The first Jewish Congregation to be established in North America.

The Congregation was established in 1654 by twenty-three Jews who had been living in Recife, Brazil. They moved to New York when the Portuguese, took control of Recife from the Netherlands brought the Inquisition with them. As a result, from the beginning there were both Sephardic and Ashkenazi members. That diversity continues until the present day.

Over its more than 360 year history the Congregation has called numerous buildings home. It’s current synagogue building was designed by the distinguished Jewish architect Arnold Bruner and completed in 1897. Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of the founder of Tiffany’s and America’s most noted stained glass artist, was deeply involved in the interior design of the building. His Tiffany Studios designed and provided the magnificent stained glass windows that still grace Shearith Israel today.