Touro Synagogue, New Orleans

Serving New Orleans Jewry

As New Orleans developed into the American south's major port, the Jewish population grew and expanded as well. In 1828, Jews of German descent formed congregation Gates of Mercy, and in 1840 Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent formed congregation Dispersed of Judah. The philanthropist Judah Touro gave money to both congregations, including his 1847 gift of a synagogue building to Dispersed of Judah. In 1868, Gates of Mercy began to follow the American Reform tradition, and the leader of the Reform movement, Isaac Mayer Wise, came to visit; the congregation also agreed to send representatives to Cincinnati to a meeting regarding a potential coalition of Reform congregations. By 1878, the two New Orleans congregations were discussing a merger, and in 1881, the two synagogues formally became one congregation. Rather than combining their unique names, they named the new congregation after their great benefactor, forming, in 1881, the Touro Synagogue of New Orleans. More than a century later, Touro Synagogue successfully weathered Hurricane Katrina and continues to serve the Reform Jews of New Orleans.