The Touro Synagogue or Congregation Jeshuat Israel (Hebrew: קהל קדוש ישועת ישראל) is a synagogue built in 1763 in Newport, Rhode Island. It is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States, the only surviving synagogue building in the U.S. dating to the colonial era, and the oldest surviving Jewish synagogue building in North America. In 1946, it was declared a National Historic Site.The first congregation was made up of Sephardic Jews, who are believed to have come via the West Indies, where they participated in the triangular trade along with Dutch and English settlements. They practiced a Spanish and Portuguese Jewish liturgy and ritual. In the late eighteenth century, when warfare threatened, the congregation transferred the deed and Torah scrolls to Congregation Shearith Israel in New York for safekeeping. Since the late 19th century, the congregants have been primarily Ashkenazi.
In 2012 the two congregations went to court to try to resolve which owned the synagogue and its contents, as the Newport congregation wanted to sell some items to raise money for restoration of the building. In 2017 the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that the New York congregation owned it; as the US Supreme Court declined to hear the case, this ruling stands.
1763Dec, 2
Dedication of the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, Rhode Island, the first synagogue in what will become the United States.
Choose Another Date
Events on 1763
- 10Feb
Treaty of Paris (1763)
French and Indian War: The Treaty of Paris ends the war and France cedes Quebec to Great Britain. - 7May
Pontiac (Ottawa leader)
Pontiac's War begins with Pontiac's attempt to seize Fort Detroit from the British. - 2Jun
Fort Michilimackinac
Pontiac's Rebellion: At what is now Mackinaw City, Michigan, Chippewas capture Fort Michilimackinac by diverting the garrison's attention with a game of lacrosse, then chasing a ball into the fort. - 1Sep
Foundling Home in Moscow
Catherine II of Russia endorses Ivan Betskoy's plans for a Foundling Home in Moscow - 7Oct
Royal Proclamation of 1763
King George III of the United Kingdom issues the Royal Proclamation of 1763, closing aboriginal lands in North America north and west of the Alleghenies to white settlements.