Isaac Touro (1738 – 8 December 1783) was a Dutch-born American rabbi. He was a Jewish leader in

colonial America The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of North America from the early 17th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States after the Revolutionary War. In the ...

. Born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, in 1758 he left for

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

. In 1760, he arrived in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New ...

to serve as

hazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer. In English, thi ...

and spiritual leader of Jeshuath Israel, a Portuguese Sephardic congregation.Henry Samuel Morais
''Eminent Israelites of the Nineteenth Century: A Series of Biographical Sketches''
p. 336. Soon after his arrival the congregation built the Touro Synagogue, which is the oldest synagogue in the United States. When the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

broke out, Touro was a Loyalist, and when the British captured Newport in 1776, he remained in the city with his wife Reyna and their children, while many of his Whig congregants fled. In 1779, he moved with the British to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, but he had no means of supporting himself there, and was dependent on British charity, so in 1782 he moved to Kingston, Jamaica, where he died in 1783. His sons

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the Covenant (biblical), special ...

and Judah were renowned philanthropists.

Touro College named for the Touro family

Touro College, chartered in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a U.S. state, state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the List of U.S. ...

in 1970, takes its name from the Touro family of Judah Touro and his father Isaac Touro. Judah Touro and Isaac Touro were Jewish community leaders of

, who represent the ideals upon which Touro College bases its mission. Inspired by the democratic ethos enunciated by founding

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

, George Washington at

when he visited the Touro Synagogue in 1790, the Touro family provided major endowments for universities, the first free library on the North American continent, community health facilities in the United States, and pioneering settlements in Israel.

References

Sources

The Jewish Press, ''Glimpses Into American Jewish History'', October 4, 2006
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Touro, Isaac 1738 births 1783 deaths 18th-century Dutch rabbis 18th-century Sephardi Jews American emigrants to Jamaica American people of Dutch-Jewish descent American people of Portuguese-Jewish descent American Sephardic Jews Dutch emigrants to the United States Dutch Sephardi Jews Hazzans Jews and Judaism in New York (state) Loyalists in the American Revolution from Rhode Island People of the Province of New York Rabbis from Amsterdam People from Kingston, Jamaica People from Newport, Rhode Island Sephardi rabbis Touro College people Rabbis from New York (state) 18th-century American rabbis