JULIUS SOKAL
JULIUS SOKAL
Julius Sokal (Yehuda ben Zvi halevi)
1929-2024
Julius Sokal was born in 1929 in a small town on the Polish Ukrainian border, a shtetl with a mixture of Poles, Ukrainians & Jews. He had a knack for languages & spoke Polish & Russian, & later French, Hebrew & English. In September 1939, at the commencement of WWII, he & his family (mum & older brother Ephrayim) were taken by the invading Russian army to Siberia, where they spent the war years in freezing temperatures, often experiencing hunger. His father was taken to the Soviet Gulag. After the war hemade waywith his family to Israel, his father having joined them earlier.
In Israel he married & received a doctorate in civil engineering from the Technion in Haifa. He was a brilliant mathematician, architect & chessplayer. He loved physical activity & could play piano. His older brother fought in Israel’s war of Independence & also became an academic.Up on being appointed a lecturer at the University of Queensland, Julius left with his family in 1970 for Brisbane, Australia.
When he retiredi n 1995 he came to Melbourne, where he designed & built his home which became his final resting place, although he visited Israel on numerous occasions & was impressed by what he saw. His wife Hannah died in 2006. He passed away in 2024 at the age of 94 & 11 months, survived by 2 children, 3 grandchildren & 6 grandchildren.
Henry Lewis
Julius’ son
11May 2026
Julius & his granddaughter
Julius Sokal (Yehuda ben Zvi halevi)
1929-2024
Julius Sokal was born in 1929 in a small town on the Polish Ukrainian border, a shtetl with a mixture of Poles, Ukrainians & Jews. He had a knack for languages & spoke Polish & Russian, & later French, Hebrew & English. In September 1939, at the commencement of WWII, he & his family (mum & older brother Ephrayim) were taken by the invading Russian army to Siberia, where they spent the war years in freezing temperatures, often experiencing hunger. His father was taken to the Soviet Gulag. After the war he made way with his family to Israel, his father having joined them earlier.
In Israel he married & received a doctorate in civil engineering from the Technion in Haifa. He was a brilliant mathematician, architect & chessplayer. He loved physical activity & could play piano. His older brother fought in Israel’s war of Independence & also became an academic. Up on being appointed a lecturer at the University of Queensland, Julius left with his family in 1970 for Brisbane, Australia.
When he retired in 1995 he came to Melbourne, where he designed & built his home which became his final resting place, although he visited Israel on numerous occasions & was impressed by what he saw. His wife Hannah died in 2006. He passed away in 2024 at the age of 94 & 11 months, survived by 2 children, 3 grandchildren & 6 grandchildren.
Henry Lewis
Julius’ son
11May 2026