History of the Jews in New Zealand

Jewish cemetary in Auckland, founded in the mid-nineteenth century.

The history of the Jews in New Zealand began when Jewish traders arrived there during the 1830s. Before New Zealand became a British Colony in 1840, the Jewish population consisted of fewer than 30 people. Immigration has led to four main groups: older families who came from the United Kingdom in the 1800s, lineage of European refugees from the 1930s and 1940s, families who emigrated from Britain in the 1950s, and recent immigrants from South Africa, Israel and the former Soviet Union. Prominent New Zealand Jews include nineteenth century Premier Julius Vogel and at least five Auckland mayors, including Dove-Myer Robinson.

Currently, the Jewish population, estimated at around 10,000, makes up 0.23 percent of the total New Zealand population of 4.2 million. The majority of New Zealand Jews reside in Auckland and Wellington.

See also

• List of Oceanian Jews

External links

• The Jewish Virtual History Tour: New Zealand
• Jews in Te Ara: Encyclopaedia of New Zealand