Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, was founded in 1654, the first Jewish congregation to be established in North America.
Members of Shearith Israel left their mark on history, both in terms of their contributions to the congregation and in terms of their contributions to the civic life of New York and America.
Shearith Israel's cemeteries are critical to the preservation and transmission of our congregational story. Three historic and one active cemetery are maintained by the congregation and each has a tale to tell.
Hebrew School History
In 1802, Meir Polonies donated $900 to fund our Hebrew School
1731
Nineteenth Street Synagogue
The congregation's fourth synagogue was built on nineteenth Street, just west of Fifth Avenue.
