Resources

There are a number of resources about the history of the Hobart Synagogue and Jews in Tasmania.

For a comprehensive online collection of items, please view the Hobart Synagogue Digital Archives.

Alternatively, here is a general overview of resources:

• General Interest
  • The Convict Synagogue at the End of the World in Tablet Magazine, an analysis of the history of the synagogue from an American writer who visited in 2014.
  • Hobart – High On The List Down Under, published in both the Jewish Chronicle (2012) and the Jerusalem Post (2014), a feature from Rabbi Raymond Apple.
  • Tasmania is home to Australia’s oldest synagogue, a 2006 profile of the Hobart Synagogue in the Canadian Jewish News.  Reprinted with permission.
  • Judah Solomon and the Building of the Hobart Synagogue, published in 2013 in Tasmanian Geographic, a detailed view of the early history of the synagogue, with some wonderful photos.
  • The Torah in Tasmania, from Australian Geographic in 2007, an exploration of the history of Jews in Tasmania, with some details of the synagogue.
  • Finding Jewish Remains in Tasmania, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 2002. An article about moving the remains of the old Harrington Street Jewish Cemetery.

• History and Research Material
  • Tasmanian Archives’ online version of the musical score performed at the consecration of the synagogue. More information is presented at the Music Archive of Monash University.
  • The Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office’s description of their collection relating to the Hobart Synagogue.
  • Synagogue, Hobart is a 2015 blog entry in a series on religious sites in Tasmania that includes excerpts from contemporary newspapers reporting on the lead-up to the synagogue’s opening in 1845.
  • These Are The Names: Jewish Lives In Australia 1788-1850, a book written by Australian Jewish historian Rabbi John Levi giving biographical details of over 1600 of the first Jews in the Australian colonies including Tasmania.
  • Order of service at the dedication of the synagogue: Online version of the Synagogue’s original Order of service at the 1845 dedication, provided by the State Library of Victoria.
  • The Effect of Transportation on Jewish Convicts in Van Diemen’s Land, University of Tasmania Honours thesis by Nachuma Rivkah Kelly (1994).