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Touro Synagogue (New Orleans)

Coordinates: 29°55′34″N 90°06′02″W / 29.926188°N 90.100521°W / 29.926188; -90.100521
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Touro Synagogue
Touro Synagogue building, in 2006
Religion
AffiliationReform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue
Leadership
  • Rabbi Katie Bauman
  • Rabbi Todd Silverman
  • Cantor Kevin Margolius
  • Rabbi David Goldstein (Emeritus)
StatusActive
Location
Location4238 St. Charles Avenue in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana 70115
CountryUnited States
Touro Synagogue (New Orleans) is located in New Orleans
Touro Synagogue (New Orleans)
Location in New Orleans, Louisiana
Geographic coordinates29°55′34″N 90°06′02″W / 29.926188°N 90.100521°W / 29.926188; -90.100521
Architecture
Architect(s)
TypeSynagogue
StyleByzantine Revival
Date established1881 (as a congregation)
Completed1909
Specifications
Capacity800 worshippers
Dome(s)One
Dome dia. (outer)71 feet (22 m)
MaterialsBrick; 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

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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.[1]

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.[1][2]

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,[3][4] delayed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

Rabbinical leaders

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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

References

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  1. ^ a b "New Orleans, LA ~ Touro Synagogue (1909)". Synagogues of the South. College of Charleston. 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Pope, John (May 1, 2022). "Historic Touro Synagogue receives Sacred Places grant for building renovation". Preservation in Print. Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "Our architectural history". Touro Synagogue. n.d. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Kingsley, Karen; Douglas, Lake (2012). Esperdy, Gabrielle; Kingsley, Karen (eds.). "Touro Synagogue, [New Orleans, Louisiana]". SAH Archipedia. Charlottesville: Society of Architectural Historians and University of Virginia Press. Retrieved January 6, 2024.

Further reading

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  • 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.
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