First Synagogue in Unites States

 First Jewish Synagogue Was Dedicated in the United States December 2, 1763 Many settlers traveled to the American colonies for freedom of worship. Quakers, Puritans, Jews, and people of other faiths arrived to create communities in what would become the United States. On December 2, 1763, members of the Jewish community of Newport, Rhode Island, witnessed the dedication of the Touro Synagogue, the first synagogue in the American colonies. The synagogue was named for Isaac Touro, its first officiating rabbi. Touro became the center of a thriving Jewish community. The Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, photographed in 1971  Organized Jewish community life in Newport dates to 1658,...

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Colonial Mikveh in Venezuela

Rare colonial-era Mikveh unearthed in Venezuela Venezuela to preserve one-of-a-kind Jewish ritual bath and open site to visitors.  By Shlomo Papirblat | Dec. 17, 2013 | 4:18 AM Archaeologists in Venezuela have unearthed a old mikveh dating back to the 18th century. The colonial-era Jewish ritual bath was discovered under the foundations of an art museum during renovation work.  A Venezuelan press agency released an announcement by the Ministry of Culture, stating that archaeologists in Falcon State found “a structure in which adherents of the Jewish faith ceremoniously used to immerse themselves." The mikveh...

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