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September 3, 2010
A dazzling city wows
Sydney’s a sun-filled mirror image of Vancouver.
ARTHUR WOLAK
Envisioning a picturesque modern metropolis tucked snugly next to the Pacific Ocean, Vancouver immediately comes to mind. But Sydney, the largest city in Australia and capital of the state of New South Wales, also fits this description. Famous for its Opera House, sun-drenched beaches and uniquely Australian kangaroo, koala and platypus, Sydney – minus the fauna – is in many ways a mirror image of Vancouver. Both cities share downtowns flanked by gorgeous harbors with massive bridges connecting to north shores. Only the local English dialect seems to separate Sydney from Vancouver, but a closer look reveals distinctions worth further exploration, especially Sydney’s larger Jewish community.
Despite various waves of Jewish immigration to Australia – especially German Jews during the gold-rush era following the 1848 discovery of gold in New South Wales, Russian refugees in the 1880s escaping pogroms and anti-Jewish laws under Czar Alexander III, and Polish Jews after 1918 – the Jewish community remained small until the 1930s. Similar to Vancouver, the Jewish population rose considerably following the Second World War. Some Holocaust survivors arrived from Poland and, following the 1956 Revolution, refugees came from Hungary. A more recent source has been a large contingent of South African Jews. Vancouver’s primary sources of Jewish settlers included European and American immigrants but, in later decades, a greater proportion were domestic migrants from colder parts of central and eastern Canada.
Of Sydney’s more than four million residents is a contemporary Jewish community of nearly 45,000, more than double the Vancouver area’s almost 22,000. Yet both represent a similar ratio, roughly one percent of their respective general populations. Although more Australian Jews reside in Melbourne in the neighboring state of Victoria – where Orthodox communities are historically strongest – Sydney’s Jews comprise the second-largest community in Australia. Vancouver remains Canada’s third, after Toronto and Montreal.
Much of Sydney’s Jewish population is centred in the eastern coastal suburbs, such as Bondi, famous for its beach but also as the most densely populated Jewish neighborhood in the city. Bondi is where most of Sydney’s Jewish stores, bakeries and kosher meat and dairy restaurants are located. Substantial Jewish settlement exists in Sydney’s North Shore, similar to suburban Richmond in the Lower Mainland.
Sydney’s growth led to the construction of many vibrant synagogues, reflecting Modern Orthodox, Chassidic (especially Chabad) and progressive (Reform) shuls. There are also several Sephardi synagogues, two mikvahs and an eruv (established in 2002). Some of these synagogues are quite remarkable.
The Great Synagogue, opened in 1878 at 166 Castlereagh St., near Hyde Park in the heart of downtown, was among the first Orthodox congregations built in Sydney. It remains one of the city’s largest synagogues, offering guided tours to visitors.
Founded in 1938, the historically Reform congregation, Emanuel Synagogue (formerly Temple Emanuel) on Ocean Street in Woollahra –where, incidentally, my Polish-immigrant parents were married – remains a fixture in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Today, it serves a large and diverse congregation, which, perhaps unique among synagogues worldwide, holds simultaneous affiliations with the Reform, Conservative and Renewal movements, offering a regular schedule of services from all three.
Compared to North America, Conservative Judaism – known internationally as Masorti, Hebrew for “traditional” – came late to Australia. Conservative services began at Emanuel Synagogue in the 1990s, bringing the Conservative option to Sydney decades after Vancouver. The only other Conservative synagogue in Australia is in Melbourne.
Between 1956 and 1979, Emanuel was served by German-educated Reform Rabbi Dr. Rudolf Brasch. A scholar of origins, he became widely known throughout Australia for his media work and some three-dozen books on the origins of everything, from superstitions, myths and sports, to words and phrases. His 1955 book The Star of David, stocked by stores across the nation, was the first on Judaism ever published in Australia. However, his most famous tome – How Did It Begin? – was an international bestseller, still in print after nearly five decades.
The Reform congregation, Temple Emanuel North Shore, established in Chatswood in 1960, is also a large congregation. Shortly after Brasch established the North Shore shul, my mother, Elizabeth, following her arrival from Poland, was asked to direct its new choir. What she started continued after my parents’ migration to Vancouver. The choir still thrives in 2010, the congregation’s 50-year jubilee.
