From the ashes of the darkest event in human history, Australian Jews
built a thriving community, one with proportionally more Holocaust
survivors than anywhere else in the world bar Israel. Mark Leibler grew
up in this community, and in time became a leader of it. This book shows
how Leibler rose to a position of immense influence in Australian public
life by skilfully entwining his roles as a Zionist leader and a tax
lawyer to some of the country's richest people. The book vividly paints
a cast of Australian characters--among them Paul Keating, John Howard,
Julia Gillard, and Noel Pearson--who came to know Leibler and to call
him a friend, along with people like Kevin Rudd and Bob Carr, who see
Leibler as no friend at all. Finally, the book charts a surprise turn in
Leibler's life, when a social and political conservative became a
committed advocate for radical reform on behalf of Australia's
Indigenous people. This many-layered book is a portrait of Jewish life
in Australia, of the interaction between private wealth and politics,
and of a man whose energy, formidable work habits, and forcefulness that
often tips into pugnacity have made him a highly effective player in
Australian affairs. 'He taught me about power--how to get it and how to
use it, ' says Noel Pearson. Through one man's story, this book shows
how power works in Australia.
