History of the Jews in Australia
The history of Jews in Australia traces the history of Australian Jews from the British settlement of Australia commencing in 1788. Though Europeans had visited Australia before 1788, there is no evidence of any Jewish sailors among the crew. The first Jews known to have come to Australia came as convicts transported to Botany Bay in 1788 aboard the First Fleet that established the first European settlement on the continent, on the site of present-day Sydney.
York Street Synagogue, Sydney, 1840s
The Great Synagogue, Elizabeth Street, Sydney, constructed in 1878
Brisbane's First Synagogue in the grounds of Samuel Davis's home on North Quay, 1930
Brisbane Synagogue, 2012
The Great Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish congregation located in a large heritage-listed synagogue at 187a Elizabeth Street in the Sydney central business district in the City of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia.
The Great Synagogue facade and front entrance in Elizabeth Street
Bimah of The Great Synagogue
Architectural detail. This inscription reads Beth Israel (House of Israel)
Elizabeth Street wheeled window. Reinforced concrete spokes were added to the inside of this window during World War II for protection against blast damage.[page needed]
