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93-682: Taj El-Din Hamid Hilaly (alternatively spelt Tajeddin Hilaly , Hilali , Al-Hilaly , Taj el-Din al-Hilali , Aldin Alhilali , Tajideen El-Hilaly or Tajeddine ; 17 January 1941 – 5 October 2023) was an Egyptian Australian imam of Lakemba Mosque in Sydney and a Sunni Muslim leader in Australia. The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils appointed him Mufti of Australia in 1988. He referred to himself as

186-460: A Ramadan sermon in Arabic in which he made statements concerning female clothing which proved highly controversial. The key part of these was: If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat? The uncovered meat is the problem. If she

279-613: A colonial Parliament and to become a minister of the Crown. In 1854 he was appointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council and subsequently was an elected member of the Legislative Assembly . He also served periods as Treasurer and Postmaster General . Vaiben Solomon was Premier of South Australia for a week in 1899. Leo Port was Lord Mayor of Sydney between 1975 and 1978. In 1931, Sir Isaac Isaacs

372-670: A divide among urban Jewish communities. Most Jews in Sydney were from Western and Central Europe, and were largely secular. Meanwhile, Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe settled in Melbourne, and were highly Orthodox. In addition, thousands of highly observant Jews immigrated from South Africa and settled in Perth . Jews also began to assemble in Melbourne , then in the Port Phillip District (now Victoria ). The Melbourne Hebrew Congregation

465-582: A libretto by Jacob Levi Montefiore. It premiered on 3 May 1847 at the Royal Victoria Theatre, Sydney . There have been Jewish contributions to Australian visual arts. Georges Mora , born Gunter Morawski in 1913 in Leipzig, Germany , of Jewish / Polish heritage, fled Germany to Paris in 1930, then to Melbourne in 1949. He established the Tolarno Gallery in Melbourne's bohemian St Kilda . This became

558-530: A number of Egyptian Jews were allowed to enter. Over the following years, overtures from Jewish communities led the government to drop its previous stance on entry of Mizrahi Jews. By 1969, when Iraqi Jews were being persecuted, the government granted refugee status to Iraqi Jews who managed to reach Australia. In Australia, in the wake of the outbreak of World War II , Jews escaping the Nazis who had German passports, such as two-year-old Eva Duldig , who years later

651-465: A number of venues as temporary places of worship, including a building in the grounds of Samuel Davis's home at North Quay (the house later known as Aubigny ), while raising money through various land speculations to purchase a site and build a synagogue. They purchased land in Margaret Street for £200 and in 1885 called for designs, choosing the plans of Arthur Morry , an architect who worked for

744-747: A number organisations that track antisemitic activity, including the Executive Council of Australian Jewry that publish an annual report for all reported antisemitic activity, the Anti-Defamation Commission Melbourne and Anti-Defamation Unit in Sydney. The incidents include attacks on synagogues and various speeches with antisemitic content. The Jewish community in Melbourne supports an "anti-defamation commission" (ADC) which makes monthly reports to police of offensive graffiti found in public toilets and elsewhere. The XYZ website, "dedicated to free speech and Western restoration",

837-749: A proportion of their original community size in Egypt, were the largest emigrant community to leave Egypt (they were the second largest in total numbers). The number of Jews in Egypt numbered around 75,000 in 1948; following the establishment of the State of Israel that same year, most of the population left, starting the Jewish exodus from Arab lands , and settling largely in Israel, USA, Europe, Latin America, with around 2,000 settling in Australia. The Egyptian Jewish population in Australia

930-611: A terrorist organisation by the Australian Government. On 10 May 2007 the Australian Federal Police cleared Hilaly of diverting charitable funds to Hezbollah. The Council of Islamic Jurisprudence and Research reappointed Hilaly as Grand Mufti on 10 June 2007; however, he declined the position, thereby ending his term in office. Hilaly died in Egypt on 5 October 2023, at age 82. Egyptian Australians The majority of Egyptian Australians are Christians , which

1023-497: A theatre, where the first representations of the legitimate drama in the colony were given. The encouragement that this undertaking received induced the enterprising proprietor to enlarge his sphere of activity. He built a theatre called the Theatre Royal, which was opened in 1833, at a cost which almost bankrupted him. Isaac Nathan , who emigrated to Australia in 1841, wrote the first Australian opera , Don John of Austria to

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1116-467: A thriving Australian Jewish media sector. From The Australian Jewish News , Australia's largest and longest running hard copy publication, to radio shows, online magazines, periodicals, and blogs, Jewish Australians have been dedicated contributors to media intended for internal communal consumption, as well as the wider Australian society. In May 2004, art collector and dealer, Joseph Brown, donated his substantial collection of Australian art of

