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Australian Jews
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Australian Jews
Australian Jews, or Jewish Australians, (Hebrew: יהודים אוסטרלים, romanized: yehudim ostralim) are Jews who are Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia. In the 2021 census there were 99,956 people who identified Judaism as their religious affiliation and 29,113 Australians who identified as Jewish by ancestry, an increase from 97,355 and 25,716, respectively, from the 2016 census. The actual number is almost certainly higher, due to differing perceptions of Jewish identity, however Australian census data is based on religious affiliation, so secular Jews may perceive it would be inaccurate to answer with "Judaism". Also, since the question is optional, many religiously observant Holocaust survivors and Haredi Jews are believed to prefer not to disclose their religion in the census.[citation needed] By comparison, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz estimated a Jewish-Australian population of 120,000–150,000 (not limited to adherents of Judaism), while other estimates based on the death rate in the community place the size of the community at 250,000, which would make the Jewish population about 1% of the total population. Based on the census data, Jewish citizens make up about 0.4% of the Australian population.
The Jewish community in Australia is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from diaspora communities in Central and Eastern Europe, and their Australia-born descendants. There is, however, a minority from all Jewish ethnic divisions, as well as a number of converts. The Jewish community in Australia comprises a wide range of Jewish cultural traditions, encompassing the full spectrum of religious observance, from Haredi communities to Jews who are entirely secular and atheist.
The history of the Jews in Australia is contained in comprehensive major general histories by the academic historians Hilary L. Rubinstein, William Rubinstein, and Suzanne Rutland, as well as in specialised works by such scholars as Rabbi John Levi and Yossi Aron covering specific topics and time periods. The twice-a-year (June and November) journals of the Australian Jewish Historical Society (the June issues are edited in Sydney by Professor Rutland, and the November issues in Melbourne by Dr Hilary Rubinstein) include many original articles by both professional and amateur historians.
The first Jews to come to Australia were at least eight convicts from England transported to Botany Bay in 1788 aboard the First Fleet. About 15,100 convicts had been transported by the time transportation ceased in 1840 in New South Wales and 1853 in Tasmania. It is estimated that of those who arrived by 1845, about 800 were Jewish. Most of them came from London, were of working-class background, and were male. Only 7% of Jewish convicts were female, compared with 15% for non-Jewish convicts. The average age of the Jewish convicts was 25 but ranged from as young as 8 to the elderly.
At first, the Church of England was the established religion, and during the early years of transportation all convicts were required to attend Anglican services on Sundays. This included Irish Catholics as well as the Jews. Similarly, education in the new settlement was Anglican church controlled until the 1840s.
The first move toward organisation in the community was the formation of a Chevra Kadisha (a Jewish burial society) in Sydney in 1817, but the allocation of land for a Jewish cemetery was not approved until 1832. In 1830, the first Jewish wedding in Australia was celebrated, the contracting parties being Moses Joseph and Rosetta Nathan.
Jewish immigration in the interwar period came at a time of antisemitism and the White Australia policy. The Returned Services League and other groups publicised cartoons to encourage the government and the immigration Minister Arthur A. Calwell to stem the flow of Jewish immigrants.
Sephardi Jews first immigrated to Australia in the mid-to-late 19th century. The community thrived for some twenty years. During this period, there was a Sephardic congregation, and some Sephardi families occupied important communal positions. Gradually, however, the Sephardi population declined, and the congregation was disbanded in 1873. A new Sephardic community also emerged in the post-war period. Previously, Mizrahi Jews were generally not permitted to enter due to Australia's White Australia policy. However, following the Suez Crisis in 1956, a number of Egyptian Jews were allowed to enter. Over the following years, overtures from Jewish communities led the government to drop its previous stance on entry of Mizrahi Jews. By 1969, when Iraqi Jews were being persecuted, the government granted refugee status to Iraqi Jews who managed to reach Australia.[citation needed]
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Australian Jews
Australian Jews, or Jewish Australians, (Hebrew: יהודים אוסטרלים, romanized: yehudim ostralim) are Jews who are Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia. In the 2021 census there were 99,956 people who identified Judaism as their religious affiliation and 29,113 Australians who identified as Jewish by ancestry, an increase from 97,355 and 25,716, respectively, from the 2016 census. The actual number is almost certainly higher, due to differing perceptions of Jewish identity, however Australian census data is based on religious affiliation, so secular Jews may perceive it would be inaccurate to answer with "Judaism". Also, since the question is optional, many religiously observant Holocaust survivors and Haredi Jews are believed to prefer not to disclose their religion in the census.[citation needed] By comparison, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz estimated a Jewish-Australian population of 120,000–150,000 (not limited to adherents of Judaism), while other estimates based on the death rate in the community place the size of the community at 250,000, which would make the Jewish population about 1% of the total population. Based on the census data, Jewish citizens make up about 0.4% of the Australian population.
The Jewish community in Australia is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from diaspora communities in Central and Eastern Europe, and their Australia-born descendants. There is, however, a minority from all Jewish ethnic divisions, as well as a number of converts. The Jewish community in Australia comprises a wide range of Jewish cultural traditions, encompassing the full spectrum of religious observance, from Haredi communities to Jews who are entirely secular and atheist.
The history of the Jews in Australia is contained in comprehensive major general histories by the academic historians Hilary L. Rubinstein, William Rubinstein, and Suzanne Rutland, as well as in specialised works by such scholars as Rabbi John Levi and Yossi Aron covering specific topics and time periods. The twice-a-year (June and November) journals of the Australian Jewish Historical Society (the June issues are edited in Sydney by Professor Rutland, and the November issues in Melbourne by Dr Hilary Rubinstein) include many original articles by both professional and amateur historians.
The first Jews to come to Australia were at least eight convicts from England transported to Botany Bay in 1788 aboard the First Fleet. About 15,100 convicts had been transported by the time transportation ceased in 1840 in New South Wales and 1853 in Tasmania. It is estimated that of those who arrived by 1845, about 800 were Jewish. Most of them came from London, were of working-class background, and were male. Only 7% of Jewish convicts were female, compared with 15% for non-Jewish convicts. The average age of the Jewish convicts was 25 but ranged from as young as 8 to the elderly.
At first, the Church of England was the established religion, and during the early years of transportation all convicts were required to attend Anglican services on Sundays. This included Irish Catholics as well as the Jews. Similarly, education in the new settlement was Anglican church controlled until the 1840s.
The first move toward organisation in the community was the formation of a Chevra Kadisha (a Jewish burial society) in Sydney in 1817, but the allocation of land for a Jewish cemetery was not approved until 1832. In 1830, the first Jewish wedding in Australia was celebrated, the contracting parties being Moses Joseph and Rosetta Nathan.
Jewish immigration in the interwar period came at a time of antisemitism and the White Australia policy. The Returned Services League and other groups publicised cartoons to encourage the government and the immigration Minister Arthur A. Calwell to stem the flow of Jewish immigrants.
Sephardi Jews first immigrated to Australia in the mid-to-late 19th century. The community thrived for some twenty years. During this period, there was a Sephardic congregation, and some Sephardi families occupied important communal positions. Gradually, however, the Sephardi population declined, and the congregation was disbanded in 1873. A new Sephardic community also emerged in the post-war period. Previously, Mizrahi Jews were generally not permitted to enter due to Australia's White Australia policy. However, following the Suez Crisis in 1956, a number of Egyptian Jews were allowed to enter. Over the following years, overtures from Jewish communities led the government to drop its previous stance on entry of Mizrahi Jews. By 1969, when Iraqi Jews were being persecuted, the government granted refugee status to Iraqi Jews who managed to reach Australia.[citation needed]
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