Kosher and Jewish Life in Australia

The first Jews to come to Australia were eight English convicts transported to Botany Bay in 1788 aboard the First Fleet. 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. Most Australian Jews have a strong Jewish identity, even if this does not necessarily express itself in religious observance. There are three main streams of Judaism active in Australia: Orthodox (Modern and ultra-orthodox), Conservative and Reform. Statistics are only available for the Melbourne community, but they are considered representative of other Jewish communities around the country. In Melbourne, 6% of Jews identify themselves as 'strictly orthodox,' 33% as 'traditionally religious' and 15% as 'Liberal or Reform.' 43% consider themselves as 'Jewish but not religious,’ Australian Jewry is generally supportive of Israel. Melbourne Ports has the largest Jewish community of any electorate in Australia, accounting for 12.8% of the local population. Sydney’s Jewish community is considered one of the most thriving and dynamic in the diaspora. There are an estimated 50,000 Jews in New South Wales out of an Australian Jewish population of 120,000. Perth is also an important Jewish community. 75% of the Jewish community lives in 10 suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney, unsurprisingly these are the places that kosher restaurants, shops and synagogues can be found, although Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra have kosher facilities and Jewish communities.