1209-585: A venue for exhibitions of Australian Modernist avant garde art. His wife, Mirka Mora , became a prominent artist. Printmaker and projection artist Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack graduate and professor of the Bauhaus was deported to Australia as an " enemy alien " on the ship HMT Dunera , spending time in internment camps in Hay, Orange and Tatura, before being sponsored for Australian citizenship by (Sir) James Darling , headmaster of Geelong Church of England Grammar School . He

1302-586: A work published in that year: "In the late twenties His Excellency Sir R. Bourke granted Barnett Levy a license for dramatic performances, with a restriction that he should confine himself to the representation of such pieces only as had been licensed in England by the Lord Chamberlain." Levy was at that time the owner of the original Royal Hotel in George Street; and he fitted up the saloon of that establishment as

1395-464: A year, published in Sydney and Melbourne respectively. There are also a number of published monographs on aspects of Australian Jewish history, for a guide to which (as well as to Australian Jewish literature) Serge Liberman, A Bibliography of Australasian Judaica, 1788-2008 (2011) is a distinguished reference work. Australian Jews never constituted more than 1% of the total colonial community. Eight convicts transported to Botany Bay in 1788 aboard

1488-428: Is a war of infidels taking place everywhere. The true man is the boy who opposes Israeli tanks with strength and faith. The boy who, despite his mother's objections, goes out to war to become a martyr like his elder brother. The boy who tells his mother: 'Oh mother, don't cry for me if I die. Oh mother, Jihad has been imposed on me and I want to become a martyr'." 11 September is God's work against oppressors. Some of

1581-717: Is concentrated particularly in Adelaide , South Australia . Officially, only 6 Jews remain in Egypt today. History of the Jews in Australia The history of Jews in Australia traces the history of Australian Jews from the British settlement of Australia commencing in 1788. Though Europeans had visited Australia before 1788, there is no evidence of any Jewish sailors among the crew. The first Jews known to have come to Australia came as convicts transported to Botany Bay in 1788 aboard

1674-1164: Is etymologically derived from the Greek "Aiguptious," literally meaning "Egyptian," from the Late Egyptian word "Gyptios", via the Classical Arabic "Qubt", into the English "Copt". The word ordinarily refers to Coptic Christian Egyptians, though there have been instances of Muslim Egyptians referring to themselves as "Copts" to emphasise the non-Arabian ancestral origin of Egyptians in general. First history of short term Egyptians migrants in Australia dates back to 1860s to 1900 period when small groups of mainly Muslim cameleers were shipped in and out of Australia at three-year intervals, to service South Australia 's inland pastoral industry by carting goods and transporting wool bales by camel trains , who were commonly referred to as "Afghans" or "Ghans", despite their origin often being mainly from British India , and some even from Afghanistan and Egypt and Turkey . Permanent emigration from Egypt began in

1767-615: Is in contrast to the religious affiliation to Islam of the majority of the population of ethnic Egyptians within modern Egypt. Some 19,928 Australian citizens and residents declared membership of the Coptic Orthodox Church at the 2006 Census. Most Egyptian Christians, however, may simply have declared themselves "Christian" without specifying the Coptic denomination, while other Egyptian Christians may belong to various other denominations, either born into or converted. In 2003, however, it

1860-751: Is run by the Lebanese Muslim Association . However, his wages were paid by "the Libyan Islamic Call Society and private individuals", according to a former vice-president of the LMA. In 1999 Hilaly was charged and jailed after being convicted of being involved in smuggling goods from Egypt to Australia, which he denied. In early 2003 Hilaly's vehicle was stopped because an object was protruding from it. After closer inspection, New South Wales Police charged him with driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, as well as for his behaviour towards

1953-575: Is time the Islamic community did more than say they were horrified. I think it is time he left." Keysar Trad , a spokesman for Hilaly, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation , "From my discussions with him, the issue was not whether they wear a hijab or don't wear a hijab. The issue is that every society has a certain dress code, a normal dress code that people go by. So if somebody goes beyond that dress code, if men or women get to

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2046-589: The Bell and Macquarie Rivers in the Wellington valley. Joseph Montefiore was the first president of the first Jewish congregation formed in Sydney in 1832. V. L. Solomon of Adelaide is remembered for the useful work he achieved in exploring the vast northern territory of his colony, the interests of which he represented in Parliament. M. V. Lazarus of Bendigo, known as Bendigo Lazarus, also did much to open up new parts in

