The Hobart Synagogue is a heritage-listed
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 wors ...
located in 59
Argyle Street,
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smalle ...
,
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
, Australia. The synagogue is the oldest synagogue building in Australia and is a rare example of the
Egyptian Revival
Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat ...
style of synagogue architecture. The Egyptian Revival building was constructed in 1845. The trapezoidal shape of the windows and the columns with
lotus capitals are characteristic of the Egyptian Revival style. Currently the Hobart Synagogue has regular
Orthodox and
Progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform
** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context
* Progressive realism, an American foreign policy pa ...
services.
The land on which the synagogue stands was originally part of the garden of former
convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convic ...
Judah Solomon.
It has a seating capacity of 150 and features hard benches at the back of the building for the Jewish convicts who in the early days were marched in under armed guard. The synagogue is listed on the
Tasmanian Heritage Register
The Tasmanian Heritage Register is the statutory heritage register of the Australian state of Tasmania. It is defined as a list of areas currently identified as having historic cultural heritage importance to Tasmania as a whole. The Register is k ...
.
History
The building of a synagogue was raised as the Hobart Jewish community began to emerge in the 1830s. The Hobart Hebrew Congregation Synagogue was consecrated on 4 July 1845. The building was designed by Hobart Town architect James Thomson, who was a Scottish convict who was
pardon
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...
ed in 1829.
Although several synagogues and churches were built in the Egyptian Revival style in the early nineteenth century, only a few are known to survive, they include the
Downtown Presbyterian Church, Nashville, the
First Presbyterian Church,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
, the
Old Synagogue at Canterbury,
England and the
Launceston Synagogue
The Launceston Synagogue is a heritage-listed building located in St. John's Street, , Tasmania, Australia, that served as a synagogue from 1846 until 1871, and again during the until its closure in 1961 and reopened in 1984.
History
In the 18 ...
.
Current usage
The synagogue is the focal point of Jewish culture in Hobart, and is the only structure owned by the community.
The community is welcome to all Jews, and currently runs Orthodox and Progressive services.
The Tasmanian community reached a low point in the early 1970s when the census recorded fewer than 100 Jews in Hobart. The recorded 376 Jews in Tasmania.
Gallery
Hobart Synagogue convict bench.jpg, Convict bench
Hobart Synagogue Aron Kodesh.jpg , Ark
Hobart Synagogue seat number1.jpg, Seat number
Hobart Synagogue Torahs.jpg, Torahs
See also
*
List of synagogues in Australia and New Zealand
This list of synagogues and Jewish congregations in Australia and New Zealand represents those known to have existed at some time in the history of Jewish communities in either the colonial or national periods of either countries.
Although man ...
*
Oldest synagogues in the world
Historic synagogues include synagogues that date back to ancient times and synagogues that represent the earliest Jewish presence in cities around the world. Some synagogues were destroyed and rebuilt several times on the same site. Others wer ...
*
History of the Jews in Australia
The history of Jews in Australia traces the history of Australian Jews from the British settlement of Australia commencing in 1788. Though Europeans had visited Australia before 1788, there is no evidence of any Jewish sailors among the crew. T ...
References
External links
*
Hobart Hebrew Congregation Digital Archives
Further reading
*
{{Hobart landmarks
Egyptian Revival architecture
Orthodox synagogues in Australia
Reform Judaism in Australia
Synagogues in Australia
Buildings and structures in Hobart
Tourist attractions in Hobart
History of Tasmania
Religious buildings and structures in Tasmania
Synagogues completed in 1845
1845 establishments in Australia
Tasmanian Heritage Register
Union for Progressive Judaism