(c) Touro Synagogue
On 2 December 1763, the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States, the Touro Synagogue, was consecrated in Newport, Rhode Island.
The Jewish community, known as the Nephuse Israel (Scattered of Israel) congregation, was established by 15 Portuguese and Spanish families who fled to Barbados during the Inquisition. The families arrived in Newport in the 17th century, perhaps as early as 1658.
During its early years, the congregation would meet in members’ homes. However, the Jewish community needed a proper synagogue, to serve their growing Jewish community. In 1758, British American Peter Harrison began designing the synagogue. For the interior, Harrison consulted with the congregants, specifically the hazzan (cantor), Isaac Touro.
In August 1790, President George Washington visited the synagogue, accompanied by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and Justice John Blair, among others. Following his visit, Moses Seixas, the synagogue’s president, sent Washington a letter expressing his gratitude to live in a country that promotes religious tolerance. Washington replied to the letter saying the United States government, “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance” and sent best wishes to “the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this country.”
Even as Newport’s Jews dispersed in the early 1800’s, community members maintained a connection to the synagogue. Following his passing in 1822, Abraham Touro bequeathed funds to the State of Rhode Island for support of the synagogue When the Rhode Island legislature accepted Abraham’s gift, they were the first to publicly refer to the synagogue as the “Touro Synagogue.” In memory of their benefactor, the community adopted the name “Touro Synagogue” which has since remained.
In 1946, the synagogue was designated as a “National Historic Site.” Explaining the decision, United States President Harry Truman said that doing so is, “symbolic of our national tradition of freedom, which has inspired men and women of every creed, race, and ancestry to contribute their highest gifts to the development of our national culture.”
Today the synagogue holds weekly Orthodox, Sephardi style services and conducts all lifecycle events. The synagogue is the sole surviving synagogue built in Colonial times.
