Touro Synagogue (New Orleans)

Touro Synagogue
Touro Synagogue building, in 2006
Religion
Affiliation	Reform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue
Leadership	Rabbi Katie Bauman Rabbi Todd Silverman Cantor Kevin Margolius Rabbi David Goldstein (Emeritus)
Status	Active
Location
Location	4238 St. Charles Avenue in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana 70115
Country	United States
Location in New Orleans, Louisiana
Geographic coordinates	29°55′34″N 90°06′02″W
Architecture
Architect(s)	Emile Weil George Glover
Type	Synagogue
Style	Byzantine Revival
Date established	1881 (as a congregation)
Completed	1909
Specifications
Capacity	800 worshippers
Dome(s)	One
Dome dia. (outer)	71 feet (22 m)
Materials	Brick; terracotta; ceramic tiles
Website
tourosynagogue.com

Touro Synagogue is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 4238 St. Charles Avenue, in Uptown New Orleans Louisiana. It was named after Judah Touro, the son of Isaac Touro, the namesake of the country's oldest synagogue, Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island. The New Orleans Touro Synagogue is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States and the oldest in the country outside the original Thirteen Colonies.

History

The current synagogue was founded in 1881 from the merger of two older (originally Orthodox) congregations: the Ashkenazi Shangarai Chasset (transliterated from Hebrew as "Gates of Mercy") congregation, founded in 1828, and the Sephardic Nefutzot Yehudah (transliterated from Hebrew as "Dispersed of Judah") congregation, founded in 1846, who split from Shangarai Chasset. The congregations reunited in 1881 and moved into a building on Carondelet Street. Judah Touro was a benefactor of both congregations, in addition to Roman Catholic and Protestant charities. The merged congregation assumed the Touro name in 1881 and joined the Union for Reform Judaism in 1891.

The sanctuary building on St. Charles Avenue in Uptown New Orleans was designed by Emile Weil, aged 29 years, and George Glover in the Byzantine Revival style, with a 71-foot-wide (22 m) dome. The synagogue was constructed in 1908 and dedicated 1 January 1909.

A religious school building, located adjacent to the synagogue, was completed in 1928, designed by Nathan Kohlman in the same general style and using the same materials. A multi-purpose addition was completed in 1963, designed by Robert Schenker in the Modernist style. The Norman Synagogue House, designed by Mark Baum and Lyons and Hudson in 1989, is in a neutral late-20th century style using materials that blend with the original structure. In 2019, the congregation began a restoration of the sanctuary's interior, delayed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rabbinical leaders

The following individuals have served as rabbi of the Touro Synagogue congregation

Ordinal	Officeholder	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Notes
1	Rabbi Isaac Leucht	1881	1914	32–33 years
2	Rabbi Emil W. Leipziger	1914	1947	32–33 years
3	Rabbi Leo A. Bergman	1948	1976	27–28 years
4	Rabbi David Goldstein	1978	2005	26–27 years
5	Rabbi Andrew Busch	2005	2008	2–3 years
6	Rabbi Alexis Berk	2008	2019	10–11 years
7	Rabbi Katie Bauman	2019	incumbent	4–5 years

Further reading

• Ford, Emily; Barry Stiefel (2012). The Jews of New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta: A History of Life and Community Along the Bayou. Charleston, SC: History Press.
• Normand, Eugene (2013). "A Tale of Two Cities' Jewish Architects: Emile Weil of New Orleans and B. Marcus Priteca of Seattle". Southern Jewish History. 16: 1–41.

External links

• Official website
• "Touro Synagogue" (PDF). City Guide to Sacred Spaces: New Orleans, Louisiana. Sacred Space International / Tour Sacred Spaces – via PBS.
• "Touro Synagogue, New Orleans, La.: Mr. Emile Weil, Architect" and unnumbered plates". American Architect. October 20, 1909. p. 160 – via University of Pennsylvania.
• Judah Touro and the Touro Synagogue of New Orleans on YouTube