2139-566: The Dunera internees, were all immediately sent to an internment camp in Hay Australia. A large number of the new immigrants were observant Jews, and day-school attendance rose steadily. A new Sephardic community also emerged in the post-war period. Previously, Mizrahi Jews were generally not permitted to enter due to Australia's White Australia policy . However, following the Suez Crisis in 1956,

2232-760: The Federal Court of Australia . James Edelman is a justice of the Federal Court, and is appointed to be a justice of the High Court of Australia . David Bennett is a Sydney barrister. He was president of the Australian Bar Association from 1995 to 1996 and of the NSW Bar Association from 1995 to 1997. Bennett was president of the Association of Lawyer Arbitrators and Mediates in 1998 and President of

2325-542: The First Fleet have been identified as Jewish. There were probably more, but exact numbers are not possible as the transportation records did not indicate a convict's religion. Over a thousand more people of Jewish descent are estimated to have been sent to Australia as convicts during the next 60 years. Most of them came from London, were of working-class background and were male. Only 7% of Jewish convicts were female, compared to 15% for non-Jewish convicts. The average age of

2418-410: The First Fleet that established the first European settlement on the continent, on the site of present-day Sydney. 97,335 Australian residents identified themselves as Jewish by religion in the 2011 census, but the actual number was estimated then to be 112,000. (An answer to the question on the census was optional.). In the 2021 census 99,956 residents identified themselves as religious Jews but in

2511-532: The Grand Mufti of Australia and New Zealand, although this title was not unanimously endorsed, and was also described by some Muslims as honorary , rather than substantial. Hilaly was a controversial figure and made several controversial statements, as well as having promoted Islamic extremism on many occasions. Hilaly spread many antisemitic conspiracy theories during his lifetime, including claims that Western countries are controlled by Israel and claims that

2604-483: The Hebrew Standard of Australasia , was published, and is the forerunner of The Australian Jewish News . At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, as Australia was unifying its colonies into a single independent country, a new wave of Jewish immigration began. Jewish refugees from Russia and Poland began arriving in the 1890s, fleeing pogroms in their native lands. This immigration wave led to

2697-557: The Holocaust , arrived in the country from displaced persons camps , but there was an outbreak of antisemitism. For example, the Returned Services League and other groups published cartoons to encourage the government and the immigration Minister Arthur A. Calwell to stem the flow of Jewish immigrants. Organisations during WWII tried to help children affected by the war by bringing them to Australia but were only able to after

2790-685: The Nazis took power in Germany in 1933, many German Jews came to Australia. The Australian government was initially hesitant in permitting entry to the many Jews who wanted to come, but in 1938, it allotted 15,000 visas for "victims of oppression". Some 7,000 Jews were able to take up the visas before the outbreak of World War II put an end to the program. In the aftermath of World War II Australia abandoned its previous Anglo-centric immigration policy and permitted immigration of large numbers of people from continental Europe. Large numbers of European Jews, survivors of

2883-580: The Queensland Colonial Architect . Arthur Midson, a prominent Brisbane building contractor, built the Synagogue for the sum of £6450. The Brisbane Synagogue was consecrated on 18 July 1886, its spiritual name being "Kehilla Kedosha Sha'ari Emuna" (The Holy Congregation of the Gates of Faith). The Jewish press in Australia was pioneered in Melbourne. In 1895, Sydney's first Jewish newspaper, called

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2976-455: The 12-month period ending 30 September 2016 there was a 10% increase in antisemitic incidents in Australia involving threats or acts of violence over the previous year. Jews have also figured prominently in Australian honours and include Nobel Prize winner Bernard Katz . Besides his diverse business interests in Sydney, Sir Saul Samuel was the first Jew to become a magistrate, to sit in

3069-711: The 20th century to the National Gallery of Victoria. It was the largest single gift of works of art ever made to a public gallery in Australia. Brown migrated from Poland in 1933. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia ( AO ) for his services to the arts. Since the days of European settlement in Australia, Jews have enjoyed formal equality before the law and have not been subject to civil disabilities or other forms of state-sponsored antisemitism excluding them from full participation in public life. Jews have been active contributors in science, art, and literature, and in

3162-536: The Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences from 1999 to 2001. He was Solicitor-General of Australia from 1998 to 2008. Bennett was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2003. His wife, Annabelle Bennett is a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia. Among the Jews who have figured as business pioneers in Australia were Joseph Barrow Montefiore (1803–1893) and his brother Jacob Barrow Montefiore (1801–1895), one of

3255-634: The Australian Jewish Welfare Society to assist with Jewish migration from Nazi Germany . It is still engaged in assisting migrants and providing other welfare services. The Jewish community's Jewish Museum of Australia opened in Melbourne in 1982 and the Sydney Jewish Museum opened in 1992 to commemorate the Holocaust , as well as to "challenge visitors' perceptions of democracy, morality, social justice and human rights". There

