Dedication of Touro Synagogue in Newport

Background. The building was constructed from 1759 to 1763 for the Jeshuat Israel congregation in Newport, under the leadership of Cantor (Chazzan) Isaac Touro, a Dutch-born American rabbi. The design came from Peter Harrison, a noted British architect, immigrant to British America, and Rhode Island resident.

Newport as a Haven of Conscience. Newport, a seaside city on Aquidneck Island founded in 1639, grew into the largest of the four original settlements of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Rhode Island was established as a haven for those seeking freedom of conscience, and the synagogue's existence testifies to the colony's early commitment to religious tolerance. Some settlers had practiced Judaism secretly for 300 years in Portugal before being drawn to Rhode Island by its freedom of worship.

Symbolic Significance. Touro Synagogue came to represent a profound symbol of religious freedom, a cornerstone of Rhode Island's founding principles under Roger Williams. The Newport congregation's origins trace to Shearith Jacob, later known as Shearith Israel, founded in 1654, though that body fled the original building during the American Revolutionary War.