| St. Thomas Synagogue | |
|---|---|
| Hebrew: קהל קדוש ברכה ושלום וגמילות חסדים | |
.jpg) St. Thomas Synagogue | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
| Rite | Nusach Sefard |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership | Rabbi Julia Margolis |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 2116 Crystal Gade, Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 00802 |
| Country | United States |
  Location on the U.S. Virgin Islands | |
| Geographic coordinates | 18°20′41″N 64°55′59″W / 18.34472°N 64.93306°W / 18.34472; -64.93306 |
| Architecture | |
| Style | |
| Date established | 1796 (as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1833 (1833) |
| Materials | Rubblestone |
| Website | |
| synagogue | |
| St. Thomas Synagogue | |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| U.S. National Historic Landmark | |
| U.S. Historic district Contributing property | |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Part of | Charlotte Amalie Historic District (ID76001860) |
| NRHP reference No. | 97001270 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 25, 1997 |
| Designated NHL | September 25, 1997 |
| Designated CP | July 19, 1976 |
St. Thomas Synagogue, officially Congregation Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasadim (Hebrew: קהל קדוש ברכה ושלום וגמילות חסדים) or The Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas, is a historic Reform Jewish synagogue located at 2116 Crystal Gade, Queens Quarters, in Charlotte Amalie on the island of Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The synagogue building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997.
History
The congregation was founded in 1796 by Spanish and Portuguese Sephardic Jews who had come to the Caribbean Basin to finance trade between Europe and the New World. The building was constructed in 1833, and is the second oldest synagogue in the United States (after Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island built in 1763). As a result of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Category 5 hurricanes which ravaged much of the Caribbean and St. Thomas in September 2017, the synagogue sustained significant damage, but has remained in continuous operation during this time under the leadership of Rabbi Michael Feshbach.
Today, the congregation is led by Rabbi Rabbi Julia Margolis.
Description
The St. Thomas Synagogue stands north of Charlotte Amalie's central business district, on the north side of Crystal Gade near its junction with Raadets Gade. It is a single-story structure, built out of rubblestone joined by a mortar mix of lime, sand, and molasses, and covered by a shallow pitch hip roof. Its front, separated from the street by an entry courtyard, has a Greek Revival temple front, but with Gothic Revival arched window openings. The façade is recessed, with the temple pediment supported by brick pillars with Tuscan styling. On the interior, the Torah ark is located on the east wall, with the tevah, on a dais against the west wall. The center of the chamber is demarcated by a square of four Ionic columns mounted on pedestals, and there are rows of bench pews on the north and south walls. The seating areas of men and women are separated by movable wooden partitions.
See also
- List of United States National Historic Landmarks in United States commonwealths and territories, associated states, and foreign states
- National Register of Historic Places listings in the United States Virgin Islands
References
- ^ "St. Thomas Synagogue". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved June 23, 2008.
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination". National Park Service. January 1997.
- "From a Chevy Chase, Md., synagogue to one in the path of Hurricane Irma". The Washington Post. September 18, 2017. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018.
- Kelly, John (September 18, 2017). "Perspective - From a Chevy Chase, Md., synagogue to one in the path of Hurricane Irma". Retrieved October 5, 2017 – via www.WashingtonPost.com.
- "Leadership and Staff" Synagogue.vi (accessed Jan. 4, 2025)
External links
Media related to St. Thomas Synagogue at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
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- Historic district contributing properties in the United States Virgin Islands
- National Historic Landmarks in the United States Virgin Islands
- Portuguese-Jewish culture in the United States
- Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States Virgin Islands
- Reform synagogues in the United States
- Synagogues completed in 1833
- Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
- Sephardi Jewish culture in the Caribbean
- Sephardi Jewish culture in the United States
- Sephardi Reform Judaism
- Sephardi synagogues
- Spanish-Jewish culture in the United States
- Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places
- Synagogues in the United States Virgin Islands
- 1830s establishments in the Caribbean
- Jewish organizations established in 1796
- 1796 establishments in the United States
- 19th-century synagogues in the United States