Published: 19 July 2019
Last updated: 4 March 2024
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services first took place in the city as far back as the early 1840s, and it’s believed Jews may have been in town even before that.
Some of the city’s most well-known buildings and arcades were owned by Jewish innovators. The beautiful Block Arcade, for example, was developed by businessman Benjamin Fink.
This history will be explored in the Jewish Museum’s upcoming city walk, a tour of the CBD that reveals the hidden Jewish stories of a dozen sites in the city.
The walk is led by Terry Ashton, a teacher who majored in history and biblical studies at Melbourne University. Terry describes herself as a good communicator who works well with people – both good qualities in a teacher – and the walk ties all her skills and interests together nicely.
Terry has been taking Jewish history tours around Melbourne since they were first proposed by the Jewish Historical Society over 20 years ago. Other walks in the series cover areas such as East Melbourne, St Kilda, and Carlton, and they will take place on a monthly basis until December.
There is also a tour of the regional city of Ballarat, and plans are in the works for other rural areas, such as the unlikely Jewish history of the tiny town of Talbot.
The walks are intimate, unable to accommodate more than 25 people. While this is mostly to save Terry from having to yell, it’s also an appropriate size for a group touring Melbourne’s famous arcades and laneways. As such, bookings are essential.
Photo: The clock tower and spires overlooking Melbourne’s market (State Library of Victoria)
The walk takes place this Sunday. It costs $20 for Museum members ($25 otherwise), and commences at Flinders Street Station at 10.15am.
Book here
