Touro Synagogue: America’s Oldest Jewish House of Worship
The Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, is home to the second-oldest congregation in the United States. As Sephardic Jews began emigrating from the Caribbean to colonial America in the seventeenth century, the Jewish population of Newport grew and eventually established the Nephuse Israel Congregation, which later became the Congregation Jeshuat Israel toward the end of the 1600s. By the mid-eighteenth century, the community had acquired sufficient financial support to build a synagogue and began construction in 1759. Designed in the European Palladian style that was popular in colonial architecture, the synagogue was completed in 1763. Later named after Isaac Touro who kept watch over the institution during the American Revolution, the building was designated a National Historic Site in 1946.
Credits
Courtesy of the Touro Synagogue.
Discussion Questions
From the outside, there is nothing distinctively Jewish about the building. Why might this have been the case? Remember, Newport was home to many successful Jews who were prominent members of the community.
What factors might have led the synagogue to become a National Historic Site in 1946?
Several non-Jewish architects, including Peter Harrison, have designed synagogues. Try to find other examples (hint: Frank Lloyd Wright is one), and think about why these architects might have been attracted to synagogue projects.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 6.
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Related Guide
Synagogue Architecture
Synagogues built in Europe in the age of Emancipation had somewhat contradictory goals. On the one hand, they were to articulate a proud Jewishness, which by definition meant a distinctive style. On the other hand, they wanted to announce that they were deeply embedded in the European cityscape.
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