Podcast Summary: The Urbanist – Tall Stories 489: Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island
Date: December 15, 2025
Host: Andrew Tuck (A)
Contributor: Gregory Scruggs (B)
Guest: Aaron Israel Ginsburg (C)
Episode Overview
This episode of “Tall Stories” journeys to Newport, Rhode Island, home of the Touro Synagogue—the oldest still-standing synagogue in the United States. Through rich storytelling and insights from lifelong congregant Aaron Israel Ginsburg, the episode explores the building’s formation, its emblematic role in American religious freedom, and the vibrant global network that made its construction possible. The story connects early American tolerance, a multi-continental Jewish diaspora, and George Washington’s historic endorsement of liberty of conscience.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Newport’s Legacy of Religious Freedom [00:09–01:45]
- Newport portrayed as a world-facing port city, shaped by centuries of migration and commerce.
- The city’s reputation for religious tolerance stems from its founding ideals, first established by Roger Williams after his banishment from Puritan Massachusetts.
- Quote (B): “Rhode Island quickly becomes a beacon of tolerance for religious minorities, from Quakers to Jews.” [01:28]
- Jewish settlers, after persecution in the Iberian Peninsula and South America, find safe haven in Newport in the late 1650s.
- By the 18th century, the Jewish community in Newport is well-established and ready for a permanent house of worship.
2. Building a Synagogue Across Continents [01:46–04:10]
- Gregory Scruggs introduces Aaron Israel Ginsburg, a local historian and lifelong synagogue member.
- Ginsburg describes a worldwide fundraising effort enabled by correspondence to Jewish communities in New York, London, Amsterdam, and the Caribbean.
- Quote (C): “A worldwide fundraising campaign included four letters to the first Jewish congregation in America, Shearith Israel in New York. … Shearith Israel always responded generously, which must be why they kept getting the letters.” [02:55]
- Contributions also came from communities in Curacao, Jamaica, and Suriname, demonstrating the wide Jewish diaspora’s connections.
- Quote (B): “It’s a remarkable network, connected across thousands of miles by a shared faith, and all by shipborne correspondence.” [03:36]
- The Touro Synagogue officially opens in 1763 during Hanukkah, an event notable enough to be reported by the London Chronicle.
- Memorable Moment (C): “They must have had a good public relations person to get that on the front page of a newspaper.” [04:09]
3. Touro Synagogue as a Hub of Jewish Life & Learning [04:11–05:00]
- Leadership of Amsterdam-born Rabbi Isaac Touro helps solidify the community’s presence.
- The synagogue becomes a center for Jewish learning; in 1773, a visiting rabbi’s influence leads Yale to temporarily require Hebrew as a language.
- Quote (C): “It took him 20 years to realize that wasn’t going to fly. … I suspect they were muttering something in English under their breaths, but nobody wrote that down.” [04:48]
4. Revolution, Rebirth & a Presidential Endorsement [05:01–07:00]
- The Revolutionary War brings hardship; the British occupy Newport and repurpose the synagogue as a military hospital.
- Post-war, George Washington visits the synagogue and later, as President, responds to its congregation with a letter affirming religious liberty.
- Quote (direct from Moses Seixas’ letter, read by B): “…a government which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, but generously affording to all liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.” [06:00]
- Quote (from Washington’s response): “All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship…May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the goodwill of the other inhabitants, while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.” [06:40]
- Washington’s letter is lauded as a foundational American affirmation of freedom of religion for all.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Newport’s tolerant roots:
- “Rhode Island quickly becomes a beacon of tolerance for religious minorities, from Quakers to Jews.” – Gregory Scruggs [01:28]
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On global Jewish support:
- “Shearith Israel always responded generously, which must be why they kept getting the letters.” – Aaron Israel Ginsburg [02:58]
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On transatlantic PR:
- “They must have been a good public relations person to get that on the front page of a newspaper.” – Aaron Israel Ginsburg [04:09]
-
On Yale and Hebrew fluency:
- “It took him 20 years to realize that wasn’t going to fly. …I suspect they were muttering something in English under their breaths, but nobody wrote that down.” – Aaron Israel Ginsburg [04:48]
-
On American religious liberty:
- “A government which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, but generously affording to all liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.” – Moses Seixas (read by Gregory Scruggs) [06:00]
- “All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. … [May] everyone sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.” – George Washington (letter excerpt) [06:40]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:09 – Introduction and Newport’s early history
- 01:20 – Arrival and settlement of Sephardic Jews
- 02:39 – Aaron Israel Ginsburg introduces the fundraising story
- 03:36 – Global Jewish support and the network
- 04:09 – Synagogue opening and press coverage
- 04:48 – The synagogue’s role in education and the Yale episode
- 05:00 – Revolutionary War impacts and George Washington’s involvement
- 06:00–07:00 – Reading from Seixas’s letter and Washington’s response on religious freedom
Conclusion
This episode skillfully weaves together the local, national, and global threads that made the Touro Synagogue not just America’s oldest existing synagogue, but a living monument to the ideals of religious freedom and tolerance. It highlights the windings of diaspora, the power of community, and the enduring legacy of letters that shaped both a congregation and a nation.