IN an old, stone synagogue in Wolfram Street, the Broken Hill Historical Society, a not-for-profit organisation, meets to discuss and keep records of the history of Broken Hill.
The society has existed in some form since March 1965, and the synagogue looks vastly different now than in its heyday when it operated as a place of worship for the town’s Jewish community.
The rooms have been restored and repainted, and are histories are organised into sections in the library.
Co-ordinator of the Synagogue of the Outback Museum for the Broken Hill Historical Society, Margaret Price, said that the group started after an informal meeting by five people who had an interest in learning about the history of the town.
“After the first meeting, a public meeting was then called in April 1965, which was attended by twenty seven people,” she said.
Some of the original members were existing members of the Field Naturalists Club, but Ms Price said it’s a misconception that the Naturalists Club members started the Historical Society.
The Society began hosting regular meetings on the second Monday of the month to discuss local history.
The Society became caretakers for the synagogue, which opened in 1911 before the slow decline of Broken Hill’s Jewish community in the 1950s then eventually closing in 1962.
Museum attendant Donald McKinnon spends a few days a week looking through and sorting the archives in the museum.
He said he’s often stumbling upon untold tales of the Silver City in his research.
An interesting example is the story of Dr Setzke, a German Jewish doctor and pharmacist, who moved to Broken Hill in 1895.
“He had the best of two businesses, because he could write prescriptions, so they had to go to his pharmacy,” he said.
Ms Price said Dr Setzke left Broken Hill for Brisbane and America at different points, though he always returned to the Far West.
“During the First World War, Dr Setzke was reported to have caused a nuisance in Argent Street, saying something along the lines of “I’m a German Jew and when the war is finished, I’ll be the boss of this town!”
He was arrested and put on the train to an internment camp at Torrens Island Gaol in South Australia. Once released he hoped to return to Germany, but was refused entry due to having Australian citizenship.
“We looked into it and there were letters to the government asking to get him kicked out of the country from this one Broken Hill lawyer who didn’t like him,” Ms Price said.
“But the government said no because its only one person’s point of view.”
Ms Price has been researching the history of Jews in Broken Hill for more than a decade, and even published a Historical Society book on the subject.
The society also runs the Silverton School Educational Museum.
Marlene Bettes, co-ordinator of the Educational Museum and one of the longest standing members of the Historical Society, said the Society took over the Trust of the school building in 1977. It now operates as a museum to share local history.
Ms Price said that the Historical Society welcomes new members. Anyone is able to attend their meetings held on the second Monday of every month at 7pm at the synagogue in Wolfram Street.
“People are welcome to visit and ask questions, we love to have a good chat,” she said.
Ms Price and Mr McKinnon work from the synagogue on Mondays and Wednesdays and are available to meet with or answer questions.
The Historical Society can be found at 165 Wolfram Street, Broken Hill.
