In October 1845, the Hebrew Congregation of Sydney did something both profoundly ordinary and quietly radical at the time. It petitioned the colonial government.

The request was measured. The language was civic. For fourteen years, the congregation explained, Sydney’s Jews had maintained public worship without government aid. When an offered land grant proved unsuitable, they purchased ground themselves and erected a synagogue at great expense—£5,000—only to find themselves £1,000 in debt. They now asked whether the colony might recognize this work by relieving the burden and by providing a stipend for a Jewish minister, as it did for Christian clergy.

This was not a challenge to other congregations, nor a demand for special treatment. The synagogue already stood. The community already worshipped.

The government’s reply was polite—and negative. Officials expressed regret, not opposition. Under existing law,........

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