Act Jewish Centre

The ACT Jewish Community is at the heart of Canberra, just 650 metres from parliament. We are proudly representing Judaism in the nation's capital!

The A. C. T. Jewish Community was formally constituted in 1951, and the National Jewish Memorial Centre was opened in 1971, with generous financial assistance from individuals and organisations interstate, and the continuing assistance of the NSW Jewish Communal Appeal.

The Canberra Jewish community is relatively small and its membership reflects the distinctive nature of Canberra, with many public servants and professionals, some academics and students, and a few in private enterprise.

Canberra has a single Jewish community run by an elected Board, which needs to accommodate spiritual and temporal needs across the full spectrum of Jewish diversity. It provides for religious needs through both Orthodox and Progressive services, which run in different parts of the Jewish Community Centre. It is also responsible for such activities as adult education, Hebrew School, youth activities, social activities, welfare, and relations with the general community and Jewish organizations outside Canberra. We do not have separate memberships for our Orthodox and Progressive congregations, with members of both groups standing for the Board as individuals.

For our size the community is very active, however we are keen to continue growing and to provide even more activities. We warmly welcome the involvement of new and existing Canberra residents!