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Don’t forget to check our website at www.hobartsynagogue.org
9
160th Anniversary … 4 July 2005
This year, this congregation celebrated a remarkable milestone in its history … 160 continuous
years as a Jewish congregation.
There can be no better source of our history than our book “A Few From Afar: Jewish Lives in
Tasmania from 1804”, co-edited by Peter and Ann Elias, sadly no longer with us. What a
remarkable legacy they left! We have recently had a second print run produced, which is testimony
to the popularity of the book. 700 copies have been sold in the first two years since original
publication. The book makes an excellent gift, especially for the person “who has everything”.
Debbie Garrick has charge of book sales … please contact her (via email – shule@hobart.org or via
our website – www.hobartsynagogue.org) for all book purchases.
The following is what I said in shul on the weekend immediately prior to our 160th Anniversary:
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Friends/Ladies and Gentlemen
This weekend marks a significant date in the history of this congregation. It was on 4 July 1845 that
this synagogue was consecrated. I have read the Monday 7 July 1845 “Hobarton Gazette” record of
proceedings and it seems that the whole occasion was a very grand affair. Imagine, if you will, that
mid-winter afternoon – Friday 4 July 1845 must have been quite dark. All the lighting inside the
building would have been candlelight. Special music was composed by a German-born (albeit
Catholic) man, Jacob Reichenberg and there was a very grand procession. There is a framed
original “Admission Card” upstairs in our board room as testament to the occasion.
Reading our book “A Few From Afar: Jewish Lives in Tasmania from 1804” is proof-positive that
Jews have lead peaceful and useful lives in Tasmania for a very long time. This fact was
highlighted by Sir Guy Green when he launched the book, co-edited by Peter and Ann Elias, on 25
May 2003. It is a great sadness that these two wonderful people are not here with us today, to
witness and enjoy this anniversary.
Our founding fathers, and many others over the past 160 years, have worked tirelessly to keep this a
continuously functioning community. Even when there was just one man davening in this shul on a
Shabbat morning – the door remained open – as it does (metaphorically) today.
I think it is true to say that Hobart and Launceston Jewry would have played a much more prominent
part if it had not been for two significant events: In 1847, a mere 2 years after the consecration of
this building, it was announced that freed convicts could settle on the mainland without seeking
permission from the Governor. It caused an exodus from the impoverished island and many Jews
moved to South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. In addition, gold was discovered in
Victoria in the early 1850s … neither of these two events were helpful to this congregation! The
Census of 1848 lists 435 Jews living in “Van Diemen’s Land” …in the 2001 Census there were just
163 Jews in Tasmania! Lack of work lead to people having to move interstate. No Jewish
education/day-schools, etc. has also had a detrimental affect on this community. It is natural that
Jews would want their children to have a Jewish education; an off-shoot of this is that those
“children” would be much more inclined to marry other Jews, instead of “marrying out”. A recent
email received cites this very fact.
As in every community, every congregation, there have been “ups and downs” … happily, we are
now in a period of stability and harmony, with both Progressive and Orthodox congregations co-
existing harmoniously and respectfully.
Let us celebrate this milestone in our congregation together
SHABBAT SHALOM
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