Touro Synagogue

Common card · No. 430274

The Touro Synagogue is a synagogue built in 1763 in Newport, Rhode Island. The building has been occupied by several different congregations over the years. The current occupant is known as Congregation Ahavath Israel (Hebrew: ק״ק אהבת ישראל). As the only surviving synagogue building in the U.S. dating to the colonial era, it is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States and North America. In 1946, it was declared a National Historic Site. Touro Synagogue represents a profound symbol of religious freedom, a cornerstone of Rhode Island's founding principles under Roger Williams. Rhode Island was established as a haven for those seeking freedom of conscience, and the synagogue's existence is a testament to the colony's early commitment to religious tolerance. The first congregation was composed of Sephardic Jews, believed to have migrated from the West Indies, where they had been part of the thriving trade networks connecting Dutch and English colonies. They followed...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0