"I have finally found a place to live Just like I never could before And I know I don't have much to give But soon I'll open any door In the presence of the Lord" (Eric Clapton) In June 2014, we visited the third oldest synagogue in the US when we toured Savannah, Georgia's Congregation Mickve Israel. Yesterday, we toured the second oldest synagogue in the US when we visited the Touro Synagogue and Visitor Center in Newport, RI. The congregation's history goes way back to 1658 and its quite a fascinating history. The building itself was constructed in 1763 and is now both the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States and North America. Rightfully so, it was declared a National Historic Site in 1946. Jewish history and American history intersected in the form of a famous letter written by George Washington on August 21, 1790. After his visit to Newport, Washington sent a letter to the synagogue's warden to express his support of the Congregation's Jews, all American Jews, and his vison for religious tolerance in the newly born nation. Washington's letter stated: "... the Government of the United States ... gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance. ... May the children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy". Lew, our Tour Guide, was the very best tour guide I ever had. He was funny when he wanted to be, but brought enough serious gravitas when needed, to explain the magnificent history of Newport, the significance of Washington's letter, and the contribution of American Jews to Newport and Colonial America. I can't recommend a visit and tour of the Touro Synagogue highly enough. read more

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We attended a presentation in Touro's gardens. The docent talked about Touro's beginnings. Several Sephardic Jewish families immigrated to Newport in the late 1600s and formed the Jeshuat Israel congregation. They built the Touro Synagogue in 1763. It is the oldest synagogue building in North America. The docent told us the elders transferred the deed to the New York congregation for safekeeping when the revolutionary war broke out and that congregation now owns Touro. After the initial presentation, we walked over to the entrance of the synagogue. We were allowed to view the interior from the threshold, but couldn't go inside due to Covid. read more

Touro Synagogue - Touro Synagogue - Synagogues Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

This one is tricky to review because although it's a very nice synagogue I'm not sure a whole lot of people would truly appreciate it. Rhode Islanders should definitely see it due to its historical link to the state. Jews should definitely see it for its link to American Jewish history. Its big claim to fame is receiving a letter from George Washington while he was president talking about the importance of religious freedom. so if you fall into any of those camps it's definitely worth checking out, but otherwise this may be one to skip. read more

Between visiting the Newport cottages and beaches, Touro Synagogue is an interesting stop. Built in 1763, Touro Synagogue is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States. It is also the oldest surviving Jewish synagogue building in North America. In 1946 it was declared a National Historic Site. Tours are given several times a day. Tickets cannot be reserved online but are available onsite at the Loeb Visitor's Center, located in front of the synagogue. The Synagogue itself is one room. The tour we attended was more like a presentation. We all sat down and listened to the docent tell about the history of the synagogue. The docent was engaging but she could have spoken a little louder as we were a large group. Touro still has an active congregation so be aware that there are no tours when the synagogue is acting as a House of Worship. The price (&12 adults, $10 seniors, $8 students) might be a little steep for a 45 minute presentation, but I think it's worth it to preserve this landmark. read more

Touro Synagogue - Synagogues Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

A beautiful piece of stunning architecture. A real gem of Newport and American history there. Really enjoyed walking the grounds too. But, the people running it are quite rude! I was there to take a peek inside and there were still a lot of congressioners there and the man said very rudely "we're closed" you have to leave now!" Even with other people inside read more

Touro Synagogue - Synagogues Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

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This was an amazing place with very interesting history. First there is a little museum where you can get an overview (read George Washington's letter - very moving). Then a woman gave us a detailed history of the synagogue. Then we got to look inside (you can't go in. Beautiful place with great history. read more

An amazing bit of Jewish history that you shouldn't miss if you're visiting Newport! Touro Synagogue is the oldest synagogue still standing in the Untied States (the oldest synagogue was in New York but no longer stands). It was built in 1763. For a small fee, you can take a tour of the synagogue, led by a very informative guide. And this synagogue has such an interesting history. Did you know that there have been Jews in Newport since 1620s? Or that George Washington once visited this synagogue? Because I didn't! You'll learn this and more! I also learned about a letter that President Washington sent to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport in 1790 in response to a letter from the congregation expressing concern that freedom of the religion had not been included in the Constitution; he wrote: "For happily the Government of the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support." The synagogue is still in use by a Modern Orthodox congregation, so it will not be available for tours during services. The visitor center where you buy your ticket for the tour has a short video about the synagogue and some more information upstairs as well. This is well worth a visit if you're visiting Newport and are interested in Jewish American history or the history of religious minorities in early America! read more

Touro Synagogue - Synagogues Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

