The Broken Hill Synagogue is a heritage-listed former

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

and now museum at 165 Wolfram Street,

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

City of Broken Hill The City of Broken Hill is a local government area in the Far West region of New South Wales, Australia. The area contains an isolated mining city, Broken Hill, located in the outback of New South Wales and is surrounded by the Unincorporated Fa ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. The property is owned by the Broken Hill Historical Society. It now houses the Synagogue of the Outback Museum. It was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 2 April 1999.

History

The Broken Hill Synagogue is one of only three purpose-built synagogues in rural New South Wales. A Jewish community began to develop in Broken Hill in the 1880s. The Jewish cemetery was consecrated on 17 May 1891, with the founders of the Broken Hill Hebrew Congregation arriving after 1891. The synagogue was established "almost exclusively" by Jews of Lithuanian and Ukrainian backgrounds, such that Jewish life in Broken Hill "reflected the orthodox practice of nineteenth century Russian Jewry". A meeting in 1900 decided to establish a formal congregation and build a synagogue at Broken Hill. Initial attempts to raise building funds were unsuccessful, but found success later that decade, and a site was purchased in July 1907. From 1900 until the completion of the synagogue, Jewish services were held in the Masonic Hall. The foundation stone for the synagogue was placed on 30 November 1910, and the synagogue was consecrated on 26 February 1911. The synagogue's Torah scrolls were presents from the

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

congregation. The debt from the building's construction had been paid off by October 1914. By 1961, the number of identifiable Jews in Broken Hill had decreased to fifteen. The synagogue closed in 1962, with the

Sefer Torah A ( he, סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה; "Book of Torah"; plural: ) or Torah scroll is a handwritten copy of the Torah, meaning the five books of Moses (the first books of the Hebrew Bible). The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Tora ...

scrolls transferred to the Yeshiva in the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

suburb of St Kilda. The building had fallen into disrepair and was described as "derelict" at the time of its closure. Following the synagogue's closure, the building served as a private residence. It was purchased by the Broken Hill Historical Society in 1990, who restored the property. It now serves as the Synagogue of the Outback Museum and houses the Broken Hill Historical Society. A replica Sefer Torah was installed in the museum in 2017. The building suffered $140,000 in hailstorm damage in 2017. Despite advocacy by the state opposition, it was overlooked by the state government for heritage funding to cover the repairs in the 2017 budget.

Heritage listing

Broken Hill Synagogue was listed on the

on 2 April 1999.

References

Attribution

External links

{{Jews and Judaism in Australia, state=autocollapse New South Wales State Heritage Register Buildings and structures in Broken Hill, New South Wales Synagogues in New South Wales Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register Former religious buildings and structures in Australia Museums in New South Wales Synagogues completed in 1911

History

Heritage listing

See also

References

Attribution

External links