Why does Australia’s smallest state have the fastest growing Jewish community?

NOMI KALTMANN meets the people who are boosting the tiny Jewish population of Tasmania.

THE 2021 CENSUS results were a cause for celebration across the Australian Jewish community. With a total of 99,956 Australian Jews, an almost a 10% increase from 2016, the results provided a fascinating insight into a vibrant and growing Jewish community.

While most states and territories recorded a modest increase in their Jewish population, Tasmania recorded a massive 50% increase, from 248 people in 2016 to 376 in 2021!

Tasmania is home to Australia’s two oldest synagogues, Hobart Hebrew Congregation and Launceston Synagogue, both dating back to the 1800s.

The drawcard for those moving to Tasmania is mixed, according to Tasmanian Jewish community leaders. Some move, because, relative to bigger and more established Jewish communities like Melbourne and Sydney, the houses in Tasmania are much more affordable. Some came during the COVID-19 pandemic and never left. And others, mainly retirees, are seeking a quieter life.

Jeff Schneider, a Baltimore native, who moved to Tasmania in 2014 with Sydneysider Lisa Eckstein, is the current president of the Hobart Hebrew Congregation.

“Living in Hobart, you are exposed to much more. Instead of being in a bubble, you are in a big tent,” he says. “The Jews in Tasmania, we come from all over. It is rare that there is a family who grew up in Hobart. The common theme is that people really enjoy the smaller community. The pace is different here. And it is a fairly easy lifestyle.”