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We visited this historical site as part of our day in Newport. We were invited to sit in the front section of the synagogue while the rest of the group took seats. The sweet white haired docent gave a history of the synagogue--important names, dates and facts presented in an interesting and humorous way. We went to the museum after the tour where they had copies of George Washington's letter which the guide had told us about. read more

A must for anyone interested in Jewish/American History. Our tour guide was excellent. We learned a lot of important and interesting information. The architecture of the Synagogue is really beautiful. We were quite impressed. Thank you! read more

We went here for what was billed as a 'tour' of the synagogue. It was not so much a tour as an incredibly interesting and informative history lesson. You purchase your tickets in the museum/visitor center and your guide takes you up the walkway to the synagogue. Inside you will sit down and the guide will give you a detailed history lesson of the Jewish Community in the early days of America. Our guide was incredibly well versed and spoke very naturally and energetically. This is a historical landmark not just for the Jewish Community, but the United States and I highly recommend taking the time to come here. read more

i'm sitting in a synagogue and my internal process has me all over the place. 'do i sit, do i stand? do women and men sit separately? they did at a couple mosques i went to. is my head supposed to be covered? is it cool that i'm in pants? does being this introspective make me crazy?' and then he started talking; this cute guy [yarmulke and all] taking us through the history of his people. he takes us to western europe, where a great part of the jewish population spoke spanish and portugese. he took us through turbulent times when people of certain ethnicities/religions were systematically lopped off. and he brought us here, where a couple blocks away slaveowning jews [with spanish names] were buried. the only interaction i'd heard of between these two groups was the founding of the naacp. who knew? then he casts a glance to the front of the room and there it is. a 500-year-old deerskin torah, a thing so holy, so divinely inspired that neither american nor british forces did it harm during the revolution. that during the civil war and emancipation, when the ethnic climate was far more heated than this, no one did it harm. and that now, centuries later, it still does its job. go, just go. it'll change ya life. read more

I throughly enjoyed visiting the Synagogue. The tour guide was extremely informative. This Synagogue had a wealth of history within Jewish history and American history as a whole. It is a beautiful narrative that displays Jewish identity and strength. I would suggest Jews and non-Jews visit this Synagogue while in Newport. It is a living monument to Jewish history. read more

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Beautiful landmark. Will definitely visit again. The tour guy Lew provides a wealth of information of the history behind the touro synagogue. He's very knowledgeable. read more

Great piece of history that not a lot of people know about. Our guide was terrific and very informative. My only complaint is that they TOLD us about the Washington letter, but we never SAW it. Would have been nice to see it read more

Great visit to learn about not only the history of this Synagogue, but the history of Newport as well!

Fascinating history of the Jews in Newport and the Americas. There are tours on the half hour in the summertime and the waiting area is impressively interactive with archived stories of colonial Jews living in the area during the 18th and 19th centuries. read more

Well worth a visit, especially if you are Jewish. The docent gave a good talk, including discussing the synagogue's connection with George Washington. There is a visitor's center, which looked good, but which I did not have time to really explore. I'm glad I went, but did not find it as as interesting (historically or architecturally) as the Great/Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, or the Great Synagogue in Sydney. There is a somewhat hefty admission fee-perhaps necessary to pay off the visitor's center. I believe that Jewish visitors can arrange to attend services there, including for the High Holidays. read more

Great tour of Touro. Our guide was Juliette. Tours run every 30 minutes and cost $12 for Adults and $8 students including College. Lovely grounds and very informative. Learned a lot. read more

While visiting Newport, I think this is a really important landmarc to visit. So much history and significance. I mean George Washington used to come here and lecture from time to time. I though it was amazing how its the oldest synogogue in the United States. read more

This is the oldest synagogue in the United States of America, and it has the oldest Torah scroll its holy ark.

first of all, you can not pray here. it is a cash cow and visitors need to keep moving. that might be a turnoff for some, but most, like myself, are just grateful that it exists at all. I have been going here periodically since I was eight. Secondly, the new visitors center was an unnecessary extravagance. the $6 million spent was not enough to cover actually staffing and running it, a profound miscalculation. as a result it is closed most of the time. I am lucky that I got in once. the previous buildings on the center site were functioning business spaces, (Gray's Typewriter Company! Tubley's Spa!)and apartments, now wiped away. the park is empty. these all could have been integrated into a history of a living neighborhood. instead there is a beautiful locked building that houses fascinating multimedia presentations. Do not miss the index of famous Jewish Americans. but it is sad to see the lights on and nobody home. death of a neighborhood. people used to live here. read more