St. Thomas Synagogue

[DaCruzNut]

There are many well-known places of interest to see in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and you can reach them all if you’re willing to do a little walking. One of the less known things to see is the synagogue on Synagogue Hill. It is the second oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.

Jews first began to settle on the island in 1655 when it was ruled by Denmark. They were mainly traders in sugarcane, rum and Molasses. One of the first Jews in the Virgin Islands was Gabriel Milan, whom King Christian of Denmak sent in 1864 to be governor, the first of three Jews who have served as governors.

Jews along with Catholics were granted freedom of religion in 1685. At its peak, around 1850, the Jewish population numbered 400 and made up half of the island's white community. After the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, the number of Jews declined and, by 1942, 50 Jews remained. Since then the community has rebounded and is roughly the size it was at its peak.

In 1796, the Jews of St. Thomas founded a synagogue. Only nine Jewish families belonged to the congregation in 1801, but, by 1803, it had increased to 22, with arrivals from England, France, and the Caribbean islands of St. Eustatius and Curacao. In 1804 the small Synagogue was destroyed by fire and replaced in 1812. The Congregation grew so large that in 1823 it was dismantled and a larger one erected in the same location on Synagogue Hill. It was named the Congregation of "Blessing and Peace and Loving Deeds." The Congregation numbered 64 families when a city-wide fire destroyed the Synagogue in 1831.

The present Synagogue building was built in 1833 with the help from worldwide Jewry and the entire island community. It is the oldest Synagogue in continuous use under the American flag. A religious service has been held every Sabbath since 1833 except September 15, 1995, when Hurricane Marilyn devastated the island.

[jbond]

That's pretty interesting. We've visited St Thomas many times, but never heard about the synagogue.

We have been in the oldest synagogue in the New World, the Synagogue Mikvé Israel-Emanuel in Curacao. It was pretty awe inspiring to be in a 350 year old synagogue, walking on white sand brought over from Israel, even for a poor Catholic boy.