a police station for a few hours till they could clear the protestors who were not arrested. This was disgusting and the police are not doing their job. 

There has been great support from the Jewish community as expected and a few Christians turned up to give support in Canberra. Support from Christians in Sydney has not been seen much physically though many are probably praying. We have found open arms to us for our support as antisemitism rises around Australian at an alarming rate.

LEFT – Barbara lighting a candle for those held hostage by Hamas. Fortunately, some have been returned in a prisoner exchange where 3 times the no of Palestinians held for crimes were released for Israeli hostages. The women on the left are the Israeli families who are lighting candles along with Jewish women who normally attend the Central Synagogue. Norman and I were blessed to be invited to the Central Synagogue on Friday night to the Shabbat meal and service as guests of Dalia Sinclair. The Rabbi and a team had just returned from Israel. Ambassador Amir Maimon and his wife attended.

RIGHT – I gave copies of my Voice Treaty Truth book to Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Senator Kerrynne Liddle, received by their staffers at Parliament House Canberra on 28.11.23. Their role in the voice referendum is covered in the book as well as a photo of Norman presenting them with a boomerang he made saying “No Racism in the Constitution.”

LEFT – Baptism Service at Freshwater Creek Cairns 2.12.23
RIGHT – Just finished a Shabbat meal at Tabernacle of David Cairns 2.12.23

THE MOST AMAZING VIDEOS ON ISRAEL, PRAYER, WORSHIP, THE APOSTOLIC AND PROPHETIC AND MUCH MORE – AT YOUR FINGERTIPS!!! BE BLESSED!!!

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In The Steps Of The Lighthorse/Anzacs

By Barbara Miller

We timed our visit to Israel so that we would be in Be’er-Sheva for the 93rd anniversary of the famous charge of the Australian Light horse on October 31, 1917 and the ceremonies being held that day. We travelled to most of the other battle sites where the ANZACS fought as well

  • Norman & Barbara Miller at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery after wreaths laid by our group along with a poppy wreath donated by the Cairns RSL
  • Australians at Park of the Australian Soldier, Be’er- Sheva, donated by Pratt Foundation, Australia. We laid wreaths there also.

For those who haven’t heard the story before, I’ll briefly say that the taking of the wells of Be’er-Sheva (Beersheba) was critical for Allied victory in Palestine. The British had fought all day, the NZ Mounted Rifles and an Australian regiment took the high place of Tel es Sabe after heavy fighting. Still, all would have been lost had it not been for a daring charge by the Australian Light horsemen (about 800 of them) charging straight into the Turkish guns.

They were regarded as the crazy Australians to charge over an open area to the Turks who were in trenches in fortified positions. German planes were firing on them. The horses had not had water for days and if the Allied forces did not take the wells of Be’er-Sheva by nightfall, all would be lost. The horses smelled the water and galloped ahead at a furious pace. The men were not cavalry but mounted infantry and the daring charge just before nightfall took the Turks by surprise. They didn’t adjust the sights on their guns quickly enough. Some Australians fought hand to hand in the trenches and others jumped the trenches and rode into the city to stop the Germans blowing up the wells. While the charge brought the breakthrough, the charge could not have happened without the British fighting all day and the New Zealanders taking the high ground, preventing them from being mowed down.

This happened on Oct 31, 1917. On the same day, the British Parliament passed the Balfour Declaration in favour of the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The political will and the military victory went hand in hand. After fighting in other towns, Gen Allenby was able to walk into Jerusalem with his forces and accept the surrender of the Turks, thus ending 400 years of the Ottoman Empire, and nearly 1200 years of almost uninterrupted Islamic rule of Jerusalem. There had always been a Jewish presence in Jerusalem and Palestine however and Jewish forces fought alongside the British to free their land.

This was a precursor to the formation of the modern state of Israel in 1948 and again, ANZACS played a critical role in the defence of Israel, then Palestine.

So, as we prepared to go to Be’er-Sheva for the Oct 31 service, we approached a number of organisations in Australia to let them know we were going and the Cairns RSL donated us 4 red poppy wreaths, one of which we laid at the Park of the Australian Soldier, Be’er-Sheva and one at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. We laid one at the Commonwealth Cemetery at Mt Scopus in Jerusalem and one at the NZ monument in Ness Ziona. We also laid wreaths of fresh flowers at all three ceremonies in Be’er-Sheva, including the one at the Turkish memorial. We approached the Turkish embassy before leaving Australia for permission to do this. We did it in a spirit of reconciliation.

