Conference paper on Tasmanian Jewish history

Posted: 21 July 2020

Stefan Petrow, Emeritus professor in History and Classics at the University of Tasmania prepared this research for a presentation at the panel discussion for Hobart Synagogue’s 175th anniversary. Unfortunately, the event was cancelled due to COVID-19, but Stefan is kindly sharing his research.

Surviving in a Distant Land: Jews in Nineteenth-Century Hobart
(kindly hosted by the Australian Jewish Historical Society)

New Digital Archive and radio interview

Posted: 28 June 2020

We are proud to release a new digital archive that showcases our historical documents and meeting minutes going back to 1841!

Congregation president Jeff Schneider and Beverley Hooper of Perth, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Judah Solomon spoke to ABC Radio Hobart about the history of the synagogue and building this archive. Listen to the interview

Additionally, there will be a Zoom session Sunday 26 July @ 3pm to go over interesting stories found in the meeting minutes and details on how the archive was created. To attend, please e-mail president@hobartsynagogue.org

SBS Radio on 175th anniversary

Posted: 19 July 2020

SBS Hebrew briefly covers the synagogue’s 175 anniversary in an interview with the Australian Jewish News’ Shane Desiatnik.

Listen to the clip. The part about Hobart is about 2/3rds in @ 6:15.

Australian Jewish News article

Posted: 6 July 2020

Thank you to the Australian Jewish News for reaching out to us and learning about our congregation for a long feature about our 175th anniversary and our proud history serving an inclusive Tasmanian Jewish community.

Read the article.

Synagogue featured on local news

Posted: 1 July 2020

WIN News Tasmania visited the synagogue for a feature on the local news. You can view the clip below:

Video of Hobart Synagogue on local news

Nightly News 7 Tasmania also ran a short feature on the Synagogue:

Video of Hobart Synagogue on Nightly News 7 Tasmania

175th anniversary event cancelled

Posted: 29 June 2020

As the actual anniversary approaches, it is with a heavy heart that we are announcing that the Hobart Synagogue anniversary event is officially cancelled. Previously, we left open a possibility of rescheduling in the relatively near future, but circumstances (primarily concerned with the virus) have led us to believe it is best to move on.

This event started as an informal idea amongst a few members at a congregation general meeting in 2018 and we were truly heartened to see such interest in the synagogue and the Hobart Jewish community.  It was a pleasure to engage with so many of you and learn about your connections to the synagogue.  We hope to stay in touch.  

Once we are able to travel freely we hope that you can visit us in Hobart  The congregation will gladly welcome you to a Shabbat service, or a tour of the synagogue.  We are also exploring creating resources for a self-guided tour of Tasmanian Jewish sites of interest.

Please stay well in these still challenging times.  

Kind regards

Jeff Schneider
President, Hobart Hebrew Congregation

Article about Synagogue in Traces magazine

Posted: 19 June 2020

Traces magazine wrote a lovely feature about the synagogue and various aspects of our history. They also kindly gave us permission to share the article on our website. See the complete article below!

From their website:

Traces uncovers Australian history, from ancient Indigenous heritage to European settlement, local history, artefacts and genealogy.

Launched in December 2017, Traces is the only quarterly printed magazine dedicated to providing its readers with insight into the latest historical research, news and heritage projects taking place around Australia. The expert voices of historians, researchers, heritage professionals, genealogists, and journalists uncover the fascinating characters and stories of our past.

With the partnership and collaboration of key national and local heritage organisations, as well as state libraries, Traces has its finger on the pulse of heritage news and developments around the country, making it the best consumer publication for anyone passionate about Australian history and genealogy.

Traces_Article

Descendant Stories

Posted: 10 June 2020

As we are celebrating our 175th anniversary of the consecration of the synagogue this year, we decided to use our website as a space to share the fascinating personalities and stories that has been so important to Judaism in Tasmania.

Please check out the Descendant Stories page on our website to read these stories! We will be adding more and more during the year.

COVID-19 update, June 2020

Posted: 5 June 2020

We are pleased to announce that in accordance with government guidelines, we are gradually resuming services at the Hobart Synagogue.

Additionally, we are happy to resume offering tours of the synagogue to the general public, limited to a maximum of four attendees.

ABC Hobart article on Judah Solomon

Posted: 7 May 2020

ABC Hobart published a long article about the story of Judah Solomon, who donated his land for the synagogue in the 1840s.

Also included are several photos of the synagogue, and information about Ikey Solomon.