Synagogue (Hobart)

Main entrance

inner space

The Hobart Synagogue is the oldest surviving synagogue building in Australia .

history

Before the synagogue was built, the hit Jewish community of Hobart in a private home for worship . The synagogue was finally inaugurated in 1845 and has been in use ever since. Today both orthodox and liberal (“progressive”) services are held there.

building

The architect of the synagogue building was James Thomson , who had come to Hobart as a deported prisoner in 1825, initially worked as a technical draftsman and, after his pardon in 1835, worked as an architect. Since there were hardly any architects in what was then Van Diemens Land in the 1840s, James Thomson was one of the most experienced in the colony.

The building was built in neo-Egyptian style and is now considered the most outstanding example of this style form in Australia. This is particularly evident in the facade, which is decorated with covings in the eaves area, above the windows and above the entrance door , on the columns with capitals in the form of closed lotus blossoms and windows that narrow towards the top. The inscription above the portal is a quote from the 2nd book of Moses : Ex 20.24  EU .

בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי אבוא אליך וברכתיך׃

In every place where I create a memory of my name, I want to come to you and bless you.

Outstanding pieces of equipment are a dedicatory inscription by Queen Victoria (1819–1901), later supplemented by the Prince of Wales , later Edward VII and his wife, Alexandra of Denmark , and a large brass candlestick, which was rebuilt twice Tran , then converted to coal gas and finally electrified . The cedar wood benches at the west end of the room are also noteworthy : They were reserved for the deported prisoners.

Monument status

The synagogue is entered on the Tasmania Monument Register under number 2,150 .

literature

• Morgan Furst: Out of Egypt . In: Tasmania 40 ^o South 2019/1, pp. 29-33.

Web links

• Homepage of the Jewish Community of Hobart
• Hobart Jewish Community digital library and archive
• Photos 1 , 2

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Furst, p. 30.
2. ↑ Furst, p. 31.
3. ^ Homepage of the Jewish community in Hobart.
4. ↑ Furst, p. 31.
5. ↑ Furst, p. 30.
6. ↑ Furst, p. 32.
7. ↑ Furst, p. 33.
8. ↑ Furst, p. 31.
9. ^ Entry in the Tasmanian monument register .

Coordinates: 42 ° 52 ′ 47 "  N , 147 ° 19 ′ 41"  W.