The Launceston Synagogue is a heritage-listed building located in St. John's Street, ,
Tasmania
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, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
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, 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 1840s the sizeable Launceston Hebrew Congregation borrowed £500 to purchase the land to build the synagogue.
The synagogue was designed by Richard Peter Lambeth and was built in 1844 by Tasmanian builders Barton and Bennell. The synagogue was
consecrated in 1846.
After the
Hobart Synagogue
The Hobart Synagogue is a heritage-listed synagogue located in 59 Argyle Street, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The synagogue is the oldest synagogue building in Australia and is a rare example of the Egyptian Revival style of synagogue archite ...
, the building is Australia's second-oldest synagogue, the oldest place of non-
Christian worship in Launceston, and a rare example of an
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 ...
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
in Australia. The building features a distinctly trapezoidal facade and main window bearing the
Star of David with a single balcony on the inside accessed via the rear of the building.
The synagogue closed as a house of worship in 1871, re-opening again in the 1930s. In 1923, Sim Crawcour and Harry Joseph were instrumental in its renovation.
In 1989, the building became listed with
National Trust of Australia who have been taking care of renovations and maintenance.
Convicts
In 1847 it was arranged that all Jews in Hobart and Launceston prisons should have the privilege of attending synagogue and refraining from work on the Sabbath. Pass holders were permitted to be counted in a
minyan, but they could not have honors bestowed on them.
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 ...
*
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. ...
References
External links
Photographs
Further reading
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Buildings and structures in Launceston, Tasmania
Tourist attractions in Tasmania
History of Tasmania
Synagogues in Australia
Egyptian Revival architecture
Religious buildings and structures in Tasmania
National Trust of Australia
1844 establishments in Australia
Synagogues completed in 1846
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