We headed down to Newport Rhode Island today with three things on our agenda:
Finding Easton Beach and the best lobster rolls in RI (according to Google}
Viewing the home of the rich (and sometimes famous) along the coastline.
The Synagogue is Touro which dates which back to 1763.
The Jeshuat Israel congregation itself dates back to 1658 when 15 Spanish and Portuguese Jewish families arrived, probably from the West Indies, and many settled near Easton's Point.
Many had ended up in Jamaica having escaped from the Spanish inquisition forming their own synagogue their and eventually moving to Rhode island
The congregation at Newport, never large, was composed of Jews with roots in the Sephardic Spanish and Portuguese Diaspora, with some Ashkenazim by the eighteenth century.
The first Jewish residents of Newport, fifteen Spanish Jewish families, arrived in 1658. It is presumed that they arrived via the communities in Curacao and Suriname. The small community worshipped in private homes for more than a century before they could afford to build a synagogue
It was designed by noted British-Colonial era architect and Rhode Island resident Peter Harrison and is considered his most notable work. The interior is flanked by a series of twelve Ionic columns supporting balconies. The columns signify the twelve tribes of ancient Israel. Each column is carved from a single tree. Located at 85 Touro Street, the Touro Synagogue remains an active Orthodox synagogue. The building is oriented to face east toward Jerusalem. The ark containing the Torah is on the east wall; above it is a mural representing the Ten Commandments in Hebrew.
It was then time for lunch, on to Easton Beach and the Snack Shack. What a bargain, two delicious lobster rolls, with fries with a drink for under $13. I had (guess what) chicken, which was equally good. To top it off we had panoramic view of one of the best beaches in Newport, Easton.
From there we took a 10 mile coastal car tour of the home of the rich ( and sometimes famous). All the homes overlook the bay, one more grandiose than the next.
Back to camp to pack up for our trip to Sebago Lake Maine.
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