Australia’s oldest synagogue

As president of the board that manages the daily concerns of the synagogue and its congregation, Jeff Schneider is in the place of worship frequently enough, with his mind set to do a task. Yet, he says he often finds his eyes gravitating to the original benches used by the convicts. The Hobart Synagogue is the only one in the world with seats that were allotted specifically for convicts, who attended services escorted by armed guards. ‘The benches are very worn, crude and uncomfortable. They are very primitive, low to the floor with no back. The benches reflect how difficult it was for the convicts.’

His thoughts also turn to the whole community, including the early free settlers, and he reflects that despite being so far from home, they had the, the ship that brought the first convicts to establish the Hobart prison settlement. In 1848, the Jewish population in Van Diemen’s Land (as Tasmania was then known) was 435. Starting in the late 19th century, almost every mention of the congregation notes the small numbers. In 1918, on the diamond jubilee of the laying of the foundation stone, the congregation’s secretary, Nat Edwards, wrote that it was probably the smallest congregation in the world.