3348-643: The Australian population. Major general histories of the Jews in Australia are Hilary L. Rubinstein and William D. Rubinstein , The Jews in Australia: A Thematic History (2 vols., 1991) and Suzanne D. Rutland , Edge of the Diaspora: Two Centuries of Jewish Settlement in Australia (2001; first ed. 1988). Each of these academic historians has written more concise general histories also, with Hilary L. Rubinstein's Chosen: The Jews in Australia (1987) being

3441-631: The Bourke St congregation in 1857. The St Kilda Hebrew Congregation was formed in 1871, with the first services held in St Kilda Town Hall and the building of a permanent building in Charnwood Road, St Kilda , commencing in 1872. Since the 1850s, Melbourne has had the largest Jewish population in the country. A religious court ( Beth Din ) was set up in Melbourne in 1866. By 1901 it is estimated there were over 15,000 Jews in Australia. When Australia

3534-543: The Children’s Scheme and the Jewish Welfare Guardian Scheme, who brought over a total of 317 orphaned Jewish children from Europe in the years after the war. The girls brought over were placed into orphanages, while the boys were placed into hostels, where they lived with other holocaust survivors. In 1940 there were 2,500 German and Austrian refugee internees including 1,750 Jewish refugees, known as

3627-468: The Holocaust was a "Zionist lie" . Hilaly was known for his antisemitic , anti-LGBT , anti-Western and Islamic supremacist views, as well as for his misogynistic statements. After a series of controversial statements on social issues, Hilaly retired from this position in June 2007 and was succeeded by Fehmi Naji . Born in Egypt, Hilaly arrived in Australia in 1982 on a tourist visa from Lebanon . Although

3720-581: The Jewish centres in cities. As a result, the rapidly growing community in Sydney needed larger facilities, and built the Great Synagogue , located on Elizabeth Street , opposite Hyde Park , which was consecrated in 1878. When Queensland separated from New South Wales in 1859, Jewish people began to settle in Brisbane, forming the Brisbane Hebrew Congregation in 1865. The congregation used

3813-589: The Jewish convicts was 25, but ranged as young as 8 to some elderly people. Esther Abrahams (who arrived with the First Fleet, with her baby daughter Roseanna) and Ikey Solomon were among the convicts who were Jewish. At first, the Church of England was the established religion in the colony, and during the early years of transportation all convicts were required to attend Anglican services on Sundays. This included Irish Catholics as well as Jews. Similarly, education in

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3906-524: The United Kingdom and Germany. Kehillas (organized communities) began to be established in Sydney (1831) and Melbourne (1841). The condition of the Jewish community improved to such an extent that in 1844 the first synagogue was formed in York Street, Sydney using rented space, which continued in use for more than thirty years. The 1841 census shows that New South Wales Jewry accounted for 65.3% of

3999-562: The Western Front. The agent-generalship of New South Wales has been administered by two Jews: Sir Saul Samuel, one of the most prominent and successful Jews in Australian politics, and Sir Julian Salomons . Several Jews have served as Chief Justices of various states. Sir Julian Salomons was Chief Justice of New South Wales for a fortnight in 1886; James Spigelman was the Chief Justice of NSW from 19 May 1998 to 31 May 2011. Mahla Pearlman

4092-400: The back country of Victoria. Nathaniel Levi , for many years urged the cultivation of beetroot for the production of sugar and spirits owed its brief existence as an industry to Levi's own interest in raw material for his distilling company. In his labours on behalf of this industry he published in 1870 a work of 250 pages on the value and adaptability of the sugar-beet. In Western Australia,

4185-507: The belief of some in the community that islamic Australians are opposed to integration." The concept of the Party was abandoned once again in June 2007 when Hilaly retired from his role as Mufti. Allegations surfaced that Hilaly was diverting relief funds intended for the victims of the Israel-Lebanon war to Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah , the military wing of which is classified as

4278-526: The camp. Petitions to Australian politicians, stressing that they were Jewish refugees and therefore being unjustly imprisoned, had no effect. They remained in the internment camp until 1942, when her father enlisted in the Australian Army . In the 1970s, the Australian Jewish community was concerned by the rising intermarriage rate which impacted the numbers of Jews with bonds to the community. By

4371-420: The demonstration and personal attacks caused them to abandon the event. On 8 January 2007, Hilaly appeared on an Egyptian television program. He made a number of comments that sparked criticism in Australia, including the following: Hilaly also condemned the level of rights awarded to homosexuals in Australia, stating "We have Christian churches which allow people of the same gender to marry" and "I understand

