Goulburn Jewish Cemetery and Cultural Landscape

Item details


Name of item:	Goulburn Jewish Cemetery and Cultural Landscape
Other name/s:	Eastgrove Jewish Cemetery
Type of item:	Archaeological-Terrestrial
Group/Collection:	Cemeteries and Burial Sites
Category:	Cemetery/Graveyard/Burial Ground
Primary address:	Long Street, Goulburn, NSW 2580
Parish:	Towrang
County:	Argyle
Local govt. area:	Goulburn Mulwaree
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Pejar

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	241		DP	1133971

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Long Street	Goulburn	Goulburn Mulwaree	Towrang	Argyle	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Trustees of the Goulburn Jewish Cemetery	Community Group

Statement of significance:


	The Goulburn Jewish Cemetery and Cultural Landscape is of state significant as one of only two exclusively Jewish cemeteries in NSW (the other being Maitland Jewish Cemetery, SHR 01921) and the only one which retains substantial remains of its former caretaker's cottage which contained a room reserved for Tahara rites, the ritual cleansing and shrouding of the deceased. The well which provided the water for the Tahara cleansing also survives. The (at least 30) burials in the cemetery are tangible records of the once thriving Jewish community of Goulburn, from the pioneering period of the district in the 1840s through to the burial of two German refugees during WWII. In 1830 Aaron Levy, a Dayan (Rabbinic emissary) visited Sydney. While in Sydney he wrote a Ketubah (Jewish marriage contract) for the marriage of John Moses and Mary Connolly, aka Rivka bat Avraham Avinu (Rebecca daughter of Abraham our Father), his converted wife. The Ketubah, which still exists in private hands, is the first enscribed in Australia, for the first Jewish marriage, for the first convertee. It follows the same format in Aramaic language as Ketubot from two millennia ago. Rebecca Moses is buried in the Goulburn Jewish Cemetery, along with the couple's two daughters who drowned at Yass in 1844. The girls' burials initiated the use of this ground as a cemetery. The burials and the cemetery are associated with families of respected hotel owners, businessmen, industrialists and aldermen of early Goulburn and nearby towns. Research of the burials in the cemetery has revealed family ties to Jews in other towns across NSW and are indicative of the part played by networks of Jews in the establishment and growth of those settlements. The physical remains of the historic half-acre curtilage, caretakers cottage, well and monuments all contribute to an understanding of the continuation of the Jewish faith.
	Date significance updated: 23 Mar 21
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Construction years:	1844-1943
Physical description:	Cemetery: The historic half-acre (0.202ha) curtilage is intact and all burials remain in place although many of the memorials are damaged. The remains of the caretaker's cottage and the well survive in situ as archaeological evidence. Documents indicate there were at least 30 burials in the cemetery, with approximately 20 in unidentified unmarked locations. A stone front wall, gate, memorial cairn, and planting of cypress pines date to 1986/87. Surviving Monuments and Cottage remains: The condition of extant monuments varies from good to very poor, with some surviving only as fragments. The condition of the surviving stonework from the cottage varies from fair to poor. The condition of the well cannot be assessed without excavation of the fill but extant brickwork near the top suggests it may be in good to fair condition below the fill material.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The cemetery is situated in a largely rural setting with scattered small rural holdings in the vicinity. There is an uninterrupted view into the cemetery from Long Street and there are local and district views out of the cemetery, including to the nearby property which was the location of the boiling down works established by Elias Moses and Samuel Benjamin, who also made the land for the cemetery available.
	Date condition updated:07 Jun 21
Modifications and dates:	First burial: 1844. Last burial 1943. Cottage construction 1848. Cottage demolition circa 1942 Construction of stone front wall, gate, memorial cairn, and planting of cypress pines; 1986/87.


Former use:	Aboriginal land, farmland, cemetery

History

Historical notes:

Goulburn is historically thought to be at the boundary of two Aboriginal groups, the Gundungurra to the north and the Ngunawal to the south. Developing understanding today indicates that this boundary is likely to be quite nebulous, with social, economic and kinship ties likely spreading throughout NSW and beyond.

It is well documented that after European arrival there was radical displacement and disease which drastically affected Aboriginal populations here and elsewhere. Dispossession from traditional lands further decimated the population along with cycles of influenza and smallpox.

