The oldest and largest Jewish organization in the state of Queensland.

The Australian Jewish population is approximately 112,000 – the ninth largest in the world. The majority live in the major cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Australia is the only country in the world, other than Israel, whose founding members included Jews. From the outset, Jews were treated as equal citizens. Incidents of anti-Semitism are very rare. Prominent Australian Jews have included the mayor of Melbourne, premier of the state of South Australia, speaker of the House of Representatives and speaker of Parliament.

The earliest Jews in Australia came as British prisoners in the late 18th century. For the next 100 years, economic opportunity and social freedom attracted Jewish immigrants, primarily from England and Germany. Refugees from Poland and Russia came in the 1890s and early 20th century. When Hitler came to power in Germany, Australia allotted an extra 15,000 visas for “victims of oppression. ”

The Brisbane Hebrew Congregation is the oldest and largest Jewish organization in Queensland. This historic building is dwarfed between towering modern buildings. The synagogue is particularly charming. In the early 1880s, an architectural competition was held for the design of Brisbane ‘\\\’s new synagogue. The winner was a neo-byzantine design by Andrea Stambuco, an Italian-born architect. Completed in 1885, this classic gem is still used daily. A new building hidden behind, houses a Jewish day school and facilities for the active community.