Asher Joel

Asher Joel

Sir Asher Alexander Joel KBE, AO (4 May 1912 – 12 November 1998) was an Australian public figure and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council for 20 years. Although he was Jewish, he received a papal knighthood in 1995.

In the 1930s he worked in journalism and public relations.

During the Second World War, he enlisted in the Australian Army in 1942, then transferred to the Royal Australian Navy, joining the staff of General Douglas MacArthur between 1944 and 1945. He was discharged with the rank of Lieutenant on 17 August 1945.

In 1946 he founded Asher Joel Pty Ltd, a public relations firm.

In 1958, Joel was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council as an Independent, and joined the then Country Party (now the National Party) the following year. In 1971-1972, he served as party treasurer, and in 1971, he served on the central executive. He retired from New South Wales Legislative Council in 1978.

In 1975, he established the Sir Asher Joel Foundation to assist Macquarie University students to participate on archaeological digs with Tel Aviv University.

During the course of his career, he helped to organise a number of large-scale events, acting in an honorary capacity:

• The visit of Princess Alexandra of Kent in 1956
• The visit of U.S. President Lyndon B Johnson in 1966
• The visit of Pope Paul VI in 1970

He was also heavily involved with the establishment of the Sydney Opera House.

At Joel's funeral in 1998, Rabbi Raymond Apple of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, described Joel as an "Australian legend", having "walked with kings, queens, princes of the Church... with a genuine aristocracy of personality and presence. He had elegance, style and bearing, but humanity too."

Joel was survived by his wife Sybil, children Richard, David, Michael, Alexandra and grandchildren Natasha, Phoebe, Bennett, Alina, Arabella and Nicholas.