Research services 1960-1967: 'unremitting vigilance, preparedness, and understanding'

Journal article

---

In Journal Issue

Australian Jewish Historical Society Journal, 20, 1 (2010)

Author(s) Andrew Markus AbstractResearch Services, an organisation formed in 1960 to combat antisemitism, has left little historical trace. Research Services was registered on 23 February 1960 by its secretary, Una Kersey, as a business under the Business Names Act. It was indicated that the organisation was established on 23 December 1959, and the nature of the business was stated as 'market and general research'. The place of business was initially a sixth floor office in Elizabeth Street, and subsequently in Flinders Lane, both located in the central Melbourne business district. The immediate stimulus for the organisation's formation was a number of swastika daubings, neo-Nazis paintings of swastikas on building walls, a phenomenon that was seen at the time across major overseas and Australian cities. Its task was to undertake systematic information-gathering on antisemitic activities for the Jewish leadership. The membership was recruited from ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen, mainly, members of the Victorian Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women (VAJEX). This paper looks at the work of this organisation until its demise in the 1970s.
Year2010
Pages68-80