The New Zealand team brought with them pillows with poppies sewn into them to lay as wreaths at each place noted above because the NZ soldiers didn’t have pillows according to Lila Diprose who made the pillows. They also brought loose poppies to strew.

Norman is wearing a Torres Strait Islander flag at the ceremony as he gave the Aboriginal flag to Richard Evans to wear and he wanted the other Indigenous group in Australia to be represented. Kris Schlyder, an ex-army man with our team laid the wreath at the Park of the Australian Soldier with Liz Wright and Joanna Moss.

We went to three commemoration ceremonies – the Park of the Australian Soldier, the British Cemetery and the Turkish ceremony where we laid wreaths at all three – Australia, New Zealand and Britain together. It was a moving time for all of us and there was time for the team to pray at the cemetery the next day when Norman and I met with the Municipality of Be’er- Sheva.

On Oct 31, we had organised for the Vice Chairman of the Society of the Heritage of World War I, Mr Ezra Pimentel to be our guide and he was very informative. As well as going to the ceremonies, we went to Tel es Saba where the NZ Mounted Rifles and some Australians took the high place, Abraham’s well and Chauvel’s Hill from where he watched the 800 Australian Light horsemen ride into history with their famous charge. We also saw the Warriors Club where a local ex IDF serviceman has built a museum in his backyard with much war memorabilia.

While in Be’er-Sheva, we visited HaMaKom or Bible House where local Messianic congregations have a library, meeting place and coffee shop. Ps Howard and Randi Bass are very involved there and Randi had prepared a wonderful display re the Australian Light horse and NZ Mounted Rifles. It is becoming an ANZAC Museum and deserves support from Australians and New Zealanders. They also gave us refreshments.

Norman and I and our team hosted Howard and Randi Bass from Be’er-Sheva in Australia (Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra) and, with Sue Rowe, in New Zealand (Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga) in July 2010 in preparation for our ANZAC tour of Israel.

We followed the steps of the Australian Light horsemen and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles as they fought in Gaza, Be’er-Sheva, Ashkelon, Armageddon, Semakh, Ayun Kara near Rishon Le Zion, Yafo near Tel Aviv, Jericho, Hebron and Jerusalem.

We arrived in the dark at Semakh which was amazing as the battle was fought in the dark although early morning and we were there in the evening. It is near the Sea of Galilee and was captured 25 Sept 1918 by the 11th and 12th Australian Light horse who charged a heavily fortified Turkish railway station. Indigenous light horsemen were involved too. The charge was not as big as the charge at Beersheba but just as dangerous and daring. They were mostly Queenslanders and some from South Australia. This ended Turkish and German opposition around the Sea of Galilee. Recently, a statue has been erected to the Australian Indigenous Light horseman and his horse, a worthy commemoration.

We went to Mt Carmel and Megiddo, the Allied forces capturing it on 19 Sept 1918, with Australian General Chauvel calling it the Battle of Armageddon. British General Allenby was made Vicount of Megiddo or Lord of Armageddon.

On Friday, Nov 5, we visited Rishon Le Zion which is built on top of Ayun Kara where, outnumbered 8 to 1, the NZ Mounted Rifles won a hard-fought victory. We visited the graves of the 50 Kiwis who died in that battle buried at Ramleh. We laid wreaths at the statue to the NZ Mounted Rifles at Ben Gurion School in Ness Ziona. This statue was only built in 2010 with the opening on March 1.

This account is only a quick summary of one aspect, though an important one of our tour i.e. our journey in the steps of the ANZACS and Light horse.

  • Joanna Moss, NZ, Liz Wright, Britain & Barbara Miller, Australia after laying a wreath together at the Turkish memorial
  • HaMaKom or Bible House ANZAC Display made by Randi Bass, Be’er-Sheva for Oct 31
  • 175 Aussies & 31 Kiwis buried at Be’er-Sheva
  • Ceremony at 93rd anniversary Be’er-Sheva
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