New Orleans was founded in 1718, and the
first Jewish settler arrived in 1724. Under the French, Jewish settlers
were banished, but many remained, living secretly as Jews. Most of these
Jews assimilated ultimately, and it was not until the early 1800's that Jews
began a community in New Orleans. Among the early settlers were Judah
Touro, the son of Issac Touro (see
Newport, Rhode Island), Ezekial Salomon, the son of Haym Salomon, and Judah
Benjamin, who was probably the most prominent 19th century American Jew.
The first synagogue, Shaarei Chessed, was founded in 1828 by German Jewish
settlers. In 1846, the Portuguese Synagogue was founded by Sephardic
settlers from South America and the Caribbean. These two congregations
were merged in 1881, and the name was changed to the Touro Synagogue in order to
honor Judah Touro. In 1909, the present sanctuary, designed by Emile Weil,
was dedicated. By the mid 1990's, the Jewish population was about 13,000.
The postcard below depicts the Touro Synagogue.
Encyclopedia Judaica, CD-Rom Edition, Keter Publishing
http://www.tourosynagogue.com/index.php
Synagogue
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Copyright © 2005 Edward Victor