by Jesse Gabriel KDVP Grade 4K

1. Jews in Australia byJesse Gabriel KDVP Grade 4K

2. The history of the Jews in Australia dates back to 1788, when 16 Jews were among the convicts brought to the country aboard the First Fleetto establish the first European settlement on the continent, on the site of present-day Sydney. Jesse Gabriel KDVP Grade 4K

3. Today, an estimated 120,000 Jews live in Australia. The majority are Ashkenazi Jewsfrom Europe. Many of them were refugees and Holocaust survivors who arrived during and after World War II. Jesse Gabriel KDVP Grade 4K

4. Australia is a very big country, which is actually an island. The Jews live all around the country in the main cities such as Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. There is even a shul on the Australian Gold Coast near all the surfing towns. Jesse Gabriel KDVP Grade 4K

5. Today, an estimated 120,000 Jews live in Australia. The majority are Ashkenazi Jewsfrom Europe. Many of them were refugees and Holocaust survivors who arrived during and after World War II. There is also a Sephardic Jewish population. Jesse Gabriel KDVP Grade 4K

6. The Great Synagogue in Sydney was designed by architect Thomas Rowe (who was not Jewish), and opened in 1878. This grand building is often described as the "cathedral synagogue" of Australia. The Sydney Jewish community, which dated to the earliest days of the colony, met in rented spaces before building its first synagogue. The present synagogue has the traditional feature of an elevated ladies' gallery. When first erected, the bimah was central, as is traditional. However, to increase seating capacity the bimah was moved forward to the western wall in 1906.

7. The Jews in Australia are like Jewish people anywhere. They have most of the same customs and songs as us in South Africa. There will be a Jewish film festival in Wollongong soon! Jesse Gabriel KDVP Grade 4K