Launceston Synagogue
From the earliest times of the colony of Van Diemen's Land, religious freedom was a matter of importance. Whereas the colony of New South Wales (founded in 1788) was considered the principal domain of the establishment Church of England, Tasmania welcomed people of diverse faiths. Quakers settled here early on (and in fact established a Friends School that runs to this day, and also set up the famous Cadbury factory). Catholics, Presbyterians and Baptists were free to practice their own versions of the Christian faith. And so were the Jewish people.
In 1844, just a year after the foundation stone had been laid in Hobart for Australia's oldest synagogue, the small Jewish community of Launceston established their own place of worship. In 1846 this little synagogue, built in the style of the Egyptian Revival, was finally opened.
In 1848 the census recorded 435 Jews in Tasmania, but this number decreased as people left for the mainland of Australia or even New Zealand. In 1871 the synagogue closed its doors for worship, being unable to sustain a quorum.
In the 1930s it was opened again as more immigrants started to flee from the growing political storms in Europe. After WW2 it became a haven of sanctuary for those who had fled the Holocaust. But by 1961, once again the numbers of practicing Jews in Launceston had fallen below the minimum level required to maintain the synagogue for worship. In 1984 it reopened again, and by the end of the decade had received the full recognition and protection of the National Trust.
At the present time, the Launceston Synagogue is undergoing a year long restoration. New carpets will be installed, repainting and polishing. It will look very beautiful and will be a place that visitors to Launceston will want to see as part of the rich heritage of Tasmanian places of worship.
tasmaniangeographic.com/a-history-of-the-launceston-synag...
Launceston Synagogue
From the earliest times of the colony of Van Diemen's Land, religious freedom was a matter of importance. Whereas the colony of New South Wales (founded in 1788) was considered the principal domain of the establishment Church of England, Tasmania welcomed people of diverse faiths. Quakers settled here early on (and in fact established a Friends School that runs to this day, and also set up the famous Cadbury factory). Catholics, Presbyterians and Baptists were free to practice their own versions of the Christian faith. And so were the Jewish people.
In 1844, just a year after the foundation stone had been laid in Hobart for Australia's oldest synagogue, the small Jewish community of Launceston established their own place of worship. In 1846 this little synagogue, built in the style of the Egyptian Revival, was finally opened.
In 1848 the census recorded 435 Jews in Tasmania, but this number decreased as people left for the mainland of Australia or even New Zealand. In 1871 the synagogue closed its doors for worship, being unable to sustain a quorum.
In the 1930s it was opened again as more immigrants started to flee from the growing political storms in Europe. After WW2 it became a haven of sanctuary for those who had fled the Holocaust. But by 1961, once again the numbers of practicing Jews in Launceston had fallen below the minimum level required to maintain the synagogue for worship. In 1984 it reopened again, and by the end of the decade had received the full recognition and protection of the National Trust.
At the present time, the Launceston Synagogue is undergoing a year long restoration. New carpets will be installed, repainting and polishing. It will look very beautiful and will be a place that visitors to Launceston will want to see as part of the rich heritage of Tasmanian places of worship.
tasmaniangeographic.com/a-history-of-the-launceston-synag...