Ballarat Synagogue is a Modern Orthodox synagogue situated in Ballarat East in Victoria, Australia. It is the oldest continuously used synagogue in mainland Australia.This Day in Jewish History | 1861: A Synagogue Is Built for Gold Rush Miners in Australia Haaretz. 25 January 2017
History British Jews were among a flood of migrants that were drawn to the goldfields of Ballarat. European Jewry, escaping antisemitism at home, also settled in the city.The Gold Rush Shul Tablet Magazine. 14 February 2023 Two groups of German Jewish migrants arrived in the 1850s, and 1860s, and again in the 1930s.A Gold Rush Synagogue Hangs On Down Under Moment. Winter 2019 Jewish refugees from pogroms in Eastern Europe arrived in the 1880s and 1890s.
The first minyan was established in 1853 for observing the High Holidays. The writer and Ballarat native, Nathan Spielvogel wrote a personal account:
The Ballarat Hebrew Congregation was founded in 1855 and it occupied a small synagogue building with a capacity for 200.Ballarat, Australia Jewish Virtual Library. 27 March 2024 The first synagogue was consecrated on 12 November 1855. Rev David Isaacs of Geelong was the first lay leader of the congregation.THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BALLARAT SYNAGOGUE Australian Jewish Historical Society. 2011 The congregation soon had to find a new home, as in 1856, the local Municipal Council reclaimed the land that the synagogue was built on, to house its Municipal Chambers. The larger, current building was consecrated in 1861. The British architect, TB Cameron designed the new synagogue, using a Neoclassical style.Ballarat Synagogue Synagogues 360. Retrieved on 28 March 2024
The new site posed issues as squatters had claimed the land, paying taxes and rates. Therefore, the congregation had to buy out the squatters. The ark from the original synagogue is housed in the congregation's communal hall.
At the height of the goldrush, around twenty-five percent of Ballarat's shopkeepers were Jewish, many were members of the synagogue.
The congregation employed a permanent rabbi until 1943. For several decades, the synagogue was only open for High Holiday Services. However, since 2009, the synagogue hosts monthly Shabbat services.
In recent years, the synagogue underwent a $300,000 AUD renovation. This was funded by Heritage Victoria, private donors and Jewish organisations in Melbourne.Facelift for Ballarat Shule Australian Jewish News. 28 February 2022
Notable members Nathan Spielvogel, a short-story writer. His parents married at the synagogue and he had his Bar Mitzvah there in 1887. He later served as President of the congregation.Nathan Spielvogel (1874-1956) Eureka Centre. 27 April 2022 Charles Dyte, a Jewish parliamentarian and founding memberCharles Dyte Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved on 27 March 2024 Newman Rosenthal, academic and editor of The Australian Jewish HeraldNewman Hirsh Rosenthal (1898–1986) Australian Dictionary. Retrieved on 26 March 2024
See also
List of synagogues in Australia and New Zealand History of the Jews in Australia
References