Abraham Tobias Boas was born at Amsterdam, the Netherlands, son of Tobias Eliesar Boas, rabbi, and his wife Eva Salomon Levi, née Linse.

In 1869, he was chosen as rabbi for the congregation at Adelaide, South Australia, and he arrived there on the ship Tamesa, Capt.

[3] He held the position for forty-eight years, and became a well-known figure in all movements intended to forward the cultural and material good of the community .

Well read, a great student of William Shakespeare, urbane and kind, broad-minded and anxious to be of use to other denominations than his own, he was a welcome visitor to the YMCA, and often lectured on aspects of Jewish life and Old Testament history.

He not only earned the affection of his own congregation, he was generally recognized as a valuable and public-spirited citizen.