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321 Jews, Sir Saul Samuel, Bart., K.C.M.G., one of the most prominent and successful Jews in Australian politics, and Sir Julian Salomons. Jews A goodly number of Jews have sat in Public in the various parliaments and, in pro;

Life.

portion to the population, a large percentage have held ministerial portfolios. Indeed, the highest office attainable was held by a Jew, when, for a short time in 1899, V. L. Solomon was premier of South Australia. Sir John Vogel, whose history, however, belongs to New Zea-

was also premier for many years. The foremost among the Jews that have

land,

conduct its affairs. His portrait hangs in National Gallery, and his memory is perpetuated by Montefiore Hill, one of the leading thoroughfares of Adelaide. Jacob Montefiore's activity was not confined to South Australia. With his brother Joseph he gave an impetus to, and left his impress upon, 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 in 1835 to its

Bank of

Australia. The firm that the two brothers established in Sydney in its early Disdays ranked among the first of the The tinguisned business houses of that city. in Politics, close connection of these brothers with

the colony is further evidenced by the township of Montefiore, which stands at the junction of the Bell and Macquarie rivers in the Wellington Joseph Montefiore was the first president of valley. the

first

Jewish congregation formed

in

Sydney

of the original Royal Hotel in George street and he up the saloon of that establishment as a theater,

fitted

where the

Jew Establisb.es

tbe First Tbeater.

which was opened

called the Theater Royal,

in 1833.

In the course of the half -century of communal life in Australia, four important Jewish journals appeared " The Australian Israelite " was issued from 1870 to 1882 in Melbourne, and was edited by S. Joseph,a practised journalist, who also conducted " The Tainororth News " " The Jewish Herald " of Melbourne has been published, first weekly and then fortnightly, from 1885 onward, under the joint editorship of Rev. E. Blaubaum and Maurice Benjamin " The Australian Hebrew, " conducted by Jacob Goldstein, appeared for only eighteen months in 1895-96; "The Hebrew Standard" was first published in 1897, under the directorship of Alfred

in





Harris.

In the domain of art two Jews, E. P. Fox and Abbey Alpon, have done good work. Paintings by both these artists have been hung in Journalism the Melbourne National Gallery. In and Art. 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 have attained

some

to

contributed their quota to the Australian contingents The numbers of Jews in the to the number of 15. Australian colonies at the census of 1891 were as follows:

New

L. Solomon of Adelaide is remembered for the useful work he achieved in exploring the vast northern territory of his colony, the interM. V. ests of which he represented in Parliament.

Victoria

The Hon. V.

Lazarus of Bendigo, known as Bendigo Lazarus, much to open up new parts in the back country of Victoria. The coal industry of Victoria received a great impetus from the persistent advocacy of the Hon. Nathaniel Levi, who for many years urged the government of Victoria to develop it. The cultivation of beet-rooL for the production of sugar and spirits likewise owes its existence as an industry In his labors on beto Levi's ceaseless efforts. half of this industry he published in 1870 a work of 250 pages on the value and adaptability of the In western Australia the townships of sugar-beet. Karridale and Boyanup owe their existence to the enterprise of C. M. Davies, a large lumber merchant. It is noteworthy that in the theatrical history of Australia a Jew, Barnett Levy, stands as the pioneer. A record of that fact is found in the following also did

entry in " Sydney in 1848," a work published in that year: "In the late twenties His Excellency Sir K. 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

—

distinction as writers S. Alexander and During the South African war Jews

Joseph Jacobs.

1832.

II.— 21

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 action. He built a theater



figured as pioneers in Australia is Jacob Montefiore, a cousin of Sir Moses Montefiore. South Australian history records him as one of the founders of the colony and he was selected by the British government to act on the first board of commissioners, appointed

the

Australia Austria

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

321

South Wales

Tasmania Western Australia

5,484 6,459

South A ustralia Queensland

New

840 809

84 129

Zealand

1,463

Total

15,268

The following

estimate has recently been given of the Jewish population of Australasia for 1899: New South Wales, 8,140; Victoria, 5,820; South Australia, 1,110; Queensland, 930; Tasmania, 550; Western Total, 19,670. Australia, 850; New Zealand, 2,270.

See Adelaide,

Melbourne, and Sydney. D.

j.

AUSTRIA:* the

kingdom

of

I.

F.

Empire in Europe now united with

Hungary



its territorial

changed considerably during the

past

extent has

thousand

years.

From the Earliest Times to the Cbarter of Frederick II. (1238) The date of the first settlement of the Jews in Austria, like that of almost all other European countries, is enveloped in obscurity. Folk-lore speaks of a Jewish kingdom supposed to have been founded in Austria, 859 years after the Deluge, by a Jew or pagan called Abraham, who came from the wonderland " Terra Ammiracionis to Auratim (Stockerau) with his wife, Susanna, and

no reference is made to Hungary or former Italian provinces of Austria or to the Austrian Netherlands; Bohemia, Galicia, and the other outlying provinces of contemporary Austria are only treated in so far as they are connected with the history of the monarchy as a whole.
 * In the present article

to the