By the mid-1860s the Aboriginal population had radically reduced in the region.

GOULBURN'S SETTLEMENT
Hamilton Hume and surveyor James Meehan crossed the plains to the south in 1818. The city known as Goulburn was named after Henry Goulburn, the British Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The Great South Road from Picton to the Goulburn plains followed in the next year as ordered by Governor Macquarie. By 1820 Governor Macquarie surveyed the area and specifically commented on the availability of arable land.

Development quickly followed, with wheat growing and sheep grazing by around 1825, and a reputation as a producer and exporter of fine merino wool soon after.

Goulburn's importance was cemented as a stopover point late in the 1830s with a lock-up built in 1830.

JEWISH COMMUNITY - INCEPTION
The first accommodation establishment in Goulburn in 1836 was Solomon Moses' The Travellers' Home Inn. Mr Moses was born in Kent and an active member of the local Jewish community with a synagogue in the area built in 1811. Solomon got married in Sydney in 1835 he travelled to Goulburn and built a tavern, and then built the Royal Hotel at the location where it remains today.

The Jewish community of NSW took an active part in the expansion of burgeoning economy through trade with family and communities, both in Australia and internationally.

The Goulburn local economy developed as a part of this, with stores opening, and many land purchases and by 1848 Goulburn had the third largest Jewish population in Australia (Sydney and Melbourne being first and second).

These early Jewish community members held their worship services in each other's homes.

In November 1844 two young girls were drowned in a vehicle crossing a flooded Yass River. Sarah and Hannah Moses were buried in unmarked graves in a site that was soon to become the Goulburn Jewish cemetery.

By 1845 the Jewish journal The Voice of Jacob notes "at Goulburn, a town 170 miles to the southward [of Sydney], services were performed at the residence of Mr Elias Moses, who has recently given an acre of land for a Jewish cemetery". The cemetery land was conveyed to the Goulburn Hebrew Association and dedicated "for the burial therein of deceases professors of the Jewish Faith".

The first marked grave appears to be Issac Davis (Boorowa) who died after being attacked by bushranger at his store in 1845. The location of the graves of Sarah and Hannah Moses are now unknown.

The caretaker's cottage was built in 1848, and a simple Georgian vernacular cottage with one room dedicated to the ritual cleansing and shrouding of bodies prior to burial. This ritual act of purification, known as Tahara, required the use of water, and to this end a well or cistern was sunk northwest of the cottage.

THE GOLD RUSH
Payable gold was discovered in central western NSW in 1851. Many people left the area to find their riches and the local Jewish community businesses in accommodation and local industry were left short. In June of this same year, Nathan Mandelson offered two hundred guineas reward to the first person who discovers a goldfield in the Police District of Goulburn. The new goldfields were subsequently found at Braidwood and the coach service between Goulburn and Braidwood was owned and managed by Mr Mandelson.