4464-493: The early 1980s, intermarriage again dropped to one of the lowest rates in the diaspora. The community was further bolstered by immigration from South Africa, and starting in 1989, from the former Soviet Union. Throughout the 20th century, many Jews served as elected officials. Among the positions held by a Jew were Mayor of Melbourne, Premier of South Australia , Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Speaker of Parliament. Many Jewish elected officials simultaneously served as

4557-412: The first Australian Muslim Achievement Awards by Mission of Hope (Muslim Community Solutions for Health and Well-being). Australian Jewish organisations have regularly accused Hilaly of antisemitism , a charge he denied. The charges began in 1988 when Hilaly delivered a lecture to a group of Muslim students at University of Sydney on the topic "The Disposition of Jews in the light of the Qur'an ." He

4650-532: The first overall history of Australian Jewry, and described by Rabbi Raymond Apple as skilfully and stylishly weaving together the strands of the story of a colourful minority group and its interaction with general society. Rabbi John Simon Levi , co-author of Australian Genesis: Jewish Convicts and Settlers, 1788-1850 (1974) has authored the magisterial biographical directory, These Are The Names: Jewish Lives in Australia, 1788-1860 (2013). The Australian Jewish Historical Society Journal (started 1939) appears twice

4743-407: The first president. In 1830 or 1832, the first Jewish wedding in Australia was celebrated, the contracting parties being Moses Joseph and Rosetta Nathan. Three years later a Mr. Rose came from England and acted as the chazzan , shochet , and mohel . He was succeeded by Jacob Isaacs. Over the following decades, the community's numbers increased, primarily as a result of Jewish immigration from

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4836-411: The first time in the colony according to the Hebrew form, and was continued regularly every Sabbath and holiday . From some difference of opinion then existing among the members of this faith, divine service was also performed occasionally in a room hired by Messrs. A. Elias and James Simmons. In this condition everything in connection with their religion remained until the arrival of Rev. Aaron Levi, in

4929-462: The flow of Jewish immigrants. Attacks on Jewish property and institutions increased with tensions in the Middle East, with corresponding increases in security precautions. In 1975, ASIO documents revealed that Palestinian terrorists planned to kill high-profile Jewish figures including the Israeli ambassador Michael Elizur and "Zionist spokesmen" Isi Leibler and Sam Lipski . Former prime minister Bob Hawke , "one of Israel's most vocal supporters",

5022-417: The founders of the colony of South Australia, as he was selected by the British government to act on the first board of commissioners , appointed in 1835 to conduct its affairs. Jacob's portrait hangs in the Art Gallery of South Australia , and his memory is perpetuated by Montefiore Hill , a vantage point which overlooks the city of Adelaide . Their nephew Jacob Levi Montefiore (1819–1885), whose mother

5115-462: The government of the colonial and Commonwealth eras, with a number attaining prominent public offices, including several governors-general. Despite this tolerant ethos, Australia rejected a Jewish refugee resettlement proposal , during World War II. Post-war Jewish immigration came at a time when antisemitism was rife, with the Returned Services League publishing cartoons to encourage the government and Immigration Minister Arthur A. Calwell to stem

5208-401: The heads of their kehillas . However, the successful integration of Jews into Australian society led to a rise in assimilation. Intermarriage rates rose, synagogue attendance dropped, and many Jews stopped practicing Judaism altogether. However, there were still many who chose to remain observant. JewishCare is among Australia's largest and oldest Jewish aid organisations, started in 1935 as

5301-526: The idea was abandoned in the wake of the 11 September terrorist attacks . Hilaly indicated he would register the party with several thousand members by late 2007. The proposed new party was immediately criticised. Opposition leader Kevin Rudd was quoted as saying "Australians will never vote for a man who denigrates women, defends gang rapists and makes statements when he is in the Middle East denouncing Australia and Australians." Prime Minister John Howard commented "It would be unwise because it would heighten

5394-488: The late 1940s and 1950s, disproportionately so for non-ethnic Egyptian minorities escaping the growing Arab nationalist movement in Egypt which saw the overthrow of the Egyptian monarchy and the subsequent Suez Crisis . In total numbers, Egyptian Christians were the largest contingent of emigrants to leave Egypt for other countries, including to Australia. Christians were the second largest in terms of proportion to their original community size in Egypt. Egyptian Jews , as

5487-586: The mentality of the West and especially the Australian mentality and I understand that the Australian law guarantees freedoms to the point of insanity." Following his comments on social and legal issues and in the lead-up to the 2007 Federal election , Hilaly proposed to form a political party to represent Islamic interests in the national Parliament. The party was to have been supported by the political committee of Muslim community elders, also created by Hilaly. The suggested motto was: "With you, from and for you". A party manifesto had originally been drafted in 2001 but

