Congregation Shearith Israel

Shearith Israel, often referred to as the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue (Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue ) is an Orthodox Jewish community in New York City. The Sephardic community was the first Jewish community in North America. It was founded in 1654 and until 1825, the only Jewish congregation in New York. Today's synagogue is a classicist building from the late 19th century. The community follows the Sephardic rite of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews.

History

The history of the Jewish community Shearith Israel is closely connected to the first Sephardic Jewish immigrants in North America in September 1654 from Brazil in what was then New Amsterdam, now New York City, arrived. Shearith Israel was founded by its own account in the same year. Already in 1656, the Jews Nieuw Amsterdam permission to build their own cemetery. First president of the township was Luis Moses Gomez.

Jews had only the right to privately practice their religion openly hold religious services only Christians were allowed. However, a map from 1695 shows a synagogue ( Jews' synagogue ) in the Beaver Street, near Mill Street, where apparently semi-public religious services were held. The building will also have a mikveh, a ritual bath houses.

The minutes of the congregation Shearith Israel obtained starting in 1729 and mention older, dating back to the year 1706. A plot of land for a synagogue was purchased in 1728 and a synagogue was in the 1730 Mill Street, now William Street, to be inaugurated - the first in North America. It was rebuilt in 1818 and inaugurated new. In 1834 it was replaced by a new synagogue in the Crosby Street, which was in turn replaced in 1860 by a synagogue on 19th Street "up- town". At the same time, a second preacher was hired. The still existing synagogue at the corner of Central Park West and 70th Street was inaugurated on 19 May 1897. The neo-classical building of the American Jewish architect Arnold Brunner is built in the tradition of Spanish and Portuguese synagogues.

Members

The community was very early along both Sephardic as Ashkenazi Jews. It is one of around 450 families. Known members of the community were, among others, Benjamin Mendes Seixas, Ephraim Hart and Alexander Zuntz, co-founder of the New York Stock Exchange, the poet Emma Lazarus, Alice Davis Menken, a pioneer of social assistance, especially for women and Benjamin Nathan Cardozo, Judge of the Supreme Court of the USA.