Congregation Shearith Israel - The Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue

Home
United States
New York, NY
Congregation Shearith Israel - The Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue

Call Directions Website

North America's First Jewish Congregation. Established in 1654. Visit us at shearithisrael.org.

Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, was founded in 1654 by 23 Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent. It was the first Jewish congregation to be established in North America. Today, Jews of all backgrounds make up our welcoming, traditional community.

10/13/2026

Join us 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗕𝗕𝗔𝗧 in welcoming our first Scholars-in-Residence of 5787: Rabbi Dimitry Ekshtut and Erica Frankel of Base Manhattan!

10/07/2026

THIS SUNDAY: Register for Dr. Lucienne Carasso's presentation of her groundbreaking and meticulously researched book: "The Indigenous People of Israel/Palestine: The Return of the Jews to their Ancestral Homeland" -- sign up here: https://shearithisrael.shulcloud.com/form/author-carasso

09/11/2026

The Torah scroll and rimonim being used this Rosh Hashanah have an interesting history.

They were donated to Shearith Israel in the second half of the 19th century by Samuel N. Hart, a native of Charleston, South Carolina. Both the Torah and rimonim had previously been used at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue in Charleston, before about 1840.

The Hart family were traditionalists who left Beth Elohim and helped establish a more traditional congregation, which they named Shearit Israel after our own congregation here in New York. Following the Civil War, the two Charleston congregations reunited, and Samuel Hart subsequently donated these objects to Shearith Israel in New York.

The Torah scroll was restored to kashrut in 2019. As one of the oldest Sifre Torah in our collection that remains kasher, we reserve it for special occasions, including Rosh Hashanah.

The rimonim bear a British maker’s mark and date to around 1820. They also carry the Hebrew dedication: “Nathan son of Zanvil Bersdtadt of Mannheim.”

Nearly two centuries after these sacred objects were first used in Charleston, they continue to adorn and accompany the Torah in our synagogue.

Wishing you all Shanim Rabot and best wishes for the coming year.

07/22/2026

Join us tonight for the unique Shearith Israel Tisha B'Ab experience, culminating in Rabbi Soloveichik's annual lecture.

07/08/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/14fXQunWJFn/?mibextid=wwXIfr

07/03/2026

The documents shown here are from Shearith Israel's 1790 constitution. Adopted shortly after the ratification of the United States Constitution, it reflects a remarkable moment when our ancient congregation reshaped its internal governance in the language and spirit of the new American republic.

As historians such as Jonathan D. Sarna and Jacob Rader Marcus have noted, this constitution illustrates how American Jews quickly absorbed the political ideas of the American Revolution. Consciously echoing the American Constitution in both language and ideas: “We the people” becomes “We the Members of Shearith Israel,” and it goes on to declare that “in a state happily constituted upon the principles of equal liberty, civil and religious,” directly invoking the ideals of the new United States. Rather than relying solely on inherited communal ("kehila") authority, the congregation describes itself as a voluntary society whose members agree to adopt rules and institutions for their common good.

Changes in New York law governing religious societies later required the congregation to adopt a new constitution in 1805. That document—though amended over time—remains the constitutional framework under which the congregation still operates today. Nevertheless, the 1790 constitution stands as one of the earliest expressions of how Jewish religious communities in the United States embraced—and helped embody—the nation’s principles of liberty, self-government, and religious freedom.

Wishing all a happy Independence Day and Shabbat Shalom!

06/19/2026

Join Shearith Israel's Rev. Edinger and Dr. Laura Leibman at the Jewish Museum for an evening of conversation inspired by the current exhibition "Circa 1776," exploring lives of Jews in Colonial America, and touching upon the works loaned to the exhibition by Shearith Israel.

Get your tickets here: https://thejewishmuseum.org/program/062926-reflections-on-circa-1776-jews-in-colonial-america/

06/01/2026

Invitation to a special opportunity:

Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 2, at 10:00 AM, Join our Sexton, Z. Edinger for a guided tour of our historic Chatham Square Cemetery (55 St. James Place, Lower Manhattan).

Learn about New York's early Jewish community, Jewish patriots of the American Revolution, burial practices in colonial New York, and the growth of New York City.

This is a rare opportunity to visit a historic NY cemetery that is ordinarily closed to the public and open only by appointment. The tour is free and open to all. The tour will begin at 10:00 AM and conclude at approximately 10:40 AM. Donations to Congregation Shearith Israel are appreciated in lieu of registration fees. https://shearithisrael.shulcloud.com/form/donation

05/25/2026

Here are a few more photos from today's Memorial Day ceremony.

Address

2 W 70th Street
New York, NY
10023

Telephone

(212) 873-0300

Website

http://www.shearithisrael.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Congregation Shearith Israel - The Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your place of worship to be the top-listed place of worship in New York?