Posted: 25 November 2021
Happily, many children and young families have recently joined the Hobart Jewish Community. As a result, a group called the Hobart Hebrew Kids Group (HHKG) has formed.
The HHKG started its activities in February this year and has continued meeting every second Sunday of the month. Its aim is to provide the children of the Jewish community the opportunity to engage in a small way with Jewish culture and the Hebrew language.
There are about 20 children on our list aged two years and over. Not everyone comes to every event, but those that do turn up always have fun. The children sing and dance Israeli songs, as well as play games with Hebrew letters, write and learn about the festivals and socialise with their friends. They engage in hands on festival-inspired activities and crafts such as baking challot, building a succah from cardboard and creating a chanukiah from salt dough with candles made from pipe cleaners. The parents come along too and participate in the activities and often catch up over coffee at the nearby farmers market after the session.
As well as the Sunday sessions, the HHKG also has had its own celebrations and festivals this year. There was a lovely Tu B’shvat with fruit and tree planting in the garden, Lag B’Omer on the beach with a great big bonfire, and Shavuot in the Shule. Then there was a beautiful kids’ outdoors shabbat where the kids viewed the beach’s darkening skies to signal the arrival of the Shabbat. And finally, last but not least, a fantastic Rosh HaShanah, where the TSO’s Israeli principal trumpet player blew the Shofar to a very enthusiastic audience.
We are hoping that many more families will join our little congregation and take part in the HHKG in the coming year.
On behalf of the HHKG I’d like to wish everyone a chag Chanukah same’ach!
-Michal Golebowicz
Posted: 15 October 2021
While Southern Tasmania is in lockdown, all services and events are cancelled. Thank you for your understanding.
Posted: 27 August 2021
For information on High Holy Day Services, please write president@hobartsynagogue.org
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)
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
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.
Posted: 06 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.
Posted: 01 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:
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
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