Gallery - Jews

Television (Full Length) – 1973

By 1973, New Zealand's Jewish community numbered as little as 4,000 members. In this episode of current affairs series Gallery, reporter Dairne Shanahan interviews individuals from this community and asks a key question: will the local Jewish population will stand the tests of time and modernity? The number of Jewish Kiwis is under threat from intermarriage and relocation of members. Those interviewed discuss being Jewish in New Zealand, the idea of marrying a non-Jew, and how strong anti-Semitism can be downunder. In the 2019 census, 8,000 Kiwis identified themselves as Jewish.

Being Jewish is more a way of life rather than a religion. You sort of practise it everyday, not just go to church on Sunday and be done with it for the rest of the week.
– A young boy at the start of this documentary, on Judaism