Touro Synagogue
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Template:Infobox protected area The Touro Synagogue, at 85 Touro Street in Newport, Rhode Island, is the oldest Jewish house of worship in North America. It was built in 1759 for the Jeshuat Israel congregation in Newport. The spiritual leader at the time was the Reverend Isaac de Touro from Amsterdam.
Image:Tourosynagogue.jpg The Jeshuat Israel congregation itself dates back to 1658, when Jewish families arrived from Spain, Portugal, and the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (New York City). Today, it remains a functioning Sephardic Orthodox synagogue.
The synagogue, designed by architect Peter Harrison, is considered to be one of the most architecturally distinguished buildings of 18th century America. There is a trap door under the tebáh (bimah) which is believed to have been used while the synagogue was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
George Washington wrote a famous letter to the Jewish community of the Touro Synagogue that read in part: "...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 figtree, 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."
This letter is widely considered an important early step in the establishment of religious freedom in the United States.
In 1946 Touro Synagogue was designated a national historic site, and is an affiliated area of the National Park Service. As is the case with most national historic sites, the synagogue was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, on October 15, 1966. In 2001 the congregation joined into a partership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.