The Hobart Synagogue, in Hobart, Tasmania, is remarkable both for being the oldest synagogue building in Australia and for being a rare example of the Egyptian Revival style of synagogue architecture. [1] The Egyptian Revival building was constructed in 1845.[2] [3] The trapezoidal shape of the windows and the columns with lotus capitals are characteristic of the Egyptian Revival style.
The synagogue is located in Argyle Street, Hobart and has a seating capacity of 150. It does not have a full-time resident rabbi. A rabbi visits Hobart a couple of times a year to conduct services. Currently the Hobart Synagogue is used by Orthodox and Progressive groups.[4]
Although several synagogues and churches were built in the Egyptian Revival style in the early nineteenth century, only a few are known to survive, they include the Downtown Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee, the First Presbyterian Church (Sag Harbor), New York. and the Old Synagogue at Canterbury, England.
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By the 1840s, there were sufficient numbers and prospered sufficiently to enable the building of synagogues in Hobart Town (1845) and Launceston (1846). The first Jewish minister was appointed in 1846, and religious practices were established.
The 1848 census recorded 435 Jews in Tasmania, the highest number of Jews recorded for Tasmania. Numbers declined as some settlers returned to England, and others left for mainland colonies and New Zealand. The Launceston Synagogue closed in 1871. The Hobart Hebrew Congregation continued its communal life. Though there was no minister in the periods 1873–1911 and 1922–1942, Sabbath services were conducted by members.
European refugees arriving from 1938 rejuvenated the Jewish community in Tasmania. The Launceston Synagogue was reopened between 1939–1961 and 1984–1992. In Hobart, ministers were appointed from 1943, but from 1956 members were again required to conduct services.[4]