5580-429: The new settlement was Anglican church-controlled until the 1840s. The first move towards organisation in the community was the formation of a Chevra Kadisha (a Jewish burial society) in Sydney in 1817. In 1820, William Cowper allotted land for the establishment of a Jewish cemetery in the right-hand corner of the then-Christian cemetery. The Jewish section was created to enable the burial of one Joel Joseph. During

5673-405: The next ten years there was no great increase in membership of the society, and its services were not called for more than once a year. The actual allocation of land for a consecrated Jewish cemetery was not approved until 1832. The first Jewish services in the colony were conducted from 1820 in private homes by emancipist Joseph Marcus, one of the few convicts with Jewish knowledge. An account of

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5766-456: The ones to help fund the Jewish refugee's journey and settlement into the Australia Jewish community. From 1938 to 1961 the Jewish population almost tripled in size from the 1933 population to 61,000 Jews living in Australia. Organisations during the war tried to bring over and place children affected by the war, but were only able to after the war ended. Two organisations assisting with the immigration, specifically of orphaned children were Save

5859-400: The period is: In 1827 and 1828 then the worldly condition of the Hebrews in the colony improved considerably, in consequence of the great influx of respectable merchants; and this, with other circumstances, has raised the Hebrews in the estimation of their fellow colonists. About this period Mr. P. J. Cohen having offered the use of his house for the purpose, divine worship was performed for

5952-432: The police officers. This incident led to an attack against police officers by nearby Muslims and widespread condemnation from the public. Although charges of assaulting the police officers, hindering the officers, and resisting arrest were later dropped due to police using invalid evidence to justify their suspicion and subsequent search, Hilaly was fined A$ 400 for the incident. In May 2005 Australian contractor Douglas Wood

6045-469: The prison sentence of Bilal Skaf , the leader of a group of Lebanese Australians who committed gang rapes in Sydney in 2000, in which he said that women would "sway suggestively" before men "and then you get a judge without mercy (rahma) and gives you 65 years", were aimed at illustrating the need for harsh sanctions for rape. Phong Nguyen, chairman of the Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria, responded by saying, "Cultural diversity and equality between

6138-525: The same census only 29,115 identified themselves as Jewish by preferred ancestry, so the number of Jewish Australians simply is not known. Given more than two centuries of Jewish migration to Australia and the extent of moving away from or marrying out of Judaism, as many as 250,000 Australian residents may have Jewish ancestries. The majority are Ashkenazi Jews , many of them Jewish refugees , including Holocaust survivor who arrived during and after World War II, and their descendants. Jews make up about 0.5% of

6231-545: The sexes in Australia means that women are entitled to dress as they choose and should never be judged on their dress choice." He also commented, "The standard of someone's dress should never be used to justify rape, which is a criminal offence." Pru Goward , Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner, responded during a television interview that "It is incitement to a crime. Young Muslim men who now rape women can cite this in court, can quote this man... their leader in court. It's time we stopped just saying he should apologise. It

6324-456: The stage where they dress in a manner that is provocative then these people are doing something wrong. He was not talking about rape." After such comments were made publicly, on 26 October 2006 Hilaly released a statement. He said, "I unreservedly apologise to any woman who is offended by my comments. I had only intended to protect women's honour, something lost in The Australian presentation of my talk." The Australian National Imams Council

6417-529: The things that happen in the world cannot be explained; a civilian airplane whose secrets cannot be explained if we ask its pilot who reached his objective without error, who led your steps? Or if we ask the giant that fell, who humiliated you? Or if we ask the President, who made you cry? God is the answer. In his speech, he also predicted that Muslims would control the White House and appeared to support Hezbollah . The Australian Federal Police declined to investigate his activities overseas. In July 2006 Hilaly

6510-420: The three of them for two years in isolated Tatura Internment Camp 3 D , 180 kilometres north of Melbourne. They were held with nearly 300 other internees. The internment camp was located near Shepparton , in the northern part of the state of Victoria . There, armed soldiers manned watchtowers and scanned the camp that was bordered by a barbed wire fence with searchlights, and other armed soldiers patrolled

6603-430: The total Australian Jewish population, and 0.57% of the total Australian population. In 1848, there were 200 Jews in Victoria, and they formed the Melbourne Jewish Philanthropic Society to provide assistance to those in need. Although the Jewish community was primarily Ashkenazi , some Sephardi Jews also immigrated to Australia, and the community thrived during the mid-to-late 19th century. For some twenty years, there

