The Impact of COVID-19: A Comparative Study of the Melbourne and Sydney Jewish Communities

Compared to other parts of the Jewish world, Australia has handled the COVID-19 situation well, going into full lockdown early, with fewer deaths on a population basis. At the same time, there were significant differences in terms of the impact of the second wave of the pandemic in Melbourne and Sydney. This qualitative study examines how these two major Jewish centers, where 84% of the Jews in Australia reside, responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It will discuss the policies that were put in place to assist those in need, with a range of different activities, including Jewish schools, going on-line, leading to many more opportunities to access news and participate in learning sessions. This study will highlight the similarities and differences between the two centers in terms of their organizational structures, which developed out of different historical migration patterns, and how these impacted on the current responses to the pandemic. The Sydney Jewish community has a centralized system of fundraising, planning and management in contrast to Melbourne, where the challenging situation created the need for better coordination. This was spearheaded by Jewish Care Victoria, which subsequently argued for a more permanent system of coordinated fundraising, planning and management for Melbourne Jewry. This article, which examines these developments, is based on oral interviews, written communications, community and media commentary, as well as historical material. As the Melbourne-based editor of The Australian Jewish News, Zeddy Lawrence, commented, “the community did not decline but thrived,” indicating its “resourcefulness,” but it remains to be seen if this has any long-term impact on the community structure of Melbourne Jewry.