Congregation Shearith Israel of New York

Congregation Shearith Israel (also known as the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue) in New York, founded in 1654, was the first Jewish congregation in North America. It was established by twenty-three Jews of Spanish Portuguese descent who fled from Recife, Brazil, after it was reconquered by the Portuguese. The community has become an important symbol in the history of the North American Jewry. For its founders, who were fleeing persecution, New Amsterdam was a haven. Nonetheless, they had to fight to secure the right to remain. Between 1654 and 1730, it met in rented quarters, consecrating its first building in 1730 on Mill Street. To meet the needs of a steadily growing membership, the congregation moved into five different buildings over the centuries. The American Jewish architect Arnold Brunner designed Shearith Israel’s present location, which it has occupied since 1897. Until 1825, it was the only Jewish congregation in New York, and all Jews in the city belonged to it. Its earliest documents date from 1728.