6696-400: The townships of Karridale and Boyanup owe their existence to the enterprise of M. C. Davies , a large lumber merchant. Barnett Levy founded an early theatre in Australia. He was refused a license by then Governor Darling in 1828, though in the following year he was permitted to hold approved performances in his Sydney Hotel. A record of the event is found in an entry in "Sydney in 1848",

6789-413: The visa was temporary, it was routinely reissued until 1988 when then Minister for Immigration Chris Hurford attempted to have Hilaly deported for being against "Australian values". The Islamic community showed strong support for Hilaly to remain in Australia, and Hilaly was eventually granted permanent residence in 1990 by Hurford's successor Gerry Hand . Hilaly served as Imam at Lakemba Mosque, which

6882-460: The war ended. During WWII transportation for civilians was limited, so no Jewish orphans could be brought over even though the Australian government increased their allowance quota for orphaned children. After the war, the pre-war anti-Jewish refugee sentiment influenced the government's choice not to fund any Jewish immigration, saying it was the Jewish community's responsibility to bring over the refugees. This made it so sponsors and organisations were

6975-635: The world through sex, then sexual perversion, then the promotion of espionage, treason, and economic hoarding. Hilaly did not apologise nor retract his comments, in which he accused Jews of "causing all wars." In February 2004 Hilaly gave a sermon at a mosque in Sidon , Lebanon , whilst overseas the text of which was translated by the Australian Embassy in Beirut . It appeared to show him supporting terrorist attacks. In his sermon, Hilaly said: Sons of Islam, there

7068-510: The year 1830. He had been a dayyan , and, duly accredited, he succeeded in instilling into the minds of the congregation a taste for the religion of their fathers. A Sefer Torah [scroll of the Law] was purchased by subscription, divine service was more regularly conducted, and from this time may be dated the establishment of the Jewish religion in Sydney. In 1832 they formed themselves into a proper congregation, and appointed Joseph Barrow Montefiore as

7161-709: Was Chief Judge of the NSW Land and Environment Court from 1992 to 2003, and she was the first woman chief judge in any (State) jurisdiction in Australia. Jews are especially prominent in the legal profession; for example, in Melbourne alone, the Hon. Michael Rozenes sits as Chief Judge of the County Court of Victoria , Justice Redlich sits on the Court of Appeal , while Justices Raymond Finkelstein , Alan Goldberg , Mark Weinberg , Ronald Sackville and Ron Merkel have all sat in recent years on

7254-560: Was a Sephardic congregation, and some Sephardi families occupied important communal positions. Gradually, however, the Sephardi population declined, and the congregation was disbanded in 1873. The gold rush of the 1850s attracted a wave of immigrants, and Jewish immigrants soon outnumbered native-born Jews. Initially, they settled in rural areas, but by the end of the 19th century the lack of Jewish communal connections and fear of assimilation led most Australian Jews in rural areas to relocate to

7347-455: Was a first cousin of Sir Moses Montefiore , and J. B. Montefiore gave an impetus to the progress of New South Wales. Jacob owned one of the largest sheep-runs in the colony, and founded and for many years acted as director of the Bank of Australasia . The close connection of these two with the colony is further evidenced by the township of Montefiore, New South Wales , which stands at the junction of

7440-499: Was a point where the abductors wanted $ 25 million. Eventually, we managed to convince them to drop this demand and a figure, in the thousands, was agreed." Hilaly also claimed to have spoken to Douglas Wood via telephone, yet after Douglas Wood was rescued following a raid by the Iraqi army, Wood denied ever having spoken to Hilaly. In July 2005 Hilaly was named "Muslim Man of the Year" for 2005 at

7533-462: Was a top tennis player for Australia, and her parents sculptor Karl Duldig and artist and inventor Slawa Duldig , were classified as enemy aliens upon their arrival due to their having arrived with German identity papers. Beginning the year prior to their arrival in Australia, a new Australian law had designated people "enemy aliens" if they were Germans, or were Australians who had been born in Germany. The Australian government therefore interned

7626-615: Was abducted by a militant group calling itself the Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Iraq. They demanded that the Australian government withdraw its troops from Iraq in exchange for Wood. Twice that month, Hilaly traveled to Iraq to negotiate Wood's release, the second time interrupting treatment for a heart condition and returning, at the explicit request of the Australian government, "to Baghdad to deliver an extraordinary offer to Mr Wood's captors, on their behalf." Hilaly said later, "There

