In March 1947, Lithuanian Jew, nineteen-year-old Judith Arane arrived in Sydney. Already residing in Australia was her brother, John born in Kaunas 28 December 1920 arrived in Australia in 1938 and was naturalised 12 July 1945.
Tragically Judy died on 22 February 1954 after the car she was in plunged into the surf from a cliff top at Tamarama, Sydney with Dr Joseph Blank.
Dr. Blank's body was recovered from the surf at North Bondi but no trace was been found of Judy. Detectives think her body may have been pinned in the doctor's wrecked car, which was jammed in a crevice between two huge rocks at Tamarama beach. At low tide divers dared a boiling surf to attach a rope line to the wreckage. But when a truck tried to pull it clear of the crevice, the line snapped. The tide then was rising, and further attempts to salvage the car had to be postponed until later that day.
Police favoured the theory that the car in went over the cliffs by accident. Mainly because the tyre marks on the cliff edge indicated that the car was out of control. There was also no reason to view it as suicide.
Detectives believe Dr. Blank, accompanied by Miss Arane, was merely taking an evening drive after a long and hard day's work at his King's Cross surgery. He had written out a medical certificate at his home in Ormond Street, Bondi, and taken it round to Miss Arane's flat nearby in Sir Thomas Mitchell Road. They had shared a bottle of beer before they went out in the car. Detectives now think that in descending Thompson Street, Tamarana, where two cars have plunged across Marine Drive and into the sea in recent months, Dr. Blank tried to make a sharp right-hand turn and failed to negotiate the corner. They think the car then jumped the only barrier, a 6 in. high concrete kerbing and plunged 50 feet into the sea. Dr Blank had served as with the Royal Army Medical Coprs in Burma during WWII, he was overworked and may have suffered a mental breakdown. It was believed that the two were just friends.
A black belt, a pair of women’s slippers was discovered near pieces of human flesh a few days later in the sea. The front part of the car was salvaged five days later, but with no sign of Judy body.
Judy was born in Kaunas and graduated from the Hebrew High School. She and her family became a victim of Nazi brutality. During WWII, Judy, her parents and her younger sister were sent to a concentration camp and for several years the family lived in terror, moved from one camp to another in German- occupied Europe. In 1945 Judy’s parents and sister died. Two days before VE-day Judy was in a German prison ship in the Baltic being transferred to another concentration camp.
The ship was bombed by an Allies' aircraft which registered a direct hit. A jagged piece of shrapnel struck her in the back. She was hurled into the sea and was picked up by a British warship.
Judy spent three months in hospital in England until a brother, Mr. Jehousua Joseph (John) Arane arranged for her to join him in Sydney. John had served as a commando with the second AIF in New Guinea.
John told reporters that, "Judy was a lovely girl, she was too young and too good to die”.
Following Judy’s death, a short article appeared in Mūsų Pastogė about the event. It ends, Judy was unknown to the community.
It was never established whether the accident was premeditated, and Judy’s body was never found.
Joseph Blank born 11 September 1912 is listed as Polish Jew. He arrived on the Ormond 4 December 1946.
References
The Sun Friday 26 Feb 1954
Herald Friday 26 February 1954, page 5
Photo from the Sun, Thursday 25 February page, 1
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