Published: 28 November 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
DAN COLEMAN pays tribute to the former Jewish school principal and councillor for the Greens, whose life was guided by his devotion to the common good.
David Zyngier, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 72, was many things to many people. To some, he was a lifelong advocate for public education. To others, he was a lion in the cause of peace and justice. For his local council constituents in Glen Eira, in Melbourne, he was a powerful voice for climate action.
Some viewed him critically as a self-hating Jew, confused that he could support the human rights of the Palestinian people while still identifying as a Zionist. Ever ready for a good argument, David had his enemies, as do so many who are forthright in the cause of justice.
A tribute from Glen Eira Mayor Anne-Marie Cade provides only the briefest summary of David's lifetime of accomplishment and leadership: “Cr Zyngier was a well-known member of Glen Eira’s Jewish community. He worked in education for more than 35 years and was principal of a local [King David] Jewish school. He was an active member of his synagogue, Kehilat Nitzan, an advocate of Jewish LGBTIQA+ rights, and a member of the Jewish Climate Network.
“As a volunteer with the Ardoch Foundation, Courage to Care, and Father Bob Foundation, Cr Zyngier’s passion for giving a voice to the vulnerable permeated all that he did.”
David’s family would find me remiss if I made no mention of his pride in his numerous peer-reviewed articles being cited over 2000 times.
But for me, he was more than his accomplishments. David was the dearest of friends. That, and the most steadfast comrade in the many causes we shared, primarily within the Jewish Greens Working Group.
David was a man of deep feeling. To say of the deceased that they loved their wives, their children, their grandchildren is commonplace. With David those feelings were palpable and always in view. I kidded him recently, “your priorities are your wife, your children and grandchildren, your politics, then me.” He did not disagree, and I felt honoured to be in the mix.