7719-714: Was also considered for attack. Synagogues across Australia are often targeted in acts of vandalism. For instance, in the 21st century, vandalism and arson attacks on synagogues have occurred in 2000 (Sydney, Canberra), 2001 (Canberra), 2002 (Melbourne, Sydney), 2004 (Perth), 2005 (Melbourne, Newcastle), 2006 (Sydney) 2008 (Melbourne, Sydney), 2010 (Perth), Brisbane (2011), 2016 (Sydney) 2018 (Canberra), 2022 (Melbourne), and 2023 (Maitland). There have been numerous incidences of antisemitic activities on university campuses . For example, antisemitic material had been found on five university campuses in March 2017. There are

7812-639: Was an increase in immigration from Australia to Israel in 2010, when 240 Australians moved to Israel, up from 165 in 2009. On 30 June 2023, the Queensland Holocaust Museum and Education Centre in Brisbane opened as the first Jewish Museum in Queensland. On 27 November 2016, the Annual Report of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) on antisemitism in Australia, reported that in

7905-658: Was claimed in the New South Wales Parliament that there were in fact 70,000 Copts in New South Wales alone. An additional 1,890 persons in the 2006 Census reported themselves as being of " Coptic " ancestry. The term Coptic ordinarily refers to adherents of Coptic Christianity, but when used as a term referring to ethnicity means "Egyptian" (almost always in the context of Coptic Christian Egyptians). The 1,890 persons who described their ancestry as "Coptic" are thus most likely Egyptian Australians. Copt as an ethnonym

7998-762: Was formed in 1841, and the first synagogue building opened in 1847 at 472 Bourke Street, with a seating capacity of 100. Other synagogues were built in Hobart (1845), Launceston (1846) and Adelaide (1850). With the arrival of large numbers of immigrants in the 1850s, especially during the Victorian Gold Rush , there was a need for a larger synagogue in Melbourne. Construction of a larger 600 seat synagogue at South Yarra commenced in March 1855. Other Jewish congregations were formed in Geelong , Bendigo , and Ballarat (1853). The East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation split from

8091-592: Was formed in 2006 during a meeting of more than 80 Imams which had gathered to discuss the crisis created by comments made by Taj El-Din Hilaly. In late 2006 Melbourne resident Christine Hawkins organised a bikini rally, in which women were to wear beach clothing and march on Lakemba Mosque and the Islamic Information and Support Centre in Brunswick, Melbourne, to voice their "disgust" at Hilaly's comments. Ultimately, organisers claimed that public reports critical of

8184-405: Was founded as an independent country in 1901, some of the founders were Jewish. From the outset, Jews were treated as equal citizens with freedom to participate in economic and cultural life, and played an important role in their development. Antisemitism , which was common in contemporary Europe, was very rare in Australia. Following World War I, another stream of Jewish immigrants came, and when

8277-444: Was in her room, in her home, in her hijab , no problem would have occurred. Hilaly also said, "in the state of zina , the responsibility falls 90 per cent of the time on the woman. Why? Because she possesses the weapon of enticement (igraa)." Hilaly later claimed that he had intended to suggest that "if a woman who shows herself off, she is to blame...but a man should be able to control himself." He also contended that his references to

8370-638: Was influential in the introduction of Bauhaus principles into visual art and design curricula in Australia. E. P. Fox and Abbey Alston have achieved distinction. Paintings by both these artists have been hung in the Melbourne National Gallery. In the Adelaide Gallery hangs a tribute to the memory of H. Abrahams for the services he rendered to the progress of art in Australia. Two Jews of Australian birth, S. Alexander and Joseph Jacobs, have attained some distinction as writers. There has always been

8463-554: Was quoted as saying: The Jews' struggle with humanity is as old as history itself; the present continuing struggle with the Islam nation is a natural continuation of the Jews' enmity towards the human race as a whole. Judaism controls the world by...secret movements as the destructive doctrines and groups, such as communism , libertarianism, Free Masons , Baháʼísm , the Rotary clubs, the nationalistic and racist doctrines. The Jews try to control

8556-435: Was sacked from Prime Minister of Australia John Howard 's Muslim Community Reference Group following comments he made in which he denied the Holocaust , calling it a "Zionist lie". He also referred to Israel as a "cancer". This prompted calls for legal action to be pursued against him in a country which has the highest per-capita number of Holocaust survivors in the world outside Israel. In October 2006, Hilaly delivered

8649-566: Was the first Australian-born Governor-General , and was the first Jewish vice-regal representative in the British Empire. Sir Zelman Cowen also served as Governor-General, between 1977 and 1982. Linda Dessau has been Governor of Victoria since July 2015, the first woman and the first Jew to serve in the position. Sir John Monash , a distinguished Australian Lieutenant-General during World War I, led Australian troops both in Gallipoli and on

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