Nestled in the heart of St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia, St Kilda Hebrew Congregation with a membership of around 1,500, is a Modern Orthodox synagogue and one of Victoria’s oldest and most vibrant Jewish institutions. Founded in 1871, the congregation, whose Hebrew name, Ohavei Shalom, means “Lovers of Peace”, recently celebrated its 150th anniversary, marking a rich legacy of faith, community and tradition.

I would like to thank Amanda Brown, Daniella Gozlan and Karen Klein for their guidance and support of this article.

Historical Background

Jewish life in Melbourne dates back to the earliest years of European settlement. Among the fifteen members of the Port Phillip Association, who formally established the Melbourne settlement in 1835, two were Jewish, highlighting the community’s presence from the city’s very beginnings.

In 1839, Jewish settlers gathered for Melbourne’s first recorded Rosh Hashanah service, held in a local shop. Just two years later, the community formally established the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation (originally known as the Jewish Congregational Society) with a membership of 57 people. The opening of Melbourne’s first permanent synagogue on Bourke Street, Melbourne in 1847 marked another significant milestone in the development of Jewish communal life.

The discovery of gold in the 1850s transformed Victoria and brought a substantial influx of Jewish immigrants from Britain and continental Europe. As a result, the Jewish population of Victoria grew dramatically, from approximately 350 people in 1851 to nearly 3,000 by 1861. During this period, Jewish communities established synagogues, not only in central Melbourne and East Melbourne, but also in the thriving goldfields towns of Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong.

As Melbourne expanded, many successful Jewish families were drawn to the fashionable bayside suburb of St Kilda, renowned for its seaside setting and growing prestige. By the late 1860s, the area’s Jewish population had grown sufficiently........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)