By the late 1880s an increasing number of Jewish people were leaving Goulburn, the last recorded activities of the Hebrew Association appeared to have ended in 1877. The Great Synagogue in Sydney was consecrated in 1878 and many people moved to Sydney. More widely, the expanding road and rail network meant a more dispersed and higher number of regional centres developing, spreading business nodes further around the state.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Other open space-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Changing the environment-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Aboriginal Culture-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Ngunawal Nation - occupation sites-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Gandangara Nation - sites evidencing occupation-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Ethnic influences-Activities associated with common cultural traditions and peoples of shared descent, and with exchanges between such traditions and peoples.	Jewish migrants-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Ethnic influences-Activities associated with common cultural traditions and peoples of shared descent, and with exchanges between such traditions and peoples.	Jewish religious practises-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Events-Activities and processes that mark the consequences of natural and cultural occurences	Developing local landmarks-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Building settlements, towns and cities-National Theme 4
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	1820s-1850s land grants-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Early farming (Cattle grazing)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Administering and alienating Crown lands-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Expressing lines of early grant allotments-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Alienating Crown Lands for religious purposes-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Changing land uses - from rural to suburban-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Subdivision of rural estates-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	19th century suburban developments-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Developing government towns-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Developing the social life of a rural community-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Cultural Social and religious life-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	19th Century Infrastructure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Impacts of railways on rural development-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Roadside Villages-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	A quiet Rural District-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Creating landmark structures and places in regional settings-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Shaping inland settlements-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Planning relationships between key structures and town plans-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Role of transport in settlement-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working independently on the land-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working on the land-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	State government-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - facilitating agriculture-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - facilitating pastoralism-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - administration of land-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Developing cultural institutions and ways of life-National Theme 8
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Religion-Activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship	Cemetery-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Religion-Activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship	religion (in the country)-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Religion-Activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship	Death-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Religion-Activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship	Practising Judaism-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Religion-Activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship	Burials and associated religious rituals and places-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Religion-Activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship	Jewish faith-Includes all religious communities, churches, convents, manse.
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Birth and Death-Activities associated with the initial stages of human life and the bearing of children, and with the final stages of human life and disposal of the dead.	Marking the phases of life-National Theme 9
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Birth and Death-Activities associated with the initial stages of human life and the bearing of children, and with the final stages of human life and disposal of the dead.	Cemeteries-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Birth and Death-Activities associated with the initial stages of human life and the bearing of children, and with the final stages of human life and disposal of the dead.	Burying the dead in customary ways-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Elias Moses, merchant-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Sarah Moses, Goulburn child, died young-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Hannah Moses, Goulburn child, died young-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Isaac Davis, Boorowa merchant-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with the Goulburn Hebrew Association-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The Goulburn Jewish Cemetery and Cultural Landscape is of state significant as one of only two extant exclusively Jewish burial grounds in NSW. It is the only example retaining physical evidence of the caretakers cottage and well that were essential to the pre-burial rites associated with Jewish internments.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	The Goulburn Jewish Cemetery and Cultural Landscape has strong associations with well known, pioneering Jewish families (such as the Moses, Isaac, Mandelson and Marks families) who played an important role in both the Goulburn and wider Sydney communities between the 1830s and 1940s and the development of these regions.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The Goulburn Jewish Cemetery and Cultural Landscape has specific associations with the Goulburn Jewish community in terms of its history, use, monumental symbolism and is uniquely a Jewish burial ground (no other denominations permitted). It is of state significance for its social value as one of only two extant exclusively Jewish burial grounds in the State and has strong connections with the York Street Synagogue in Sydney including collecting funds for the building of that synagogue which opened in 1845. It provides a sense of historic continuity and contributes to the present-day Jewish community's sense of identity. It is of state significance as an exemplary example of how a small, isolated site of historical significance may be conserved and valued.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The Goulburn Jewish Cemetery and Cultural Landscape is of state significance due to its potential to reveal further information about the traditional burial practices and rituals of the Orthodox Jewish faith in NSW in the mid-19th century. Although the remaining monuments are in a varying state of repair, further analysis of their form, design style and use of liturgical symbolism could provide further insight into how death was celebrated by the Orthodox Jewish faith. There is some potential that the archaeological remains of the cottage building and well could be investigated further. No formal archaeological investigation of the site has been undertaken.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The Goulburn Jewish Cemetery and Cultural Landscape is of state significance as one of only three exclusively Jewish cemeteries established in the State and one of only two which survive as cemeteries, the other being Maitland Jewish Cemetery (1846). It is the only one to contain physical evidence of a cottage in which preburial rituals were performed and a well which supplied the water used in Tahara cleansing rituals.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The Goulburn Jewish Cemetery and Cultural Landscape is of state significant as a second representative example of a small regional burial ground that reflects the traditional burial rites and rituals of a religious faith. The design and form of the monuments reflect the masonry practices of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the liturgical inscriptions demonstrate the traditional symbolism of the Jewish faith.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Recommended Management	Produce a Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
Recommended Management	Prepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines
Recommended Management	Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		02052	25 Jun 21	276	2021-1354

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written			Jewish burials at Rookwood	View detail
Written	Betteridge, Chris	2020	Heritage Significance Assessment for Goulburn Jewish Cemetery
Written	Goulburn Mulwaree Council	2012	Cemetery Plan of Management
Written	Heritage NSW		Maitland Jewish Cemetery	View detail
Written	National Trust	1996	Guidelines for Cemetery Conservations

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5067659
File number:	EF21/306

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