There are exceptional opportunities for sightseeing in Sydney beyond its Jewish sites. The Sydney Opera House, designed by Danish architect Joern Utzon, has become Sydney’s most famous landmark. While the top of Vancouver’s Canada Place is analogous, the Sydney Opera House’s sail-like roof conceals a performance complex with several theatres and recital halls. The best view of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge is from Mrs Macquaries Point, a popular lookout near the Royal Botanic Gardens in a setting similar to Stanley Park.
Like Vancouver’s Gastown, the Rocks district is Sydney’s most historic area. Established after the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet bringing convicts to the new British colony, today this quarter is lined with cobbled streets, restaurants, shops and galleries. Sydney’s visitor centre is located there, with information on local history and tourist sites.
Sydney’s magnificent water views are accessible from nearby Circular Quay, where scenic harbor cruises sail by remarkable waterfront homes. Taking a transit ferry across the harbor to North Sydney’s renowned Taronga Zoo is an unforgettable treat. With giraffes, elephants, kangaroos and koala bears, no visitor to Sydney should miss it. Sydney’s impressive harbor, a focal point ever since Capt. James Cook explored the area in 1770, definitely contributes to the city’s charm. Cook subsequently explored the Pacific Northwest, where his trusted midshipman, George Vancouver, later explored the Pacific Coast in the 1790s.
Macquarie Street in downtown Sydney provides a great walking opportunity. While originally designed as a ceremonial street, it also served as the state capital’s preeminent residential address. Today, it is home to Sydney Hospital, the headquarters of the Royal Australian College of Physicians, Parliament House, the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney Mint and the Reserve Bank of Australia. The street is also adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens, home to Government House and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Besides Sydney Harbor, the scenic eastern coastline should not be missed. The cliff-top walk from Bondi to Coogee is a definite highlight of Sydney’s eastern suburbs, with its beautiful weathered rocks and stunning beaches – each less busy than Bondi but just as attractive – such as Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly and Coogee.
After traversing Sydney from one end to the other, it is worth venturing north across the Harbor Bridge – the world’s widest long-span bridge – to North Ryde’s Macquarie Centre for shopping, near Macquarie University. Among Sydney’s largest and, similar to the University of British Columbia, most idyllic universities, Macquarie, just like the main street in downtown Sydney, was named after Lachlan Macquarie, influential 19th-century governor of New South Wales. With the Vancouver Olympics still fresh in Vancouverites’ minds, it is good trivia to know that the Macquarie campus served as Canada Olympic Place during Sydney’s 2000 Summer Games.
More adventurous tourists cross Sydney’s Harbor Bridge the hard way. An enterprising Aussie got permission to charge visitors a fee to cross the bridge by climbing up and over the stairs in an arc formation. Zoom in to see brave tourists marching like ants across the massive bridge, each tied with a loose harness to prevent an accident. Not cheap, by all accounts, the perspective from above is incomparable.
Sydney’s rich cultural mosaic offers some great eateries, including unique places at the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo Bay, Sydney’s version of Granville Island. Like Vancouver, Sydney has benefited from immigration, with every type of cuisine represented, from Chinese, Thai and Japanese, to French and Italian. There’s also “Modern Australian,” an eclectic mix of Eastern and Western recipes that have fused into something uniquely Australian.
Attracting streams of tourists from all around the world, both picturesque cities have lots to offer. While Crocodile Dundee, the 1980’s blockbuster film, helped stimulate a modern wave in Australian tourism, and the 2000 Summer Olympics brought Sydney even greater acclaim, perhaps the 2010 Winter Olympics will achieve the same for Vancouver.
For a truly memorable experience Down Under, visit its intriguing Jewish sites while enjoying the blue waters and beautiful smooth sand at Sydney’s many beaches.
Arthur Wolak was born and raised in Vancouver. An alumnus of the University of British Columbia, he later earned his PhD from Macquarie University’s Graduate School of Management in Sydney.
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