12 Historic Synagogues of the United States

This curated list of 12 historic synagogues in the United States showcases architectural marvels, ranging from some of the oldest to the most ornate structures across the country, highlighting the rich, diverse history of the Jewish people.

Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue in Charleston, South Carolina, is the oldest synagogue in continuous use and 2nd-oldest in the country. The synagogue was built in 1840.

Photo: credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, SC-81-2

The Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States and actually, in all of North America. The synagogue was built in 1763 and is the only surviving synagogue building in the U.S. dating to the colonial era.

Photo: Public Domain 

The Eldridge Street Synagogue in the Chinatown and Lower East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City is one of the first erected in the U.S. by Eastern European Jews. This Orthodox Jewish synagogue was built in 1887 for Congregation Kahal Adath Jeshurun.

Photo credit: Wasabi Bob/FLICKR

Reform Mickve Israel Synagogue in Monterey Square in Savannah, Georgia. has a Jewish congregation that is one of the oldest congregations in the United States. The congregation was organized in 1735 by mostly Sephardic Jewish immigrants of Spanish-Portuguese extraction from London who arrived in the new colony in 1733.

 Photo Credit: The GNU Free Documentation License 

The Isaac M. Wise Temple, formerly know as the Plum Street Temple, in Cincinnati, Ohio, is one of the oldest synagogues in the United Sates, dating back to 1866. The synagogue was erected in honor of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, who was among the founders of Reform Judaism in the United States. In 1840, a group of German Jewish immigrants in Cincinnati organized as a separate congregation, K.K. B'nai Yeshurun, breaking away from the existing congregation.

Photo Source: Public Domain

Old Ohavi Zedek Synagogue in Burlington, Vermont is the oldest synagogue in Vermont, and one of the oldest in the United States. The congregation was founded in 1876 and is the oldest congregation in Vermont. The congregation constructed the synagogue in 1885.

Photo Source: Creative Commons

Congregation Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath in Seward Park, Seattle, Washington is home to a congregation that was founded in 1891. Simchat Torah services were held in 1889 at Red Man’s Hall in downtown Seattle, and the congregation’s first activities included visiting the sick and providing proper burial.

Photo Source: Creative Commons Attribution

Congregation Beth Jacob in Miami Beach is the most prominent historic synagogue in Miami. The synagogue was built in 1936. This Art Deco-style structure was designed by Henry Hohauser and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photo Source: Creative Commons Attribution

The Sixth & I Historic Synagogue is located at the corner of Sixth Street and I Street, NW in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, DC. The building was constructed by the Adas Israel Congregation and dedicated in 1908. The venue's sanctuary seats 750 people, split between two levels, and its social hall can accommodate up to 250 people.

Photo Source: Creative Commons Attribution

Ahavath Beth Israel in Boise is Idaho's oldest synagogue. The synagogue was built in 1895 and construction lasted through 1896. It is one of the oldest synagogue structures in the United States still in use.

Photo Source: Creative Commons Attribution

Temple Emanu-El of New York is a synagogue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NYC. It was built in 1928 for the Reform Jewish Congregation Emanu-El of New York. With capacity for 2,500 seated worshipers, it is one of the largest synagogues in the world. Temple Emanu-El began on April 6, 1845, initially the congregation met on the second floor of a building at Grand and Clinton Streets.

Photo Source: Public Domain

Temple of Israel in Wilmington, North Carolina is a Reform Jewish synagogue. The synagogue was built in 1876. It is the oldest synagogue in North Carolina and one of the earliest Reform synagogues in the American South. The congregation dates back to Sephardic Jews who first arrived in North Carolina during the early 18th century. . 

 Photo Source: Creative Commons