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The Nidḥe Israel Synagogue ( he, בית הכנסת נדחי ישראל ''Bet Knesset Nide Yisrael'', lit. ''Synagogue of the Scattered of Israel'') is the only
In 2011 the synagogue and excavated
Built in 1654, it was destroyed by a
In 2008, an American archaeologist, Michael Stoner, was excavating the former rabbi's house on the premises. As he was digging, two Israeli tourists happened by and uttered the word ''mikveh''. After excavating for three weeks, Stoner had indeed discovered a mikveh, probably dating to the 17th century.
The Nidhe Israel Museum was also opened in 2008.
Oldest known Jewish settlement in Barbados
Nidhe Israel Synagogue and Museum in Barbados.
Archaeologist in Mikvah Excavation, The Jewish Synagogue
The Ministry of Community Development & Culture, Barbados.
Video of the grounds of the Jewish Synagogue /w interviews.
{{coord, 13, 05, 58, N, 59, 36, 55, W, type:landmark_source:kolossus-hewiki, display=title Buildings and structures in Bridgetown Sephardi Jewish culture in the Caribbean Sephardi synagogues Synagogues in Barbados Conservative Judaism in North America Conservative synagogues 17th-century synagogues Religious organizations established in the 1650s World Heritage Sites in Barbados Museums in Barbados 1654 establishments in the British Empire
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
in Bridgetown
Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Island ...
, Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
. Located along Synagogue Lane; and bordered by the wider Magazine Lane; James, Coleridge and Pinfold streets; it is a part of the ''Synagogue Historic District.In 2011 the synagogue and excavated
mikveh
Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity.
Most forms of ritual impurity can be purif ...
were designated as UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
protected properties within the World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
of ''Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison
A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...
'' area. It is one of the oldest synagogues in the Western hemisphere and a Barbados National Trust
The 'Barbados National Trust'', founded in 1960, is an organisation which works to preserve and protect the natural and artistic heritage of Barbados and to increase public awareness of the country's historic and architectural treasures. These in ...
property.
History
Built in 1654, it was destroyed by a hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
in 1831, was rebuilt, but then fell into disrepair until it was sold in 1929.
Haim Isaac Carigal
Raphael Hayyim Isaac CarregalAlso spelt: Carigal, Carrigal, Karigal, Karigel, Karigol, Kargol, Kragol. (October 15, 1733, Hebron, Ottoman Empire – May 5, 1777, Barbados) was an itinerant Palestinian rabbi and preacher. He is the first rabbi ...
was in Barbados, perhaps acting as rabbi of the congregation, at the time of his death in 1777.
About 300 Jews from Recife, Brazil
That it may shine on all (Gospel of Matthew, Matthew Sermon on the Mount, 5:15)
, image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg
, mapsize = 250px
, map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco
, p ...
, persecuted by the Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
, settled in Barbados in the 1660s. Skilled in the sugar industry, they quickly introduced the sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
crop and passed on their skills in cultivation and production to the Barbados land owners.
Present day
From the time that the synagogue was deconsecrated in 1929, it underwent numerous changes. The women's gallery that looked down on theark
Ark or ARK may refer to:
Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva''
* Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood
* Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses
Hebrew ''aron''
* ...
and bimah was converted into a full second floor. Arches around the windows and the original floor were replaced. The building changed ownership many times as well and the Jewish cemetery outside became a dumping site.
In 1983, the building was seized by the Barbados Government, which intended to raze the building and erect a courthouse. Two years later, it turned the building over to the Barbados National Trust, in thanks to petitioning by the local Jewish community. In 1986, the renovation process began led by Sir Paul Altman. The building was returned to use as a synagogue when the renovation was complete, though it is still owned by the National Trust.
In 2008, an American archaeologist, Michael Stoner, was excavating the former rabbi's house on the premises. As he was digging, two Israeli tourists happened by and uttered the word ''mikveh''. After excavating for three weeks, Stoner had indeed discovered a mikveh, probably dating to the 17th century.
The Nidhe Israel Museum was also opened in 2008.
See also
*History of the Jews in Barbados A Jewish population has been in Barbados almost continually since 1654.
Origins
The Jewish arrival in Barbados is a direct consequence of the Spanish Inquisition, specifically the Alhambra Decree. In 1492, some Sephardic Jews had fled the persecu ...
*Dutch Brazil
Dutch Brazil ( nl, Nederlands-Brazilië), also known as New Holland ( nl, Nieuw-Holland), was a colony of the Dutch Republic in the northeastern portion of modern-day Brazil, controlled from 1630 to 1654 during Dutch colonization of the Americas ...
*History of the Jews in Latin America
The history of the Jews in Latin America began with conversos who joined the Spanish and Portuguese expeditions to the continents. The Alhambra Decree of 1492 led to the mass conversion of Spain's Jews to Catholicism and the expulsion of those ...
*List of historic buildings in Bridgetown and Saint Ann's Garrison
This is a list of buildings which have been listed as protected properties of UNESCO's World Heritage site within Historic Bridgetown, Barbados and its Garrison.
List of buildings
NoteUP IN ARMS References
{{reflist
Further readingMap of hist ...
Footnotes
References
* * *External links
Oldest known Jewish settlement in Barbados
Nidhe Israel Synagogue and Museum in Barbados.
Archaeologist in Mikvah Excavation, The Jewish Synagogue
The Ministry of Community Development & Culture, Barbados.
Video of the grounds of the Jewish Synagogue /w interviews.
{{coord, 13, 05, 58, N, 59, 36, 55, W, type:landmark_source:kolossus-hewiki, display=title Buildings and structures in Bridgetown Sephardi Jewish culture in the Caribbean Sephardi synagogues Synagogues in Barbados Conservative Judaism in North America Conservative synagogues 17th-century synagogues Religious organizations established in the 1650s World Heritage Sites in Barbados Museums in Barbados 1654 establishments in the British Empire